There can come a point when we realise that a bit of extra help is needed with our loved ones and the choice of Care Home or home care has to be made. For some, safety, 24/7 access to support, social interaction, and medical care make a care home their preferred option, while others don’t want to leave the familiarity of their old home.
Covid 19 has added a new factor to be considered. Despite negative national news stories, the infection control systems in the best care homes like Northleach make care homes a very safe option. All of our residents have been vaccinated and we test all staff daily. It’s difficult to think of a safer place to be and we’ve even managed to maintain ‘covid safe’ visiting through the lockdown.
Click here for more information about our gold standard Covid 19 safety measures. Remember that we’re here to help, so either now or once you have read our article please feel free to call to set up an informal chat on 01451 899682 or by email to info@northleachcourtcarehome.com.
When looking at a big decision it can help to break it down into simple choices. We’ll do that first in a simple list and then discuss your choice of Care Home or home care in more detail.
Your needs | Care Home | home care |
| Friendship and company | Yes, all the time with other residents and care staff | With the single carer, when they are there |
| Support for the family | All the time | When the carer visits |
| Health Monitoring | 24/7 | Via local GP |
| Covid 19 safety | Planned and monitored with strict precautions in place | Possible contamination from carer and visitors |
| General safety | Safe environment, many staff available around the clock | Probably safe environment but not professionally reviewed & maintained |
| Nutrition | Full dietary requirements met within weekly fees – fresh home cooked food with plentiful home cooked snacks | What you buy, have delivered and cook |
| Wellbeing and activities | A wide variety of personalised activities on site, and excursions out. A focus on maximising each person’s overall wellbeing and enjoyment | Typically quite limited and dependant on family & friends |
| Accomodation | Variety of types of rooms, fitting various sizes or budget personalised with pictures, furniture, and mementos. | The familiar home you have lived in for so long |
| Specialist care | Yes, on site | Intermittently if at all as increasingly NHS and Local Authorities not visiting people’s houses |
| Familiarity of surroundings | What you bring with you with your own furniture, pictures, mementos etc | Your own house and garden |
| Cost | Around £5.00 per hr (From £850 – £1,200 per week) | Around £20 per hour + |
| Permanent care | Only if needed, respite care available | As required |
Friendship and company in a care home is why many chose to make this move. The hours can tick by slowly at home while you are just sitting, typically watching the same mundane waiting for your family or a carer to visit. With Care Homes there is always someone around to have a chat with or just to be near. Our home has many other residents and tens of care staff bringing both friendship and variety.
Though there are new restrictions due to Covid, you are still able to visit your loved ones in our Care Home, and at all other times they are completely supported by the staff. With home care, the support is only there while you or the carer is there, and the rest of the time, your loved ones are left to themselves and whatever support you can manage to provide or arrange
Care Homes provide constant monitoring of many vital signs; weight, skin conditions, and many other key things to notice. Staff are highly experienced and get to know residents extremely well. This means issues are quickly noticed and acted upon immediately. When visits from medical professionals are identified as being necessary they are organised, recorded, and supported by staff and the best care homes have in-house medical staff to tend to any immediate needs.
With home care, it is unlikely that the carer will become involved and responsibility will fall to you. Quite often there will be a rotation of carers including some who are inexperienced, and key signs can be missed. Family members are loving and caring but are also inexperienced with what to look out for.
Northleach Court, like other high quality Care Homes across the country, has put in place strict precautions on top of the government’s own guidelines to stop the spread of Covid. Every member of staff is tested at the start of every shift to guarantee our care home’s health and safety are protected.
As for home care, the precautions taken are up to you and the person needing support. You will need to ensure that any carer or cleaner entering the house, and any temporary replacement is Covid free. The same applies to any other visitors or deliveries. Can you be sure? Will you even know when they were last tested?
