Everyone wants the best for their loved one so if you are thinking about choosing a care home for your loved one, there are some things that you need to know that will help you choose the best one.
1. Get a care assessment on the home
While you explore residential care options, it’s important to ensure the person you are caring for has a free needs assessment from their social services department. This is especially important if you think they might need financial help from the local authorities as councils will only fund care that they have determined someone needs based on the assessment.
But it’s also worth having the assessment done even if your relative ends up paying for their own care. It gives a professional assessment of the type of care and support needed, which will help you choose a suitable care home. It can also make you aware of the services provided by Houston senior care providers in your area that you might not have considered before.
2. Talk through the options
Before you start shortlisting any care homes, sit down with your relative and discuss what is important to them. This might include things such as location, facilities or specialist care for specific health problems. You might want to include other close family members or friends in this conversation.
3. Choose suitable care homes
To find suitable home cares in your chosen area, you can screen for residential homes or nursing homes as well as look for those homes that offer more specialist support. You also need to plan a visit to a care home to get a full picture of what it’s like to live in residential care.
4. Ask friends and family for recommendations
Ask anyone that you know who has a relative or a friend who is already in a care home. A chat with a resident will help you know whether the care home will provide your loved one with the quality care that they need.
5. Contact suitable care homes
Contact your shortlisted care homes and discuss specifics over the first phone call. Discuss how the home can meet your relative’s specific needs directly with the overall manager of the home. Ask the home to be open about the charges too, even if they’re unwilling. This will help avoid unnecessary visits and also help with your financial planning.
Finding out about cost and room availability will help you eliminate any homes that aren’t suitable either because they are out of your price range or are full to capacity.
6. Visit the care homes
Finally, it is important to visit all the homes on your shortlist so that you can get as much information as you can. If possible, visit the care homes with your loved one who is going to be staying there, but if that’s not possible, go with another family member or friend. If your relative is unable to visit, ask a representative from the home to visit them and talk things through.
Be as thorough as possible to get the best home. Also, keep in mind there are various services that help seniors, such as Medicaid help for incontinence issues that make seniors’ (and caregivers’) lives way easier.
