Choosing a care home during COVID19 pandemic

5 Top tips for choosing a care home – without being able to go inside.

Everybody is talking about care homes being closed during the coronavirus pandemic but this isn’t strictly true.

Whilst most are closed to relatives wishing to visit residents already living in the home, the vast majority are still open for admissions of new residents. This means if you are looking for a care home for a loved one, they CAN still move in.

The difficulties arise when you are not able to look around the care home to make sure you, and your loved one, likes it. So here are some top tips on how to manage the situation whilst the world is in the grip of COVID-19:

5 top tips ...

1. Make sure you understand what type of care you are looking for. If you are not sure, get free advice from one of our advisors at Autumna on 01892 335 330.
2. Talk to the manager of the care home on the phone. Granted its not very scientific, but you can tell a lot by a voice and the way somebody interacts with you.
3. If you’ve identified a shortlist of care homes that you think might be right for your loved one, check them out online. Again, Autumna.co.uk is a great source of information, listing every care home across the UK. And don’t forget to look at the homes social media platform – especially Facebook.
4. Ask a member of staff to walk around and film the home. They will need to be careful not to include other residents but it will give you a useful general impression.
5. Finally, ask to talk to other residents.  Use FaceTime or similar if possible.

When you have decided on a home, the Manager will need to carry out an assessment, to make sure they can meet your needs. This is usually carried out face to face, however some homes are now assessing over the phone or on FaceTime.

Whichever way the process takes place, if you have researched online as much as possible, and spoken to the manager and staff, you are making the best possible choice.

Autumna has over 13,500 care homes listed on its site.

Monday to Sunday, we’re here to help...

For further information on care homes, or home care, live-in care or retirement living for that matter, you can give our friendly team a call on 01892 335 330. If you prefer email, you’re welcome to send us a message at [email protected].