Long Term Care Services

In this section of the site, we’re looking at the type of care services you may require if you need an element of looking after by someone else. These services include:

Care home services

This is what most people will think of when they start to consider long term care. Care homes have been in the news for all the wrong reasons in recent years, so we’ve put together a comprehensive overview of what to look for and what you should expect from a long term care home.

Long term care in your own home

Many of us will recoil at the thought of living in a care home. Which is where the possibility of having someone help with our daily activities in the home we’re used to has become a much more popular choice recently. We’ve put together a range of tips and advice that you should think about when considering the long term options for home care services within your existing home.

Of course, there are many other things to consider when thinking about the possibility of needing any of the many long term care services that are available.

It may be, for instance, that you don’t require constant care from another person, with simple adaptations to your home being the main area you should look at.

Or it could be that your needs are based on occasional help, such as getting a lift to your hospital appointments, or having someone run you to the shops each week.

Whatever your long term care needs, we recommend you look into them as soon as you can. There’s lots of information and advice available if you know the right places to look – something we’re more than happy to help you out with on this site.

Care Home Services

What should you look out for in a care home? Are they all as bad as you might think from the recent horror stories in the press and on TV? And even with the good ones, won’t you get bored or simply eke out an existence in the home while waiting to die?

Understandably, people have many concerns about what it’s like living in a care home. The person who is going to live in the home, as well as their loved ones, will all be keen to ensure the experience is as good as possible, with none of the downsides you may have read about or seen on some recent documentaries.

One easy method of determining whether a particular care home is suitable for your needs is to perform a Care Homes search on the Care Quality Commission website.

The CQC (Care Quality Commission) perform regular checks on the care homes throughout the country, publishing their results on their site so you can review the options nearby.

The days of turning up to a care home and having a quick sniff to see how clean it was, have been replaced with a rigorous set of tests that should help put your mind at rest if you or a loved one are considering long term care in a care home.

There are many household name providers of care home services, such as some of the well known health insurance companies and other national firms. But that’s not to say that some of the smaller, local care homes will provide any less of a service.

Care home fees will vary based on a number of factors – the main one being their location within the country. For example, facilities that are situated in the more expensive areas (such as London and the South East of England) will generally be considerably more expensive than ones based elsewhere.

You’ll also find that the level of service on offer can vary from care home to care home, with some offering a premium style of service, that obviously comes with a commensurate increase in the fees payable.

We recommend you review the information on the CQC website (using the link above) and pay a visit or two for yourself to the potential residential care home/s you’re considering.

That way you’ll get much more of an idea of whether it feels right for you or your loved one, so you can be confident you’re making the right choice.

Long Term Care in your OWN home

One of the most popular options for people requiring long term care is to be able to stay in your own home. It’s where you’ve lived for possibly many years, and where you’re familiar with where everything is and how to get about on your own.

You’ll also be familiar with the local area and perhaps have friends and neighbours who you know will be looking out for you.

Another possible of staying in your own home is that it can be less expensive than moving to a residential home. If you qualify for a ‘package of care’ from your local authority, you may be entitled to such things as regular meal deliveries, visits from care workers, adaptations to your home (such as handrails and alarm buttons), transport to day care facilities and a range of other possible services that may be on offer.

Your local authority may be able to help with funding for you home care services - read more details on local authority funding. And you may qualify for various benefits (something people are often unaware of) for your own care, or if you are a carer – definitely something you should look into so you don’t end up paying more than necessary.

Or you may have to cover or contribute to the costs yourself - read more about self funding your long term care.

With staying in your own home for long term care being an increasingly popular option, it’s certainly something you might want to consider for your own circumstances.