Because so many aspects of care are intertwined in specialist residential placements, the process for moving into a care home needs to ensure that not only is the accommodation the right fit for an individual, but also that any specialist care is available there and that the community would be the right fit for them.
The process of moving into residential care is often quite different for each person, although the starting point is typically a care and needs assessment that determines if our home would be a suitable candidate to fit their needs and they would thrive if placed with us.
The assessment will look into any previous care a person has had, whether their needs have changed and what the available options are. This can involve not only assessing the care needs but also assessing the financial means to pay.
The care team will often arrange a visit to the home in question to ask some preliminary questions and see if it would be a good fit for them before arranging the necessary assessments and a social worker visit to start the process of arranging the new care package.
One difference between home care and residential care is that the latter will often have a final assessment to ensure that the new potential resident is the right fit for the home, would get on with the people already staying there and that the environment would be one that they would benefit from.
Often, this will start with a trial period to ensure that a particular residential placement is right for them before making a firm commitment, whilst ensuring they have the care they need.
If the trial is successful and the person enjoys their placement, then the final steps are to set up a placement agreement and schedule ongoing reviews so everyone is happy that it is the right place and continues to be the right place.