Care home vs home care

Geoff Lane, chief executive, Regal Care Trading Ltd

Lindsey Edgehill, marketing director, Helping Hands

CARE HOME “It is undoubtedly true that when we reach an age where we need additional help, the vast majority of people would wish to stay in their own home in familiar surroundings. In many instances this works well but the reality today for too many people is that they are isolated and lonely with inadequate levels of support.

Today the vast majority of care homes and nursing homes provide high levels of care and support in an environment where residents can enjoy a choice of activities. At Regal we believe that our 17 care and nursing homes are our residents’ “home”. We work hard to create a homely atmosphere where residents can choose to do what they want, when they want in familiar surroundings with staff that they know and trust.

In residential care we are able to build competent and stable staff teams who get to know the residents and truly understand their needs. The nature of home care with individuals getting relatively small care packages is that many staff are supporting a large number of individuals in a geographic area. This can frequently lead to a large number of different carers spending small amounts of time with an individual. This prevents staff getting to know their clients and vice versa. More importantly it can be very distressing and confusing for individuals who are diagnosed with dementia.

Don’t get me wrong good home care and residential care should be options available to all individuals with the choice dependent on their needs and wishes. However, home care should not be used as a way of rationing support to individuals or to prevent admission to suitable care homes when their needs dictate that this should be the preferred option.”

For more information on Regal Care Homes, go to www.regalcarehomes.com/

HOME CARE “Residential care homes are a crucial part of the UK’s elderly care portfolio and without them the country would not be able to adequately care for its elderly, but it’s important that families understand that alternatives to residential care homes, such as care at home or live-in-care, do exist and often are the more suitable option.

Whilst good residential care homes can provide care and sense of community to the elderly, care at home allows your loved ones to remain in their own homes and retain their sense of independence and dignity which is so very important to them. Little things such as the fact that your elderly relative is able to stay with a beloved pet can make such a difference to their sense of wellbeing.

Recent events surrounding residential care home operator Southern Cross will have done little to inspire confidence in the residential care home industry as a whole - almost certainly a factor in the recent increase in enquiries that organisations specialising in live in care have received.

Live in care offers many distinct advantages over residential care homes; most notably the fact that the elderly person in question is able to remain in their own home in the familiar and relaxed surroundings that they are used to, rather than move to the new surroundings of a residential care home. Live in care also ensures that people’s loved ones are given specialist one-to-one attention throughout the day, by professional and highly trained carers."

For more information on Helping Hands live-in care specialists, go to www.helpinghandshomecare.co.uk