What to Expect
The decision to move a loved one into a care home is an emotional one, and the feelings don’t stop flowing once you have had an admission confirmed. If anything, they can often ramp up during the admission acceptance and move-in day, and it can be topped off with a level of anxiety of not knowing what to expect.
At LuxuryCare, we are passionate about providing bespoke care for your loved one as soon as we have accepted their admission. In doing this, we hope to make the transition from home to care home smooth. However, we know that understanding what is going to happen throughout this process is going to make your life easier. So, in this blog, we run through our process and explain what you can expect from each stage.
First Visit
The first step to any admission is a visit to the care home you are interested in.
This will allow you to get a feel for the care home, what the lifestyle is like, the atmosphere and the relationship between carers and residents and between each of the residents.
At LuxuryCare, we have a full activities programme and encourage you and your loved one to join in any activities on your visit. We feel this gives a true reflection of our care home and allows your loved one to meet a few of the residents.
Additionally, we love to welcome you to our dining room to enjoy a meal with us at lunch or dinner time, where you can taste the delicious home-cooked meals and enjoy a chat with other residents who use the dining room during meal times.
On a visit to our home, we will welcome you at our reception. From here, we will take you on a tour, showing you all of our facilities and the rooms available. If we have permission, we might show you some rooms that are occupied too, as these are a great way to show how our residents get to personalise their spaces.
Weather-depending, we will end our tour with a trip out to the garden too.
As we go around the home, you are free to stop and chat with staff and residents if they have the time and are willing to have a conversation with you – sometimes, a staff member might be busy helping a resident, or a resident might not be up for socialising, so it is always up to them.
A visit to our homes will allow you to ask us questions you might have on your mind. Plus, we will always finish a visit with a discussion about the care needed for your loved one. We encourage you to bring your loved one to these visits, where possible, as it enables them to be part of the decision and care discussions and helps us create tailored plans for them.
In-Person Assessment
Once you have expressed an interest in your loved one moving into our home, we will conduct an in-person care needs assessment.
This assessment will allow us to determine what care and assistance your loved one will require when living with us so that we can be confident we will meet every one of them without over-caring for them. This is important because it will allow them to live as independently as possible.
Usually, at least one of our care team will visit your home to complete the assessment.
This process will include:
- An assessment of your loved one’s medical needs
- Discussion with them on their preferences and hobbies
- Conversation with relatives to learn their life story and understand more about the current care they receive
- Contact with medical and other care staff
Admission Confirmation and Creation of Care Plan
With all the information gained, we will be able to confirm whether we can meet their needs or recommend a more suitable care home – most of the time, we are happy to continue the admission process. However, there might be a case where your loved one requires more medical care and would be suited at Branksome Park, our nursing home.
Not sure what the difference is between a nursing home and a care home? Discover the answer in our blog.
We will also use this assessment to start creating a bespoke care plan, which will include details to ensure a smooth transition into our care home.
Whether your loved one is joining us for residential care, nursing care, dementia care, respite care or palliative care, we will generate a care plan.
A team of experienced care staff will work with our in-house GP to create a plan tailored to your loved one.
Their care plan will include details on the following:
- Personal assistance needed
- Medical care needed
- Mobility assistance
- Personal preferences on how they like to receive care
- Food and nutrition needs
- The equipment they use and need
- Hobbies and interests
- Life experiences
- Life story
- Family and friends
We want your loved one and their family to have a say in the care plan, so once we have put it together, we will either invite you in to go through it or send it to you to review.
Our care plans are live documents, constantly reviewed and amended to reflect your loved one’s needs and preferences. Even after it has been written, we encourage you to continue making recommendations or suggestions to our staff to improve it. Additionally, we will regularly review it and invite you to these meetings.
Paperwork to Sign and Admission Date Agreed
While we work on a care plan, we will also get the relevant paperwork for you to sign.
This will include:
- Care home contract
- Health and medical documentation
- Consent forms
- Personal identification forms
- Contact information
- Funding documentation
- Inventory of personal belongings being brought into the care home
Once we have received the signed paperwork and a care plan has been agreed upon, we will contact you to arrange a move-in date.
Move-in Day
We can be fairly flexible with the move-in day. These can feel overwhelming for both your loved one and yourself, so we will be on hand in whatever way you need us.
Of course, when you arrive, one of our team will be waiting for you and show you to your loved one’s room. We are happy to help with carrying smaller belongings into the room.
We have an open-door policy for friends and family of our residents, and this is never needed more than on a moving day. You will be welcome to stay with your loved one as long as you like.
Our day will run as usual, with plenty of activities and lunch and dinner being prepared. You and your loved ones are welcome to join these activities once everything is moved in, should they want to start making friends.
Lunch and dinner will be provided, and your loved one will be welcome to help themselves to tea, coffee and snacks available throughout the day – we keep snack cupboards stocked with plenty of food for our residents to enjoy.
Of course, moving day can be intimidating, so if your loved one wishes, they can choose to eat their meals in the comfort of their new room. Alternatively, they can start mingling with our residents in our dining area.
Our care staff will be around to help answer any questions or give you a hand. Don’t forget, the care plan that has been created starts as soon as they move in, and we will take some time to walk through it with you and your loved one now they are in our care.
Book A First Visit
An admission to a care home doesn’t have to feel daunting. Our process is made up of four steps to help make the process feel stress-free. Our team are always available to help you through it and have the knowledge and compassion to make things feel as easy as possible.
If you are interested in one of our care homes, book a first visit today!
Call us on 01202 037373 or complete our online contact form to book a viewing or discuss our admission process further.
We are always at the end of the phone to talk through any of your concerns or queries.
