Taking the stress out of choosing a care home

If you think you need more personal care than sheltered housing can give you, moving into a care home could be an option. Here are some tips from Age Scotland about making the right decision. Moving to a care home may seem a big step but it could offer the opportunity to form new friendships and provide a safe, comfortable place to live.

They are staffed 24 hours a day and all meals are provided. They sometimes provide nursing care too, so make sure you know what levels of care are provided before you move.

How you pay for a care home depends on your personal situation. Your local authority social work department may be able to help you with all or part of your fees if your capital and savings are below a certain limit. Help may also be available from the NHS in Scotland if you need nursing care.

If you are likely to need some financial help in paying towards the costs, you will need to contact the social work department of your local authority to ask for an assessment of your care needs to be carried out. Choice of accommodation: When you need financial assistance from the local authority and they make arrangements for you to enter a home, you also have the right to choose the home you go to – with certain restrictions.

The social work department should tell you what arrangements it will make according to its assessment of your care needs.

It should also give you information about homes on its “preferred list” of providers (if it has one) and about other homes in your area. It should also tell you that you can enter the home of your choice anywhere in Scotland, England or Wales by special arrangements.

If you choose a home (your “preferred accommodation”) which is different from the home the local authority suggests, then the local authority can make an arrangement for you to enter that home provided:

It appears to the local authority to be suitable for your assessed needs;

It is available – ie. the home has a vacancy, or is open;

The cost of the local authority is not more than it would normally expect to pay for someone with your assessed needs;

The provider of the accommodation and the local authority agree to enter into a contract for your place, subject to the local authority’s usual terms and conditions for such care.

Finding a care home: Care homes all have to meet certain minimum standards but they can still vary widely in the accommodation and facilities they offer.

Before you start looking, you should make sure you have been assessed by the social work department of your local authority, so you know what care you may need and what help you will be likely to receive towards the cost.

You should then be able to obtain a list of suitable homes from your social work

department or the Care Inspectorate, which is responsible for registering and inspecting care homes in Scotland. You are then advised to visit as many homes as you can to find out which one you are likely to feel happy and comfortable living in.

Paying for your care home: Most people will be expected to pay towards the cost of their accommodation by using some of their income and capital. However, there are a number of public bodies who may have a duty to pay towards this.

In order to receive any financial assistance which may be available to you from your local authority or NHS Health Board, a “care assessment” of your needs must be carried out first, usually by a social worker from the local social work department of the local authority.

There are also free personal and nursing care payments available towards the cost of care, depending on the type you need and your age. You may also be entitled to claim for some benefits towards your bill.

There is a lot to consider when moving to a care home and you may find it useful to discuss some of the information on these pages with a relative or friend.

You can also phone the Age Scotland helpline on 0800 4 70 80 90 for helpful information.

With a bit of help and homework, you can make the right choice of care home.