Making the right later life care choices

It's a good idea to understand your care options first, before you start looking for a solution. 

What is a care home?

This may seem on the face of it like a very simple question, but care homes come in many forms and our experience is that people are not always aware of what they should be looking for.

A care home essentially is for people who may be struggling to look after themselves in their own home and whose requirements extend beyond the regular visits that an in-home care service might offer.

One of the big benefits of a care home is that they provide instant companionship and support for people who might otherwise be lonely for long periods of the day and night.

Care homes cater for all day-to-day living needs. They offer communal spaces, dining and social areas.  Bedroom options include – singles, doubles, small suites, typically with en-suite facilities which may extend to wet rooms.

Additional care home facilities could include hair salons, beauty parlours, a library, bar, gardens and a café.

However, it is important to recognise that each care home is specific in what it offers in terms of care. This means you need a good idea of what you will need to meet your medical and care needs today, and moving forward.

Not all care homes offer every type of care and wherever possible you should try to 'future proof' your care needs.

To find the best care home for your needs, wherever you live in the UK, try a simple search of the Autumna directory here. Alternatively, complete our quick and easy questionnaire and let our advice line send you a shortlist of the care homes that best fit your preferred location, budget and level of care.

What are the different types of care available in a care home?

• Respite Care: Short-term care for someone who is normally looked after by a carer at home, or who needs support in a care home between leaving hospital and returning home. Minimum duration of stay usually: 2 weeks.

• Residential Care: Day-to-day personal care and mobility support, without qualified nursing care. 
  

• Nursing Care: Residential care plus nursing support from professionally-qualified medical staff available at all times. 

• Dementia Care: Specialist support at differing stages on the dementia journey. Respite, residential and nursing care can provide dementia support.

• Other specialisms: There are care homes tailored to people with specific backgrounds and/or interests. These might include Religion, Military, Music and The Arts to name a few. However, such specialist focus is not available everywhere, so determining your priorities will be important.

What is meant by live-in care?

Live-in care means somebody lives with you in your house all of the time.  Live-in carers provide support during the day and at night.  If a live-in care company is based in England, it may be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).  This will depend on whether the company employs carers or whether it just provides an introduction service – in which case they introduce a prospective employee to you and you employ them.

Some companies operate nationally, some regionally and some locally. The type of care provided will need to be discussed with the individual company.

Live-in care is typically charged on a weekly basis. Depending on needs and working hours, costs can be similar to living in a care home. If there are two of you living at home and requiring care however, then live-in care could work out as a better option financially.

Do remember though, an absolute pre-requisite is that you have a house with a spare bedroom to accommodate the carer.

To find the best live-in care providers for your needs, wherever you live in the UK, try a simple search of the Autumna directory here. Alternatively, complete our quick and easy questionnaire and let our advice line send you a shortlist of the live-in care companies that best fit your preferred location, budget and level of care.

What is meant by home care?

Home care is for a person – or couple – who want to live at home but who need help with daily tasks, on a regular basis.

The carer who visits might typically support with helping the person get up in the morning and go to bed at night, preparing meals, assisting with bathing or dressing.

The carer may well also accompany them on shopping trips, take them for regular appointments and provide a level of welcome companionship.

Some home care agencies also provide nursing support.

As with Live-in Care, there are numerous companies throughout the country providing home care services, but, through the nature of the work and working hours, most operate on a local basis, drawing their carers from the community to ensure they can respond to needs quickly and provide carers who do not have far to travel.

Home care companies in England have to be registered with the CQC and are inspected regularly.

A person requiring home care can expect several different carers supporting them on a regular basis.  Minimum care stays are typically 30 minutes. 

To find the best home care agencies for your needs, wherever you live in the UK, try a simple search of the Autumna directory here. Alternatively, complete our quick and easy questionnaire and let our advice line send you a shortlist of the home care agencies that best fit your preferred location, budget and level of care.

What is assisted living?

