Ongoing care

[ladygaugau]

Hello,
I live two hundred miles from my mother but am the main care provider which I mostly arrange over the phone with very frequent visits.
I'm due to go and view care homes in her area so that I am best informed for the future. As mum now has the diagnosis of Alzheimers does this now narrow down the options for the type of home she can have? I'm worried about her going into a very disturbing environment and she carries a strong beleif of sigma and mental health.
Also does anyone have any suggested questions I might ask when I'm talking to staff/managers? Thank you

 

[LYN T]

Hello,
I live two hundred miles from my mother but am the main care provider which I mostly arrange over the phone with very frequent visits.
I'm due to go and view care homes in her area so that I am best informed for the future. As mum now has the diagnosis of Alzheimers does this now narrow down the options for the type of home she can have? I'm worried about her going into a very disturbing environment and she carries a strong beleif of sigma and mental health.
Also does anyone have any suggested questions I might ask when I'm talking to staff/managers? Thank you

Hi Ladygaugau

Sorry you have the need to be of this forum but welcome.
Does your Mum have any input from the local mental health team? I only ask because all sufferers have different needs and it may do some good to have their input. My Husband went into a CH one month ago and it took a long time and lots of visits to find the correct one. Looking now is a good idea.Pete needed a home with a high ratio of carers to residents as he had behaviour issues and needed a lot of one to one attention. He also has bi-polar which is another concern.Luckily I found a perfect home for him with only 15 residents (as opposed to the ones with 40/50 residents and only 4/5 carers).

As far as I know Social Services can give you a list but can't actually recommend one individual CH.Look past the fixtures and fittings -sometimes shabby round the edges is good as the CH can be very homely. Of course some places have excursions and the like but for my Husband he would never have joined in.Go by your gut instinct. Pete respond well to smiling faces so the happy carers were a plus- always ask how long the staff have worked there.

Just one more thought-as you live so far away do you think it would be a good idea to look for CH's near where you live? Visits are very important for relatives in CH's and living close yourslef you could always turn up at the CH at different times when the staff don't expect you.I do that even though I'm more than happy with Pete's care.

Take care-the journey is hard and heartbreaking but you are doing right by your Mum by planning in advance.

Love from Lyn T

 

[zelana]

Don't book an appointment to see a home just turn up. A good home has nothing to hide.

As Lyn says look past the fixtures and fittings as it's the care that matters. One home I looked at was more like a hotel with big rooms, en-suite, and wide corridors but the person showing us round was 'busy' with us when a resident wanted her attention. At another one the carer showing us around was conscious of the residents all the time and several times we had to wait while she dealt with something.

At the care homes I've visited the EMI units have been behind locked doors. My mum has Alzheimers but she's in the residential part of her care home which I imagine is what would happen with your Mum. Residents move into the EMI unit when they can no longer be cared for in the residential part.