Here to help you
choose the right home for you.

Starting to consider care options for you or a loved one can be a difficult and emotional time. Understanding your options, sifting through all the advice and simply choosing the right care home can often be a little confusing and overwhelming.

Here at Wellburn, we want to make this as easy and stress-free as possible for you, which is why we've created this section. It will walk you through the process, offering tips and advice on how to choose the right care home.

Little Guide to choosing a care home

Our 'Little guide’ will help you ask all the right questions, look for all the right things and allow you to score as you go when you're out and about visiting potential care homes. Simply complete our order form, letting us know which of our homes you’re interested in, and we’ll pop it out to you in the post.

We’re here for
you every step
of the way.

Firstly, understand your needs

There's a lot of care homes that offer different types of care. Some provide specialist nursing or dementia care, while others simply offer a safe and comfortable home for people who need a little help with daily life. Some care homes, like us, also offer options for those who feel they're not quite ready for permanent, full term care. For example, we offer a ‘time to think’ 6 week package, which gives you or a loved one, the opportunity to get a taste of life in a care home, without the full commitment, allowing a little more time to time to decide.

The type of care you or a loved one requires, will also influence which one you choose. Most homes will undertake a full care assessment, together with the person entering the home. This often involves family or friends, social workers, care managers, or GPs.

Location, location, location.

Often, many care home residents have a strong social and family connection to their local community. Most of the time, it's understandable that they'd want to continue and stay in the same area. For others though, it can be a real opportunity to move closer to family of friends, making it easier for them to visit.

It's important to weigh all of these factors up when choosing a location that best meets yours or a loved one’s needs. Once an area has been decided upon, you can start to develop a shortlist of homes in that community. There's a number of online care home directories, which can be a good place to start, or you can simply start by popping onto Google to start narrowing the search.

Take time to do some quality checks.

Once a location has been identified, and the search has thrown up a selection of care homes, make sure you take some time to check reviews.

Care Quality Commission.

The established independent regulator for care homes in England is called the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Their job in part is to undertake regular inspections of all care homes to ensure they meet government standards. Checking in with the CQC can help identify homes that are trusted and have a good track record. Quite often, word of mouth can also be a really useful way to get a broader idea of a home's performance.

carehome.co.uk.

carehome.co.uk can prove a really useful website to check in on a particular care home. Their review score ranges from 10 (best) - 1 (worst). The score's algorithm takes into account the quantity, quality and recency of a care home's reviews and ratings and it provides care seekers with a simple, but powerful 'at a glance' metric. However we recommend reading every review if you’re interested in a particular care home.

Reviews and word of mouth.

Google is always a good place to get a snapshot review of how well a care home is doing and if it’s held in high regard. Ratings from trusted sources such as carehome.co.uk and Google can prove extremely helpful, but there’s no better source to trust than word of mouth. So when considering care homes, ask around your family or friend groups to check if they have either had first hand experience or heard of any good care homes in your area.

Now it’s time to
draw up a shortlist
of homes.

By now you should have a really good idea on location, and a shortlist of homes that have been graded well by the CQC and have generally received favourable reviews by others. But reviews by others are only part of the bigger picture.

It’s time out to go and visit the homes on your shortlist. Just like family homes, care homes can differ considerably in character and atmosphere, and it’s important to find an environment in which you or your loved one feels comfortable. This is where personal choice really plays an important part. What feels right for some may not feel right for others. Don't forget at this stage to take our 'guide to choosing a care home' booklet with you, so you can score the home on all the important factors, as well as taking notes whilst you’re there, which can often be forgotten at a later stage.

Money matters.

At this stage, you should be getting really close to making a decision. A big part of your decision could be based on cost. The cost of care can vary depending on the level of support you or a loved one require. There may well be some options available to help fund the support you need, so it's important to understand your entitlements. Make sure you discuss the costs thoroughly with each care home manager to ensure you have a complete understanding of what it will cost.

The important decision.

By now you should have everything in place to be able to confidently make an informed decision. Remember that if it's between a couple of homes you can go and visit them again if needed, and remember to follow your instinct. Which home made you or your loved one feel the most comfortable? Which had the friendliest staff? Which one felt just right?

A whole new chapter.

Remember that moving in to the right care home can be the start of a brand new, exciting chapter. This new chapter can bring new friends, hobbies and an opportunity to rekindle lost passions and interests. It’s a chapter that can allow you or a loved one to live a happy and fulfilling life. Our friendly New Care Enquiries Team are here to answer any questions you may have and are always here to help you make the right choice for you or a loved one. Call now on: 0191 694 1052

Explore our homes.

We’re here for you.

For more help choosing the right care home for yourself or a loved one, we have a team of expert staff on hand to answer any questions you may have about this important next stage in yours or your loved one’s life. Call our friendly New Care Enquiries Team now on:
0191 694 1052