The term ‘assisted living’ possibly needs to be accompanied by a warning as it tends to be used as an umbrella description for several other terms associated with retirement properties. Have a look at our list below which provides a brief description of each. However, do bear in mind that assisted living is not usually suitable for somebody with dementia.

Assisted living 'schemes'  are aimed at people over the age of 55 with low level care needs. An assisted living complex can offer different types of residential accommodation and may include a variety of social and care support facilities on site.

Within an assisted living scheme, a resident usually has their own front door. You can typically buy or rent your living accommodation, whether a bedsit, an apartment, bungalow or small house. Some properties have their own garden, whereas in other locations, there are  communal gardens.

Within the complex you may also find a variety of social spaces and venues – such as lounge, cafe, restaurant, gymasium and swimming pool.

In addition to the purchase price or rental cost, you will pay fees for general maintenance and shared services and utilities, as well as any bespoke care package you may need.

The big benefit of assisted living is that you can live as independently as you like or are able.

To find the perfect retirement property for your needs, wherever you live in the UK, try a simple search of the Autumna directory here. Alternatively, complete our quick and easy questionnaire and let our advice line send you a shortlist of the retirement living developments that best fit your preferred location and budget.

What are some of the other terms for Assisted Living?

• Independent Living: A living arrangement that actively supports and encourages desired independence and self-determination for older and possible disabled people either living at home, or in a community where their specific needs can be met.

• Sheltered/Enhanced Sheltered Housing/Retirement Housing: Typically a complex of individual housing units comprising flats and bungalows, to buy or rent. Within the complex/estate there are also likely to be some communal facilities, and an on-site manager or warden responsible for arranging any services residents may need. Enhanced Sheltered Housing provides more day-to-day support.

• Close Care Housing - as stated by the EAC on their website: Close Care Schemes are a relatively new concept and consist of independent flats or bungalows on the same site as a care home. Close Care Schemes can either be rented or purchased. Purchasers may receive a guarantee that the Scheme will buy back the property if and when they need to move into the Care Home.
  

• Retirement Living (and Retirement Living Plus); Senior Living: Churchill Retirement Living, a well-established British retirement housebuilder, describes retirement living as: ‘a collection of purpose-built flats in a secure or gated environment with a number of communal facilities.’ Retirement Living developments tend to be located near to the local shops, town centre and essential amenities. The Homewise website, says that Retirement Living Plus is for the over 70s and provides all the benefits of retirement living together with an on-site restaurant or bistro and care/support available for those that need extra help. ‘Senior Living’ is another term for Retirement Living.

• Extra Care Housing: According to the Medical Dictionary, Extra Care Housing is ‘A style of housing and care for older people in the UK which falls between sheltered housing/ accommodation and the level of care provided in a traditional residential home’. 

• Integrated Retirement Communities: These schemes combine high quality housing options for older people with tailored support services. They allow residents to rent or own a property and to maintain their privacy and independence, with the reassurance of 24-hour on-site staff, communal facilities, and optional care and support as needed.

What are retirement villages?

Retirement villages are being developed across the country and they can offer an excellent place to live, catering for people of similar ages and with a variety of interests.

Ranging from 100-acre sites with working farms, church, spa complex, library, restaurants and numerous sports and social activities, to smaller sites with landscaped grounds and some leisure facilities, a retirement village can support very well through later life.

Often a retirement village will be able to provide home care services and many also have a care home and some medical provision on site too.

Typically, retirement village apartments or houses are purchased leasehold with the resident paying a regular fee for maintenance and shared services. Some developments ask for a percentage of the sale price to reinvest in the development on sale of the property.

What is the best way to find information about later life care and support?

More and more families are using Autumna's comprehensive directory to find out more about their care home, home care and retirement living options.

By completing this short form which lets us know exactly what type of care is important to you, we can then filter your search and send you a shortlist of all the later life care providers that can help.

Alternatively, you can email us on info@autumna.co.uk or call our Advice Line on 01892 335 330. Our phone line is open 7 days a week. (8:30am - 5:30pm Mon-Fri, 10am - 5pm Sat, 10am - 4pm Sun).