Sometimes there comes a time when it is no longer safe or sensible for you to continue to live independently, even with support from social care services and your family.
Perhaps you have become too frail to look after yourself – perhaps you can’t move about your home freely or maybe you are at significant risk of tripping and falling.
Or you may be a disabled person who is finding it harder to live independently at home, perhaps because your parents are growing older themselves.
You may have been living in supported accommodation but are now finding it increasingly difficult to cope when you are alone.
Or maybe you are becoming more forgetful and forgetting to switch off the cooker and/or taps, which could put you in danger.
Leaving the place you have lived for a long time is never easy, but it is far safer for you to live in a safe place where your needs are met.
You may all decide that the best option is for you to move in with your family but if this is not practicable, then you may wish to consider other options, including permanent residential care. There are different types of residential care homes to meet people’s different needs.
One of the most positive aspects of moving into a residential or nursing care home is that you will no longer have to worry about household tasks like cleaning, gardening, cooking or home maintenance. You will have plenty of company, with privacy when you choose. Most care homes also organise regular events for their residents.
Whether or not you have to pay towards your personal care and accommodation depends if your needs are primarily health or social needs and your own financial situation.
If you are moving into a residential nursing home because you have ongoing health needs, you may be assessed by health practitioners as needing NHS Continuing Healthcare – this means the NHS pays for your care home fees in full.
If your needs are primarily social care needs, that is you need help with things like washing and dressing, and you want the local council to cover or contribute to your residential care home costs you will need to have an assessment of your needs and a financial assessment.