Care homes without nursing care
These homes are residential, which means people live in them either short or long term.
In addition to the accommodation, they provide help and assistance with:
- Personal Hygiene, including help with washing, bathing, shaving, oral hygiene and nail care.
- Continence management, including assistance with toileting, skin care, incontinence laundry and bed changing.
- Food and Diet, including preparation of food and fulfilment of dietary requirements and assistance eating.
- Counselling and support, including behaviour management, psychological support and reminding devices.
- Simple treatments, including assistance with medication (including eye drops), applications of simple dressings, lotions and creams and oxygen therapy.
- Personal assistance, including help with dressing, surgical appliances, mechanical or manual aids, assistance getting up or going to bed.
Care homes with nursing care
These homes provide the same help and assistance with personal care as those without nursing care but they also have professional registered nurses and experienced care assistants in constant attendance who can provide 24-hour nursing care services for more complex health needs as prescribed by physicians.
In addition to being registered to provide general nursing care, many homes also offer rehabilitaion services; different therapies, including physical, speech and pain therapies; and specialist health care including, dementia care, EMI nursing care, cancer care, services for younger people with physical disabilities (usually aged 18 - 64).
These homes are for people who are very frail or for people who are unable to care for themselves, who have numerous health care requirements.
Retirement homes:
Retirement housing is usually purpose-built with the needs of older people in mind. It may be a flat or a bungalow. Retirement housing enables its residents to remain as independent as possible, but provides the extra support and help if and when it is needed.
These properties are for people who are able to care for themselves except for a few activities they need help with, for example: help preparing meals, bathing, dressing, performing household chores or where someone sometimes gets confused or is experiencing memory loss.
There are two main types of retirement housing:
Sheltered housing
This usually has a communal entrance and facilities such as lounge, laundry and guest suites, but you live independently in your own home with your own bedroom(s), lounge, kitchen and bathroom. There may be unobtrusive safety features, such as emergency pull cords or 'good morning mats'. A resident manager will usually be available but will not be qualified to provide care.
Close Care Retirement Properties or Assisted living
With Close Care or Assisted Living homes, you live independently in your own home, but it is located within the grounds of a care home. You are able to use the care home's facilities, such as the lounge, and may choose to use extra services such as laundry or cooking. There will be features such as pull cords, connected to the care home, so expert help is available if you need it. Assisted living may be a good choice for couples who need different levels of care, or if you may want to move into the care home at a later date.
There are different three levels of care provided under 'Assisted living' accommodation.
Some are able to provide a high level of nursing care, capable of dealing with more severe medical conditions. Accommodation for this type of assisted living would normally be an apartment. With these homes it would be unlikely that the residents would need to move to a care home with nursing at a later time.
Others provide accommodation in the form of bungalows or cottages within the grounds of a care home with nursing. These properties provide an in-house level of care but give the residents the freedom of still owning and running their own homes. If it does become beneficial for the residents, they are then able to move to the care home for more intensive care.
There are other retirement community accommodations for sale whereby some personal care is available but it would usually be provided from an external agency. The organizations providing this form of accommodation provide assisted living or very sheltered housing properties within the community.
Care in your own home also known as 'Home Care' or 'Domiciliary Care'
Care can be provided in your own home by one or more care workers or nurses. They provide the care and assistance to enable you to continue with your daily life, helping you to maintain your personal independence, comfort and contact with friends and family in your own local community. The care provided is very flexible to make sure you receive just the right amount of assistance when you need it. The care could just be for a few hours or could be 24-hour care and can be on a temporary, intermittent or long term basis.
The carers provide help with preparing meals, bathing, dressing (also known as personal care) to older people or to people with certain physical or learning disabilities. They may also provide support or a break for carers or rehabilitation care.
Care can be arranged through local councils who are able to send care workers to care for people in their own homes either directly, or through agencies. Or you can arrange home care for yourself through nursing agencies or through associations for homecare providers, eg the UKHCA.