Im not quite sure what you mean by "the nicest", but if you are thinking about it looking nice, well decorated, bright, airy etc then please try and look beyond the decor and superficial stuff. The caring is the most important aspect. The care home mum was in was really quite scruffy (I initially discounted it because of that), but the caring was wonderful, it had a nice homely atmosphere and mum was happy there.
Maybe I used the wrong word - I meant that it was the best that I'd seen so far in terms of what I've been looking for. Smaller than most (36 residents over two floors), wide corridors so dad can move around more easily, activities taking place while I was there the first time, tidy outside area, very clean and fairly quiet, pleasant rooms, etc. Decoration looking a little worn but that doesn't matter to me. It could be just right if I wasn't so concerned with the staff ratio, and of course the potential for needing nursing care.
Dad's current home has been perfect for him, which could be why I'm having such a problem. It's small (12 residents), family run, very homely if a bit old fashioned, lovely caring staff with a low staff turn-over (another concern). It's certainly not a palace but they look after dad like he's a king, and it's such a pity they can't continue his care.
Everywhere I've looked so far has been bigger and more 'hotel like'. Less homely. I think it might be the area we live in. Of the 10 or so residential+nursing homes I mentioned in my last post, the smallest has 41 residents and all belong to larger chains of homes. I can't find anything that remotely resembles where he is at the moment, so whatever I do it's going to be a fairly radical change for dad and i just hope it's not going to distress him too much :-/.
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