How to pay for your care.

The argument rages on between the political parties about how social care will be paid for in the future.  But this does not alter the fact that today somebody is looking for a care home and that they need to pay for it.  I have put together a simple ten step guide to make sure that you don't forget any of the important points.   You can also request a free detailed guide from this page, that will give you more specific information.

The best care homes in England.

Finding the best care homes in England is a difficult and daunting task.  However, as a result of a competition that http://www.best-care-home.co.uk/ began in July 2009, that encouraged residents, relatives, visitors and professionals who visit homes, to vote and leave personal recommendations about the homes that they believe are doing a wonderful job - I have this week presented awards to four care homes. 

These homes won their awards because members of the public think they are the best care homes in England.  Having visited them, I think they may be right - but judge for yourself.

The overall winner of the award and the winner of the Midlands region was Morton Grange in Alfreton Derbyshire http://www.best-care-home.co.uk/care-home-5313-morton-grange.php

The winner of the North was Red Rocks Nursing Home in the Wirral,  http://www.best-care-home.co.uk/care-home-6465-red-rocks-nursing-home.php

The winner of the South West was Chatsworth in Plymouth http://www.best-care-home.co.uk/care-home-5401-chatsworth.php

and the winner of the South East was St Vincent on the Isle of Wight. http://www.best-care-home.co.uk/care-home-5950-st-vincent.php

With each of these homes you can see a video that really shows you how the Manager and staff feel about their residents - take a look, it's worth it.

Video - an introduction to a care home.

The Department of Health 'Dignity in Care' campaign is looking for initiatives to help to promote dignity within our care homes by offering a small grant to people who have an idea that can benefit those who live in resiential care.

I have been a Dignity Champion for about a year and passionately believe that dignity in care is not an optional extra, it is a basic human right and it is not enough that care services are efficient, they must be compassionate too.

I have proposed an idea to the Dignity in Care team that aims to improve a residents control and choice of the care home they wish to live in.

I have suggested that care homes provide a video of their home - hosted on YouTube or their website that introduces the staff, building and the local environment to any prospective resident and their family.  This would be particularly useful for somebody who is housebound or in hospital and therefore unable to visit a care home before they move in - this is the case for a substantial amount of people.

The video would allow the prospective resident to familiarise themselves with their future home and enter their new life with more dignity and confidence than would otherwise have been felt  and having exerted some control over their living arrangements.

If you think this is a useful initiative please vote on the Dignity in Care website and click on the stars at the bottom of the article.

The cost of creating a video need not be a prohibiting factor for the care home.  A professionally shot 'vodcast' would take between one or two days to film, edit and upload onto YouTube or a website and cost in the region of £900.  The alternative would be an amateur video, a common feature of YouTube, that would cost nothing and still provide an introduction to the care home for a prospective resident.

I would be interested to her from anybody who has done this or who has any ideas on how this could be improved.

Six things you should know about ‘Excellent’ rated care homes.

There are more than 24,000 care homes in the UK and only 13% have been awarded an ‘Excellent’ 3 star rating.

Six things you should know about ‘excellent’ 3 star care homes:

1. What are star ratings?

2. Star rating categories.

3. How are star ratings decided?

4. What makes an ‘excellent’ care home?

5. How many care homes are rated ‘excellent’?

6. How often are care homes inspected?



1. What are star ratings? Star ratings work in a similar way to the hotel rating system. They aim to differentiate between the level of service and facilities offered in a care home. The star ratings do not reflect the price being charged by the care home.

2. Star rating categories. Care homes are categorised from 0 to 3 stars, with 3 stars being the highest. 0 = poor, 1 = adequate, 2 = good and 3 = excellent.

3. How are star ratings decided? Until April 2009 inspections of care homes were carried out by the Commission for Social Care Inspectorate (CSCI). This has now been taken over by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The inspection includes; interviews and surveys of residents, families and staff, an Annual Quality Assurance Assessment (AQAA) and the inspectors observations.

To ensure that ratings are consistent across the country the inspectors follow the Key Lines of Regulatory Assessment (KLORA). The CQC is introducing new regulations that will be implemented after April 2010 and will affect all care homes in England.

4. What makes an ‘excellent’ care home? The national minimum standards for care address 7 categories within care homes; choice of home, health and personal care, daily life and social activities, complaints and protection, environment, staffing and management and administration.

An ‘excellent’ rating will be awarded if at least half of these areas are rated ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ and no area is rated as poor.

5. How many care homes are rated ‘excellent’? There are over 24,000 care homes in the UK and 13% have been rated ‘excellent’ – approximately 2,600.

6. How often are care homes inspected? A 3 star care home at the present time would expect to be assessed every 3 years. The homes that do not perform to this standard will be assessed more frequently to help them to improve. However, the new regulations which will be enforced in 2010 have not yet outlined if this procedure will alter.

As with any governing body the rating system is not infallible and it is important to personally visit and make your own judgment about any care home you are considering.

In addition to this, any personal recommendations from the residents, relatives or visitors to the home will be an invaluable source of information.

http://www.best-care-home.co.uk/ is an online register that only lists 3 star 'excellent' rated care homes.  It also publishes personal recommendations from the residents, relatives and visitors of those homes to help you identify the home that will most suit your needs.

Moving to a care home – 10 ways to get it right.

Moving into a care home can be as traumatic as bereavement –it is a life changing experience and its impact should not be underestimated.

Here are 10 ways to help you make the right decisions.

1. Most importantly - do you really need a care home or could you manage at home? Contact Social Services and get an assessment, this is free and everybody is entitled to one. You will get a professional opinion on whether staying at home is an option and if not, whether a residential or nursing home would be more appropriate. Carers are also entitled to an assessment.

