Dr Hilary Jones on Residential Care PART 1.

What is residential care?

Residential care is a place where people live when they need extra help. This can be for older people or people who need special care.

In residential care, people get help with things like eating, washing, and getting dressed.

People who live in residential care have people to look after them all the time.

Tools that help:

• Pictures can help show what residential care is.
• Talking with someone can help explain it better.

Who might need to live in a care home?

What help can you get in a care home?

Care homes are places where people live if they need extra help. Here are some things they can help with:

• Everyday tasks: Things like washing, eating, and getting dressed.
• Health care: Nurses and doctors can help if you feel sick.
• Food: You get meals every day.
• Fun activities: Like games and crafts to make you smile.
• Safety: People to keep you safe all day and night.

If you need more help with reading, try asking someone to read with you or using a computer to read the words out loud.

How do you pay for living in a care home in the UK?

In the UK, when you live in a care home, it costs money. There are ways to help pay for this:

• Own Money: You can use your own money or savings to pay.
• Government Help: The government might help pay if you don’t have enough money. This is called "funding."
• Ask Your Council: You can talk to your local council. They check your money and decide if they can help.

Here are some tips to help:

• Ask a family member or a friend for support.
• Use a calculator to help with money sums.
• Write down questions you have and take them to your council meeting.

Remember, it’s okay to ask for help!

How do I pick a good care home?

Choosing a good care home is important. Here's how you can do it:

• Visit the Home: Go and see the home yourself.
• Talk to Staff: Speak to the people who work there. Ask them questions.
• Check Cleanliness: Make sure everything is clean and tidy.
• Activities: Ask if people can do fun activities.
• Meal Options: Check what food they serve. Is it healthy and tasty?
• Safety: See if the home feels safe and secure.
• Talk to Residents: If you can, talk to people who live there. See if they are happy.

If you need help, you can:

• Ask a friend or family member to go with you.
• Write down what you like and don’t like.
• Use pictures or videos to remember your visit.

What is the difference between residential care and nursing care?

Residential care is a home where people live and get help with daily tasks like eating and washing. People who need a little extra help, but not medical care, might choose residential care.

Nursing care is a home for people who need more help because they have medical needs. Nurses are there to give medicine and look after health problems.

If you find reading hard, here are some tips:

• Ask someone to read with you.
• Use a pen to point at the words as you read.
• Take breaks if the words are too much.
• Use pictures or videos to understand better.

Can people who live in care homes have visitors?

Yes, people living in care homes can have visitors. Family and friends can come to visit them.

If you want more help to understand, you can:

• Ask someone to explain it to you.
• Use pictures or drawings to help understand.
• Listen to someone read it out loud.

Can you have pets in care homes?

Do you want to know if you can have pets, like dogs or cats, in care homes?

Here are some tips that might help:

• Ask the staff: Talk to the people who work at the care home to find out.
• Check the rules: Every care home might have different rules about pets.
• Use pictures: Looking at pictures of pets can help you understand what pets are allowed.
• Bring a friend: If you find it hard to ask questions, bring someone who can help you.

What does the Care Quality Commission do in care homes?

The Care Quality Commission, or CQC for short, checks that care homes are safe and good for people living there.

The CQC visits care homes to see if they are clean and the staff are kind.

The Commission makes sure that the food is nice and everyone is happy and well looked after.

If the CQC finds problems, they tell the care home to fix them.

Tools like picture charts and simple checklists can help understand what CQC does.

How can I find the right home to live in?

What fun things can you do in care homes?

People who live in care homes can do many fun things. These are some of the activities you can find:

• Crafts: You can make things with paper, paint, or clay.
• Games: There are board games, card games, and maybe even video games.
• Music: You can listen to music, sing, or play instruments.
• Exercise: You can join gentle exercise classes, like stretching or dancing.
• Gardening: You can help plant flowers or vegetables.
• Reading: You can read books or listen to stories.
• Movies: You can watch movies with friends.

If you find reading hard, you can ask someone to read to you. Or you can listen to audiobooks.

Can people make their rooms their own?

Yes! You can add your own things to your room. Here are some ideas to help:

• Put up pictures or posters you like.
• Add cozy cushions and blankets.
• Use a calendar to remember important days.

Ask for help if you need it!

How do people get meals in care homes?

In care homes, people get their meals every day. The staff cooks meals for everyone who lives there.

Residents usually eat together in a dining room. This way, they can talk and make friends.

Meals are planned to be healthy and tasty. If someone has special dietary needs, the staff will make sure they get the right food. For example, if someone needs soft food, they will get it.

Tools that help:

• Pictures: Use pictures of food items to help understand the menu.
• Visual Schedules: A daily schedule with pictures to show meal times can be helpful.

What training do workers in care homes get?

Staff in care homes learn how to take care of people. They learn how to keep people safe and happy. They practice how to help with everyday things like eating and dressing. Care workers also learn how to speak kindly and listen carefully.

To make it easier to understand, care home workers might use:

• Pictures and videos.
• Simple words.
• Repeating information.

How can I check if a care home is good?

If you want to know if a care home is good, you can do these things:

• Visit the home: Go and look around. See if it feels nice and clean.
• Talk to staff: Speak to the people who work there. Are they friendly and helpful?
• Read reviews: Look online for reviews about the care home. What do other people say?
• Ask questions: Ask about the activities they have for people and how they help residents.
• Check ratings: Look at ratings from health agencies. Are they good?

