If you have decided that moving to a care home is the next step for you or a family member, finding the right one can feel daunting. A care home should be a comfortable and positive place for you to live, so you’ll want to have some ideas in mind of what home means to you. Also how self storage can help in the process.

Finding a care home doesn’t necessarily need to mean compromising. Residents living in care homes that they love will feel happy, safe and well cared for. Our helpful guide could help you and your family decide if a care home is going to suit you and your lifestyle. Self Storage in Fareham.

Visiting a Care Home

It can be difficult to know if a care home will be the right home for you unless you have visited it. Under the current restrictions, it may be difficult to visit the care home in person. Some companies are able to offer virtual tours and video calls to introduce you to the staff, facilities and to show you what your room might look like. Self Storage in Fareham.

Although a video call may not be the same as a visit in person, it may give you a flavour of the home.

If you are able to visit the care home, this will give you a valuable chance to meet staff, other residents and get a feel for the buildings and gardens.

Vacancies

Popular care homes may not have any vacancies at the time you are looking. If you are certain that you want to wait for a vacancy to become available, it is worth checking how long their waiting list is. If the list is very long, don’t be afraid to explore elsewhere to ensure you can move more quickly.

Reports

Care homes should have their most recent inspection report available for prospective residents to read. If it is not available on their website, you can ask the manager to email it to you. Although a report may not be the most important factor, it could be useful for you to be aware of any areas of excellence, or issues, that might affect you personally.

Reports about the level of care for patients with dementia, responsiveness to patient needs and the promotion of an open and fair culture may be particularly important, for example.

Considerations

The areas you might want to ask a care home about will be individual to you and your personal or medical needs. You may wish to speak to the care home staff about some of the following.

Accessibility

This doesn’t just mean wheelchair access or the presence of a lift. Consider how easy it will be for friends or family to visit, and whether there is a car park for them to park in. If you will remain mostly independent, you might want to choose a care home that has easy access to shops or parks. For some people, close proximity to a church, mosque or other place of worship may be important.

Enquire about whether the care home usually plans trips for residents. This may be easier if they have their own minibus, or are situated close to places of interest such as National Trust gardens.

Staff

When talking to the manager or another member of staff, think about how they make you feel. Are they warm, welcoming and friendly, or do they appear distracted or rushed? These will be the people overseeing your care, so it is important to get a good feeling about them.

You may wish to enquire about the training qualifications of the team, whether regular staff training takes place, and if staff are trained in specialist areas such as nutrition or strokes.

Your Care

When choosing a care home, you’ll want to know that your care will be of utmost importance. Depending on what is important to you, you may wish to enquire about whether you will have a named member of staff who is responsible for your overall care, if the bathroom facilities (including rails or hoists) are adequate, and whether you will be able to stay in the care home if your needs were to become greater.

Care Home Routine

Every care home is different, so you might want to ask about daily routines, laundry, storage within the bedrooms and whether there is a call-bell or alarm system in place.

In some care homes, furniture is provided. Others will allow you to bring your own furniture from home. In this case, you may need to decide what you would like to bring with you, and what could be donated to charity, sold or placed into storage.

Meals and Activities

Being catered for can take some getting used to. Ask to see a selection of menus, and check which activities are available for care home residents.

Visitors

How are visiting times managed, and how have visitors been able to stay in touch with residents during the pandemic? If your family or friends live far away, you may like to enquire about whether facilities are available for visitors to stay overnight. If you have young children in the family who would like to visit you, you will need to confirm if this can be accommodated.

Contracts

It is important to see a copy of the care home’s contract including terms and conditions. You will also need to see a breakdown of the fees so that you know exactly what you would be liable to pay each week or month. Some care homes will offer a trial period to check that you feel happy with your decision.

Making the Move

Once you have made the decision to move to a care home, you may find yourself with surplus furniture and possessions that you can’t fit into your new residence. Although some people may be ready to donate or sell anything that they no longer need, for others a little more time is required. Self Storage in Fareham.

Moving to a care home can be an anxious time, and you may already feel that you have plenty to organise and think about. If you don’t feel ready to make a decision about the items in your current home, renting a self storage unit could give you and your family time to decide what you would like to keep. This may relieve some pressure and help to make your move to a care home feel a little smoother and easier.

To enquire about renting a storage unit at Stop and Store in Fareham, contact us today or call 01329 556174.