House-hunter’s guide to Jewish Care
authorities are reluctant to fund people who want to go into care, even if they have less than the £23,500 below which they qualify.
“Local authorities are telling people they don’t need to go into care and provide them instead with a home help twice a week and a grab rail and maybe one or two other aids,” says Mr Smith. “What tends to happen is that the more active people will be those paying for themselves because they would never meet local authority criteria.”
Mr Smith recommends that anyone considering a move into care should consult the Care Quality Commission website for the latest inspection reports on homes.
The next step would be to visit a home and stay there if possible. “See if people are welcoming. If not, they might be inactive. Also check the smell; if it’s unpleasant, it might mean there is not good nursing. Make sure that the home can look after you if your health deteriorates. You don’t want to have to move again if they can’t.”
Local authority-backed residents in care homes are covered by the Human Rights Act but privately funded residents are not. In this context, human rights can mean issues such as protection from physical and psychological harm, privacy, support to maintain contact with family and friends and access to a complaints procedure.
Elizabeth Feltoe of Age UK, explains: “Someone funded and placed by their local council is covered by the Act, but residents who pay their own fees (even if placed there by the local council) are not. This is partly addressed in the 2014 Care Act which will ensure that anyone who has care arranged by their local council (even if they pay for it themselves) is covered. All other residents are covered by their contractual arrangements with the individual care home, which is why it is so important to have a contract when you move in. This will give details about notice periods and how fees are charged, as well as exactly what services and support you can expect.”
Many other rights remain the same as in one’s own home, for example, residents can vote, access health services such as a GP and leave the premises when they wish . OST OF US have experienced the search for that right house. You have your criteria and you try to tick as many on that list as possible. Your final decision is often swayed by your gut instinct.
Just like when you buy a house, when viewing a care home you have to go with your instinct, that feeling you get when you walk through the door, meet the staff and talk to residents. You may need to compromise along the way but the starting point is to understand what is really important to you.
Anyone can build a state-of-the-art care home but, when you look past the interiors, you need to ask yourself: can I imagine living here, surrounded by the other residents and being supported by the staff ? Lovely-looking exteriors alone won’t go far in ensuring you receive excellent care and live life to the full.
Jewish Care recruits staff “based on their values not on their ability to fulfil a range of tasks,” saying: “you can’t teach someone to be compassionate and caring; you can teach them how to use technology or dress someone with dignity”. Staff make a commitment to learning and development to meet both the care and “Jewish” needs of clients.
Being Jewish means something different to all of us. It is so much more than a kosher meal or a festival celebration. Many Jewish Care customers don’t see themselves as religious but they do feel Jewish and have connections with people in the community that have shaped them. Jewish children lighting Chanucah candles with residents, or a Friday-night family dinner in one of the care homes is a reminder of the important role the wider community plays in the Jewish Care community. The organisation and community are intertwined. “In the same way, Jewish and Care are intertwined,” says the organisation, “you can’t separate one from the other”.
A move into a care home is a big decision that takes time. If you leave it until faced with a crisis you may limit your options or make a hasty decision that in the long term may not be the right one for you.
Jewish Care Direct: 0208 922 2222