You can also ask a friend or family member to help you check these things.

What is residential care?

Residential care is a place where people live when they need extra help. This can be for older people or people who need special care.

In residential care, people get help with things like eating, washing, and getting dressed.

People who live in residential care have people to look after them all the time.

Tools that help:

• Pictures can help show what residential care is.
• Talking with someone can help explain it better.

Who might need to live in a care home?

What help can you get in a care home?

Care homes are places where people live if they need extra help. Here are some things they can help with:

• Everyday tasks: Things like washing, eating, and getting dressed.
• Health care: Nurses and doctors can help if you feel sick.
• Food: You get meals every day.
• Fun activities: Like games and crafts to make you smile.
• Safety: People to keep you safe all day and night.

If you need more help with reading, try asking someone to read with you or using a computer to read the words out loud.

How do you pay for living in a care home in the UK?

In the UK, when you live in a care home, it costs money. There are ways to help pay for this:

• Own Money: You can use your own money or savings to pay.
• Government Help: The government might help pay if you don’t have enough money. This is called "funding."
• Ask Your Council: You can talk to your local council. They check your money and decide if they can help.

Here are some tips to help:

• Ask a family member or a friend for support.
• Use a calculator to help with money sums.
• Write down questions you have and take them to your council meeting.

Remember, it’s okay to ask for help!

How do I pick a good care home?

Choosing a good care home is important. Here's how you can do it:

• Visit the Home: Go and see the home yourself.
• Talk to Staff: Speak to the people who work there. Ask them questions.
• Check Cleanliness: Make sure everything is clean and tidy.
• Activities: Ask if people can do fun activities.
• Meal Options: Check what food they serve. Is it healthy and tasty?
• Safety: See if the home feels safe and secure.
• Talk to Residents: If you can, talk to people who live there. See if they are happy.

If you need help, you can:

• Ask a friend or family member to go with you.
• Write down what you like and don’t like.
• Use pictures or videos to remember your visit.

What is the difference between residential care and nursing care?

Residential care is a home where people live and get help with daily tasks like eating and washing. People who need a little extra help, but not medical care, might choose residential care.

Nursing care is a home for people who need more help because they have medical needs. Nurses are there to give medicine and look after health problems.

If you find reading hard, here are some tips:

• Ask someone to read with you.
• Use a pen to point at the words as you read.
• Take breaks if the words are too much.
• Use pictures or videos to understand better.

Can people who live in care homes have visitors?

Yes, people living in care homes can have visitors. Family and friends can come to visit them.

If you want more help to understand, you can:

• Ask someone to explain it to you.
• Use pictures or drawings to help understand.
• Listen to someone read it out loud.

Can you have pets in care homes?

Do you want to know if you can have pets, like dogs or cats, in care homes?

Here are some tips that might help:

• Ask the staff: Talk to the people who work at the care home to find out.
• Check the rules: Every care home might have different rules about pets.
• Use pictures: Looking at pictures of pets can help you understand what pets are allowed.
• Bring a friend: If you find it hard to ask questions, bring someone who can help you.

What does the Care Quality Commission do in care homes?

The Care Quality Commission, or CQC for short, checks that care homes are safe and good for people living there.

The CQC visits care homes to see if they are clean and the staff are kind.

The Commission makes sure that the food is nice and everyone is happy and well looked after.

If the CQC finds problems, they tell the care home to fix them.

Tools like picture charts and simple checklists can help understand what CQC does.

How can I find the right home to live in?

What fun things can you do in care homes?

People who live in care homes can do many fun things. These are some of the activities you can find:

• Crafts: You can make things with paper, paint, or clay.
• Games: There are board games, card games, and maybe even video games.
• Music: You can listen to music, sing, or play instruments.
• Exercise: You can join gentle exercise classes, like stretching or dancing.
• Gardening: You can help plant flowers or vegetables.
• Reading: You can read books or listen to stories.
• Movies: You can watch movies with friends.

If you find reading hard, you can ask someone to read to you. Or you can listen to audiobooks.

Can people make their rooms their own?

Yes! You can add your own things to your room. Here are some ideas to help:

• Put up pictures or posters you like.
• Add cozy cushions and blankets.
• Use a calendar to remember important days.

Ask for help if you need it!

How do people get meals in care homes?

In care homes, people get their meals every day. The staff cooks meals for everyone who lives there.

Residents usually eat together in a dining room. This way, they can talk and make friends.

Meals are planned to be healthy and tasty. If someone has special dietary needs, the staff will make sure they get the right food. For example, if someone needs soft food, they will get it.

Tools that help:

• Pictures: Use pictures of food items to help understand the menu.
• Visual Schedules: A daily schedule with pictures to show meal times can be helpful.

What training do workers in care homes get?

Staff in care homes learn how to take care of people. They learn how to keep people safe and happy. They practice how to help with everyday things like eating and dressing. Care workers also learn how to speak kindly and listen carefully.

To make it easier to understand, care home workers might use:

• Pictures and videos.
• Simple words.
• Repeating information.

How can I check if a care home is good?

If you want to know if a care home is good, you can do these things:

• Visit the home: Go and look around. See if it feels nice and clean.
• Talk to staff: Speak to the people who work there. Are they friendly and helpful?
• Read reviews: Look online for reviews about the care home. What do other people say?
• Ask questions: Ask about the activities they have for people and how they help residents.
• Check ratings: Look at ratings from health agencies. Are they good?

You can also ask a friend or family member to help you check these things.