How to Choose a Nursing Home in Devon

How to Choose a Nursing Home in Devon

Devon is the fourth best place in the UK to retire. That’s a worthy accolade, based on the number of pensioners living here, the access to healthcare, healthy living, pension income, weather, crime rates, and disability-free life expectancy. We’re proud that our county is such a fabulous place to be for your retirement. However, doesn’t this mean that it’s a tall order when it comes to how to choose a nursing home? How do you know how to choose a nursing home, and whereabouts you or your relative should be?

There are some guidelines about how to choose a nursing home which are relevant no matter where the home is located in the country. There are also points to note specifically about choosing a care home in the south west or Devon.

How to Choose a Nursing Home – General Guidelines

Everyone wants the very best for their relative, and a care home should be focused on providing the best level of care. There are certain things you can look at to help you make the decision on the right home for your loved one. We suggest the following general guidelines to help you choose a care home:

• Assess Needs: Each individual requires a different level of care. It’s not always easy to make a judgement for yourself. Therefore, it can be worth getting a Care Needs Assessment to help you decide on the right level of care. To do this you will need to contact your local authority’s adult social services team, which can be accessed here.
• Make a List of Suitable Homes: Once you have the Care Needs Assessment you will be able to search for suitable homes which meet the level of care needed. Don’t forget that care needs rarely stay the same over time, so be sure to choose a home which provides adequate nursing care facilities for the future too. Additionally, make sure you list suitable ones based on the relevant fees and any assistance you will get with financing care.
• Look at Reports: Care homes are inspected, graded, and reported on, by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). These reports provide you with a good starting point for your research. To find a report you can search directly with the CQC. Nursing homes which are proud of their inspection reports, will happily provide access to these, including making them available via their website. For example, we make all of our inspection reports available on our home listing pages, such as here, for Raleigh Mead.
• Get Recommendations: Speak to others in your area, including friends, family, and professionals, and ask if they have any opinions about a particular care home. These informal reports can help you get an overall feel for a home, as well as enable you to ask relevant questions.
• Visit Shortlisted Homes: At the end of the day, the best assessment will be your own, in-person visit. Your visit should take in a wide range of information. Use our visit checklist to help:
• Ask for a copy of the care home contract.
• Request to see multiple different bedrooms, living spaces, communal areas, and grounds.
• Assess your surroundings – are you too hot, or too cold? Is there noise? What does it smell like?
• Ask about staff ratios and staff turnover.
• Request a copy of the menu. Ask how frequently it is changed and how flexible it is. What does the food look like? You may even be allowed a taste!
• What is the interaction like between the staff and the residents? How do the staff interact with each other?
• What facilities are available? Are there hair salons or a garden?
• What activities are provided? Is this a dedicated role for a member of staff?
• What policies and procedures does the home have in place? For example, what do they do if a resident falls?

How to Choose a Care Home – Devon

With the popularity for retirement in Devon it is no surprise that we have a plethora of nursing homes in the county. However, demand is also high. Making sure you choose the right Devon care home also takes some careful research and thinking.

You should choose the location of the home based primarily on the level of service and care within the home. However, the location for its own sake is also important. For example, does the home have good grounds, yet is close to the centre of town like the Eastleigh home at East Street in South Molton? Additionally, is it within reach of family and friends for visiting?

How to choose a nursing home can seem bewildering, but we’re on hand to help. If you would like to find out more about Eastleigh nursing homes in Devon please call on 01769 573166.