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HELPLINE: 0845 017 7720
After the move starts a whole new chapter of life. The information we have included here is intended to help make sure that you can maintain the very best possible quality of life in your new home and make the most of the opportunities it presents.
Planning Care
Everyone in residential care should have a “care plan” that is written with the resident and, if relevant, his or her family or carer. People funded by the Local authority or NHS should already have a plan. If you are funding yourself, then it is the responsibility of the registered manager of the home to work with you to agree the care plan and to make sure it is followed and regularly reviewed with you.
The government’s guidance as to the minimum standards for care plans and what they should cover can be found here:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Legislation/Actsandbills/DH_4001911
Families and Friends
As the documents mentioned above suggest, you should have every opportunity to stay in touch with families and friends who can, if you wish, continue to be important parts of your life and your care.
This publication from the national R&RA discusses some of the issues involved:
http://www.relres.org/publicationspages/PubOnbeingtherelativeofsome.html
Quality of Life
A good quality of life requires both that the essential details are taken care of and also that there are opportunities to maintain and develop relationships and activities.
The articles on this page deal with some of the important practical details:
http://www.relres.org/living-in-a-care-home.html
As far as the positive quality of life is concerned, the Social Care Institute for Excellence has published a guide to best practice in residential care homes that sets out what can and should be done. You can find it here:
http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/practiceguides/practiceguide09/files/pg09.pdf
The same organisation has also produced an important document called “My Home Life” which is the focus of a major initiative in Essex. The document is summarised here:
http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/practiceguides/practiceguide09/files/myhomelife-summary.pdf
and the main themes of the project are here:
http://www.myhomelife.org.uk/ProjectThemes.htm
Health
Wherever we live, we all need to take care of our health. This doesn’t just mean getting treatment for ailments, but actively maintaining our health – eyes, ears, teeth, feet, nutrition, exercise etc. There is no reason why this should change for care home residents.
In some care homes it is possible to stay registered with your own GP. In others, it may be necessary to register with a local GP, who may look after other residents in the home. Your right to register with the GP of your choice (as long as he or she can accept you on the list) is unchanged. You can find information about GP services in care homes here:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/IntegratedCare/NHSfundednursingcare/DH_4000392
It is also important to ensure that you have access to any other services that you may need, such as chiropody, dentistry, audiology, optician etc. Your health needs should be covered in your care plan and the manager of the home should be able to tell you how they can be met.
This leaflet from Age Concern gives some ideas about ways to make sure you stay as healthy as possible:
http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/AgeConcern/Documents/fs45.pdf
The national minimum standards for health and personal care can be found in Section 6 of this document:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4005819
Concerns and Complaints
Occasionally, it is inevitable that things go wrong. If you are concerned about an aspect of care, the first step is to try to resolve it with the manager of the home.
If you are not satisfied, and your care is funded by the Local Authority or the Primary Care Trust, you may want to get in touch with the person responsible in the relevant authority, as they are parties, with you, to the contract with the home.
If you are funding yourself, there is guidance here about the next steps:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HealthAndWellBeing/HealthServices/CareHomes/DG_10031520
You can also take up the matter with the regulators:
http://www.csci.org.uk/how_to_complain/care_home_or_care_services.aspx
If you, or someone you have been caring for is subject to abuse, it is essential to get in touch with the “Safeguarding Adults” team. Essex, Southend and Thurrock share a common set of guidelines on abuse that can be found here:
http://www.evapc.org/
If you need to discuss a situation where you know, or suspect there may be abuse, you may wish to use the Helpline run by “Action on Elder Abuse”:
http://www.elderabuse.org.uk/Mainpages/Helpline.htm
0808 808 8141
You can find more information on abuse here:
http://www.helptheaged.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/A0BEAF81-B932-4E6C-8DE9-8CC1799AD383/0/putting_a_stop_280708.pdf
http://www.elderabuse.org.uk/index.htm
HELPLINE: 0845 017 7720
| © 2008 The Relatives & Residents Association (Essex)