Recommendation for reliable care homes

[Bodhi]

Hello. I am new to this forum and the reason for registering is because I have a friend whose Mother is in a care centre south of London. They are paying a ridiculous amount of money for their mother to be looked after and they are forgetting to do the basic things like feeding her! If you have had success and know personally of any well cared homes can you please let me know? I want to help as much as I can as I find it concerning that carers in these homes are not doing what they have agreed too. Can you suggest any reliable homes in the south of London? Thank you.

 

[Beate]

I'm sorry but we're not allowed to give recommendations on this board.

Here's an article on how to select a care home:
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/download/downloads/id/1787/factsheet_selecting_a_care_home.pdf

 

[Kevinl]

Hi Bodhi, welcome to TP
It's difficult to answer the question because there are many types of care home and the rates vary. You say this lady needs feeding so her condition must be advanced, I would guess that this means that she also needs help with personal care, possibly is incontinent. That could mean a nursing home or an EMI (Elderly Mentally Impaired) nursing home either of which cost more than a standard care home.
The quality of the homes vary from the 5 star hotel look to the more basic and anyone looking for a home will have their own expectations about the standards they want.
You say they're paying a "ridiculous" amount of money, in a a very nice environment someone who needs EMI nursing, in south London...anything over about £2.5k a week sound ridiculous to me and anything under £1k pw probably doesn't exist.
You would get a lot more for the money if you moved them outside London. it may be inconvenient for the visitors but if it gets her better care then it might be worth thinking about.
If anywhere is suggested you can look up the report on the Care Quality Commissions website, they are the official body that inspect homes to ensure they are meeting the required standards and report on their findings.
K

 

[Oh Knickers]

I'm afraid it is a case of going through the care homes in the area and going through the process. What I did was the following:

Searched for care homes
Put together a list
Looked online
Checked on CQC (Care quality commission)
Phoned the homes up
Visited to check what it was like on the ground

There was one we visited athat had a good CQC report but on visiting the fake wood vinyl was curling up at the edges, the place stank of stale wee, the residents looked liked zombies and were all wearing pull up joggers.

It eats up an inordinate amount of time. In the end, I have found 3 I am happy with. A couple are part of a local - rather than national - chain. One is a small independent in a quirky home and sounded realistic and down to earth. All I am concerned about is that mother will get good care. I am not worried abut all the additional bells and whistles which add to the care bill such as a 1940s themed bar.

Good luck,