Falls, trips, or slips account for 58% of the one-year mortality rate in seniors. It is one of the primary concerns of Care Home health and safety to prevent this, with a major focus being to keep residents secure and safe from any hazards. We have great expertise in preventing residents from falling by analysing and identifying person specific causal factors, helping with appropriate exercises, using specialist equipment generally not available in people’s homes, and having access to local NHS falls prevention specialists. All these support options are often the standard in a care home health and safety policy.
In the case of home care, the carer will (if they have time which is often not the case) only be able to fix any hazards that may have cropped up since they were last there… if asked and within their capability. They rarely have the skills and expertise to be found in any care home, let alone the best care homes.
Care Home nutrition plans are put in place to ensure the best standard of care is given. Care homes will offer three freshly cooked meals daily with fresh ingredients from menus, balanced nutrition, and tasty food prepared by trained chefs. Frequent snacks are offered and the absolutely vital regular drinks so that the health and wellbeing of all residents are properly managed. Care home nutrition plans are designed to take the stress of your loved ones eating off of your hands!
With home care, nutrition is the responsibility of either you, your loved one, or a food delivery service with possible help from the carer. Hydration is a major challenge!
Care Homes offer a wide variety of daily, person centered activities for all residents to enjoy, including off-site excursions to provide new experiences and stimulation. Our focus every day is to provide the very best experience possible for each and every resident.
In the case of home care, this is not provided but left to the family, friends, or volunteers to organise as, and when, they can.
Care Homes provide a range of room sizes to suit requirements and budget. Furniture is provided but residents are encouraged to bring items of sentimental value to personalise their room. Rooms are spotless, and clean, with fresh décor, and lovely furniture, all professionally maintained. Other rooms found in a typical care home are communal and used when you need some company or a variety of activities, events, and other people to spend time with.
In the case of home care, your home is your accommodation. It may be ‘jaded’, cleanliness depending on family, or brief visits from a cleaner. There may be maintenance and health & safety concerns. These may all be taken care of for the present but things can get more difficult over time.
Care homes are equipped to deal with a wide variety of specific types of care, as well as any injuries or unexpected situations that may happen. They will have close links to doctors and hospitals nearby, so any emergency or routine care will be dealt with efficiently. They can also call on a wide variety of other health service professionals such as occupational therapists, falls experts, and dieticians. For any individual with specialist needs, the best care home is one that tackles their specific needs.
Home care tends not to get involved with medical requirements unless you have a very specialist and expensive form of home care.
A big part of choosing appropriate care is the familiarity of the surroundings. With a Care Home, you can bring anything you want to decorate your new room and make it feel like your new home. It isn’t the same home but at any age, a change can be a positive thing and bring a new lease of life. With home care, your loved ones are able to stay in their old home, with familiar sights, sounds, and smells.
Finding out how much a care home can cost can be a challenge, even daunting, but here you can see a well rounded overview of what to expect.
Care homes in the UK can cost anywhere between £850-1500 per month depending on needs and room size/facilities, which includes all accommodation with ensuite, nutritional needs, activities, and all care requirements.
Home care usually costs at least £20 per hour, with visit durations being whatever you feel necessary. In addition, there will be all the normal running costs for the house etc
You’ll notice that this isn’t matching like for like and when you compare residential or nursing care home costs with home care there is a massive difference that will surprise you!
Basic home care typically costs £20+ per hr compared with £5 per hr in a Care Home.
This is the result of an economy of scale where Care Homes take care of residents’ needs 24/7. Home care, by contrast, is typically just a couple of hours per day.
If you are considering total cost alongside changing needs then you’ll find that the equation quite quickly changes in favour of the Care Home option.
For more information, please call our friendly team on 01451 899682 or email info@northleachcourtcarehome.com
Welcome back! How can we help? Here are some frequently used links book a visit, ask a question, helpful articles
Hello, I’m Jerry, the Registered Manager at Northleach Court.
I look forward to meeting you. Please leave your details, and I’ll contact you soon.