7 questions to ask a care home when looking around? And our responses.

Moving into a care home can be an emotional time for both residents and their loved one, but we are here to help you every every step of the way. We’ve put together some of the most common questions we get asked and hope that the following will help you on your journey to find your perfect care home.

The Care Quality Commission regulate and inspect all health and social care services across the UK, including all care homes. They produce a report after every visit, typically every couple of years, which gives you an insight into the running of the home. You can see all the reports at  www.cqc.org.uk and we recommend that you take a look at the reports for each care home that you are visiting.

New care homes won’t have a CQC report for a few months after opening but they will be registered with CQC so bear that in mind.

The best way to see if a care home is right for you is to visit, don’t be afraid to visit more than onceBefore committing to moving into a care home some families opt for a short stay, known as respite, to try the care home out or perhaps after a hospital stay or if a family need support caring for their loved one for a while. Most care homes offer respite stays but the minimum length offering will vary, so do make sure to ask it this is of interest.

We’re pleased to offer respite stays in our homes. The minimum duration of stay and availability will vary from time to time so feel free to speak to our friendly staff to chat about your needs.

It is important to understand who would be in charge of your loved one’s care. Is it the care home manager? The community Nurse? A senior carer? Find out who is responsible for what and how much time they spend on the communities delivering the care. You should talk to as many staff as possible to understand their experiences and what they do day to day.

At Springfield, we have a management team that oversee the care, with senior carers on each community, and in some cases nurse, who are responsible for the care delivered. 

Over time, care needs change and it is important that you find a care home that can support your loved one if their condition changes. Asking whether the care home provides nursing care/dementia care in addition to personal care before moving in will ensure that you choose the right care home long term and will reassure you and your loved ones.

At Springfield, we are proud to offer a care pathway which means that if a resident’s condition changes, we can still care for you. We provide residential, dementia, nursing and specialist care which gives families reassurance that whatever your care needs, we can care for you. We also offer domiciliary care and other support services if you need that extra bit of support in your own home, either before or after a Care Home stay. 

Are residents able to come and go as they desire? Do they have a key to the home? Are there set times for visitors? Is technology used, for example personal alarms, to allow independence and ensure safety? These are important questions to ask at any care home. A good care home will promote independence and encourage mobility at all times.

We encourage and support our residents to maintain their independence, giving them a vital sense of control. At the core of promoting independence is facilitating choice. Using our person-centred care approach, we work with you to create a framework that looks at all aspects of daily life and activity. We then tailor our care plans to support your independence and the support we offer, depending on your needs.

Most care homes offer a variety of activities for residents but it’s important to know whether they focus on individuals’ interests and hobbies. You may also want to ask how the home celebrates birthdays, Christmas and other special occasions. These can be important events and life in a care home should feel familiar and as normal as possible.

We know you’ll want the peace of mind that your loved one has access to activities that they enjoy when they live at a Springfield Healthcare home. It’s for this reason that our dedicated wellbeing and activities team spend time getting to know our residents’ likes and dislikes, interests and hobbies, so we can tailor the activities we offer. 

Our activities team are always busy creating opportunities and coming up with new ideas to support the independence of our residents and ensure they remain engaged and entertained every day and never short of something to do. Check out our Facebook pages to see what our residents get up to each week. 

For many residents and relatives, regular visits are important when considering moving into a care home. You should ask what options you will have before moving in. You should ask when you can visit and for how long. Most good care homes will allow visitors at any time of the day, within reason.

We welcome visitors at all our homes. It’s wonderful to see our residents and their families enjoying time together. We have a variety of visiting options across our homes, with options for indoor and outdoor visits. Our visiting regulations sometimes change in line with Government regulations, staff in all our homes will be happy to explain the latest guidance.

Residents in care homes should be provided with well balanced and nutritious and tasty meals that meet their dietary needs.

Some residents are likely to have support needs that impact their dining experience. In these instances, it is even more important to ensure that food and drink is enjoyable, accessible and nutritious to maintain overall health and wellbeing.

Our Hospitality teams work hard to provide healthy and nutritious meals that cater to every taste, dietary and cultural preferences. Our chefs tailor our menus to suit our residents’, with delicious cakes and treats always on offer. 

We pride ourselves on catering to everyone with texture modified meals, special diets, and Kosher menus all available across our Springfield homes. Feel free to chat to our staff about any dietary requirements at any time.