Visiting the care home

The Greeting

If it’s a good care home, it should offer a warm, friendly greeting, a homely and welcoming atmosphere. Does it have the right smell? 

Are you being shown around by a senior member of the team, or someone junior? Do they have a plan on what the visit will entail, what they want to show you. Make sure you are clear on the aspects you want to look at, some of they key one’s are listed below;

On the initial walk into the home, does everyone appear happy or is there an atmosphere? 

First impressions are vital!

Dignity & Respect

This starts with how you are treated. If you are treated poorly, as a potential paying customer, then this is a sure sign, that treatment of patients will not be great. 

How do staff members refer to residents? Do they talk about ‘them’ as though they are not there, or do they treat them as respected clients. Are they called by their name or some other general endearment? Is there a mission statement displayed anywhere, a ‘philosophy’ that indicates to staff on what attributes are expected of them? Such a thing is likely to be positioned in the staff room, but there may be a more generic display on show in the home itself. 

Do staff knock and wait for an adequate amount of time before they enter a resident’s room? Privacy and dignity is not being respected if they just barge in unannounced. 

When visiting, are you shown a room without the resident there? If so, was the resident asked if their room could be used? 

Take note of how the staff talk to one another and residents when you are there. Not just in relation to what name/endearment is used for each resident, but the tone. 

Remember, this is when the home and the staff will be on their best behaviour, so if there is evidence at this stage that there are problems, this is unlikely to be the right home. 

Living Areas

In the lounge(s), is there a TV on? Is anyone watching it? If so, are they engaged or just staring? Is the programme that is on, relevant and interesting to the residents?

What are residents doing in the day room? Are staff being helpful? Are staff visible?

Are residents neatly dressed, smart and lucid? Or are they just slouched on chairs, staring into space?

Are their games/activities available in the day room? Are residents interacting, playing cards for example. Are they busy and active?

Ask the staff what training they have had in dementia care. What experience they have of dealing with residents with dementia. Are they focused on keeping the resident with dementia active in mind and body, or are they just doing everything for them?

Care Plan

Every resident should have a Care Plan and staff should be trained to execute this plan. The care plan should include a detailed history about the resident, about their medical history, but also about their likes/dislikes, pastimes, their life, their routines etc. If there are cultural differences, then this should be detailed in the plan as well. The plan should also indicate the key contacts for the resident, in case of emergency.  

It should be treated as a one stop information pack for the resident in question and should help in making sure that the resident is treated like an individual and given respect. 

Food

Will the residents be able to choose what meals they are given? What does the selection look like? Do they have a weekly planner of what the meals will be? Is there a vegetarian option? Are cultural differences with food accomodated? 

What happens if a resident wants a snack between meal times? Or a hot drink? Is there a facility for making tea in their room? 

Make sure you get a decent idea as to what the quality of the food is like. Staving off hunger and getting a balanced diet is crucial for a dementia patient, so the whole food aspect to the care home is really important to get right.

Exercise/Activities

Is there a decent ‘outdoors’ aspect to the care home? Do residents have a decent amount of outdoor space to go for walks? Is there a garden that they can enjoy and contribute towards? Does the garden have a dementia friendly design, which will include plenty of colour, visually stimulating, places to sit. 

Are there any animals? For example chickens? Is there any pet therapy available at the home? 

Is there an active program of external visits to local museums, parks, seaside etc etc. 

Bedroom

Is there adequate space for personal possessions, belongings and for storage? Is there room for a place to sit for the residents and their visitor’s. We have touched on the dementia friendly bedrooms in a previous blog, so does the room have contrasting bed sheets/carpets? Is the toilet visible from the bed? Is there a facility for the resident to contact the staff from the room? 

Does the room have a balcony? Many people are averse to the idea of a balcony for someone with dementia, but as long as the balcony is properly designed and offers great views, then this is great for a dementia patient. 

Security

What assistive technology is in use? How easy is it for people to gain access to the main home, or resident’s rooms? Are the residents provided with location devices? 

Does the care home take security too seriously, where they won’t allow windows to be opened, reducing the amount of oxygen in the rooms. Fresh air is really important to dementia patients.

End of LIfe Plans

If it’s a good care home, they should enquire about ‘End of LIfe’ plans that you have for the resident, or if you raise the subject, they should be experienced in this matter. It is not something you may want to deal with, but it is really important that plans are put in place with the care home with regards to funeral directors, crematoriums/churches etc etc. There needs to be clear guidance as to what happens if the person is close to death - do you want the patient to be taken to hospital or looked after at the care home for instance.