2. How are you going to pay for the care? This is worth considering early on as quite simply it could affect which care home you are able to live in. If your assets are in excess of £23,250, including your home (unless you leave behind a spouse or dependent under 16) then you are classified as a ‘self funder’ and will need some financial advice to work out what level of fees you can afford and what allowances you may be entitled to.

3. Now you are ready to start looking for a care home that most suits your needs. Care homes are rated by the Care Quality Commission, the independent advisor for Social Care. They are rated by stars, 0 -3, with 3stars being the highest rating. The rating does not reflect the price of the care home but the standard of care being offered and I would recommend you start with the 3 star care homes.

4. Take a list of questions to ask the care home and visit as many as you can that cater for your needs. There is a lot to be said for instinct and how the home immediately makes you feel – a welcoming smile and fresh smell are good starting points.

5. Preparing for the move is an important task, both for the prospective resident and their relatives. Be aware that a move into residential care changes your identity from ‘householder’ to ‘resident’ and removes you from your usual day to day activities. If you are looking on behalf of somebody else, make sure you include them in as many decisions as possible so that they feel in control of their situation.

6. When you have chosen the home that most suits your needs it might be useful to spend a little bit of time getting used to it before you move in. If circumstances permit go for lunch a few times in order to orientate yourself and meet the residents and staff.

7. Make a list of items that need to be taken into the home; clothes, toiletries, radio, TV, favourite chair, photos – the list is endless and of course depends upon the size of the room – make sure you know how much space you have before packing. If you are helping somebody else ensure that you talk to them to find out exactly what they would like to take in with them. Look at where they usually sit and on bedside tables, the items that are positioned nearby may well be the items that would be most missed if not taken to a new home.

8. When moving in try and introduce yourself to the other residents. It is also useful to work out, if you have been unable to do this prior to your move, where all of the facilities are and what time lunch and supper starts. Make sure you have a watch or clock that you can read to ensure you don’t worry in the early days that you are missing a meal or event.

9. When your relatives visit you encourage them to get to know other relatives and residents – sharing experiences or concerns, or simply having another face to chat to all work towards a more positive experience.

10. Finally, embrace your new home. Make the most of the activities and new friends. The success of your new home will be reflected in your attitude towards it.

Debbie Harris is a Dignity Champion who owns www.best-care-home.co.uk an online register of 3 star care homes, including information on Questions to ask a care home, Preparing for the move, Are you sure you need a care home? Her site also publishes personal recommendations of the homes.

The dilemma about dentists and opticians in care homes.

How many care homes have access to dentists and opticians for their residents? There are no statistics that will answer this question, but when was the last time you heard of a resident having their teeth or eyes checked?
This is what you should know if it was longer than 12 months ago;
Dental Health.
i. Dental health is often an indicator of underlying health problems.
ii. Untreated dental health can lead to complications including heart and respiratory problems.
iii. Elderly people are more susceptible to oral disease.
iv. If your false teeth are loose not only is it difficult to eat - it’s really embarrassing.
Optical Health.
i. The NHS entitlement scheme means everybody over the age of 60 is entitled to regular free eye tests.
ii. The elderly require regular eye exams as their vision becomes increasingly important as other senses deteriorate.
iii. The elderly are more at risk of eye conditions like glaucoma, age-related muscular degeneration and cataracts.
iv. These conditions can be detected through early eye exams and treated with little or no loss of vision.
v. Untreated optical conditions can lead to loss of sight.
vi. Wearing the wrong prescription restricts an already limited environment.
Regulations.
The Care Plan that is put into place after an assessment will gauge the needs of the service user for; sight and hearing, oral health and foot care. Should the needs of the service user change over time then re-assessments should pick this up.
In reality it requires the conscientious approach of a vigilant care home to spot any of the tell-tale signs of deterioration and the need to see a specialist.
In addition to this, mobile dentists and opticians are not widely available or easy to access for care homes.
Having a correctly fitting pair of dentures that enable you to eat properly, or glasses that actually help you to see are surely fundamental rights in this age - and allow for a dignified existence.
If you know somebody who is unable to access these services independently and need some assistance – be their Dignity Champion.
If you know of any mobile dentists or opticians, or have any other suggestions on how to overcome this problem I would love to hear from you.

Are you making the most of the internet?

During this time of change in health and social care public spending is likely to be reduced leading to cuts in funding. This leaves care homes trying to attract service users who are self funders and who currently number approximately 30% of those in care, although this figure is likely to rise.

At the present time there is very little information about how self funders find care. However, during 2007 90% of people in Britain, with access to the internet, searched for information about a product or service online - with a marked increase in the percentage of people searching for information relating to health.

Who makes the initial enquiry about care is often dictated by the type of care required, but if that enquiry is made by somebody of working age, 81% of whom have access to the internet, then statistically they are highly likely to have sourced their information online.

In addition to this, the more affluent the enquirer, the more likely it is that internet access is available at home.

There is therefore a clear link between self funders, their internet use and how they may search for care. A care home that does not have an online presence could easily be overlooked by this group of people.

Online directories and web sites offer easily accessible information and are rapidly taking the place of expensive paper brochures. The online directories in particular also allow independent homes to stand shoulder to shoulder with the larger care providers.

An impartial online register that has a personal approach is likely to attract the readers attention and create a level of trust in the information provided, such as linking to the CQC reports. Other additional benefits, such as Personal Recommendations can prove to be particularly helpful when making a shortlist of care homes to visit.

The larger care providers have for some time recognised the importance of an online presence and it is vital that independent homes, in order to compete in this changing market, promote themselves through online registers and make the most of the internet.

If you would like to take advantage of a free online website contact www.best-care-home.co.uk , submissions can be either online or by post.