Nursing Home or Residential Home – Which is Best?

Considering a residential home for your loved one can be a bewildering prospect at best. You’ll be facing a range of options and it’s difficult to know what’s what, and where to start. The biggest of the hurdles you’ll face as you begin to look for a care home, is knowing the difference between a nursing home and a residential home, and, importantly, which is best for your relative.

At Eastleigh we have a unique solution: providing all levels of care under the same roof so that the care is always tailored to an individual’s needs. We’ll come on to this in more detail later, but first let us explain the different types of care home.

Nursing Homes, Residential Homes, and Care Homes – What are the Differences?

Unfortunately, many of the terms used to describe elderly care are used interchangeably by different people. This makes things very confusing if you’re new to looks at care homes.

However, there are two main distinctions: nursing care and residential care.

Residential homes are 24/7 homes providing a safe and secure environment where the individual still retains the ability and freedom to carry out their daily living requirements. This is made possible by providing a nurturing environment where the taxing tasks such as cooking and cleaning are taken care of, so that the individual can use their energy to enjoy their days.

Nursing homes provide nursing care for individuals who require more than just a little assistance with the rigours of daily living. These individuals may need medicine administering, dressing changes, as well as assistance with feeding and cleaning themselves.

However, the level of care an individual needs is as highly individualistic as they are. That’s why at Eastleigh, we don’t believe in a one size fits all approach to elderly care.

The Spectrum of Care

In reality, the need for care often sits on a spectrum. What an individual needs at one point will likely change. It is not possible to confidently make a decision on the precise level of care someone will need and expect this assessment not to change.

Unfortunately this usually means that there can be discontinuity in care following a fall, or when health declines. Similarly, it means that an individual, who was once adequately served in a residential care home, is no longer receiving the level of require they require. Yet changing homes can be an enormous upheaval and cause immense upheaval for both the resident and their family.

The Eastleigh Solution

It is for this reason that at Eastleigh we combine different levels of care within the same home setting. This means that, for example, at our Minehead care home we provide residential, nursing, and dementia care. At our East Street care home we provide both residential and dementia care, and at Raleigh Mead we provide both nursing and dementia care.

Our structure enables us to always provide the best, and right level, of care for each and every individual. If a resident wishes to eat lunch in the dining room, yet be served dinner in their room, it’s possible. If they want to help with our beautiful gardens, or simply be taken outside to sit, it’s possible. If a resident needs to have an operation and experiences reduced mobility afterwards, they aren’t forced to leave their home. If they want their hair done in the in-house salon, so they have the energy to go out later – all can be achieved.

This is only possible because at Eastleigh we always consider the individual first and foremost. It matters to us that we get to know each and every resident and understand their needs, background, and expectations. We get to know an individual’s capabilities and strengths, alongside their need for help. We do this because we focus on the word care in ‘care home’. We pride ourselves on offering exactly what is needed, when it is needed.

To find out more about the Eastleigh way and how we can help you decide between a nursing home, a residential home, or something that blends them both, then please get in touch on 01769 573166.