Residential care is for people who cannot continue living in their own home, even with support from home care services. It is possible to stay in residential care for a short time (known as respite care), over a longer period or permanently. Residential care means staying in a comfortable furnished room (in some places it is possible to bring furniture from home) and staff are usually available 24 hours a day.
A residential care home normally provides accommodation, meals, and personal care. Personal care can include such things as assistance in getting up or going to bed, eating, washing, dressing, and using the toilet.
However, if you feel you can continue to live in your own home with support from home care services, but the home environment is proving difficult for you, (for example there are too many stairs, your home is damp or difficult to heat, you feel unsafe or isolated, or it is too far away from the services you need, etc) then moving to extra care housing may be a better option for you. Extra care housingmeans still having the privacy of your own self contained home. Staff are still usually available 24 hours a day to assist you with personal care, etc as set out in your own personal support plan, and there is usually a cooked midday meal available in the communal dining room if you choose.
Please click on our Housing and Living Independently section on the left where you will find more information on
extra care housing
.
Relatives & Residents Association (Essex)
This is a new initiative which aims to provide information and support to older people and their families and friends on matters relating to residential care and the alternatives to it.
Essex Care Services Directory
A comprehensive guide to choosing and paying for care, home care, care homes, specialist care and useful contacts. This guide is published independently by Care Choices which uses its own systems to verify the content within this publication.
Please note that if Essex County Council is contributing to the cost of the placement in a care home you still have a right to choose which home, but please refer to the terms and conditions on page 12 of the document.
The following Age Concern and Help the Aged factsheets provide information about finding and paying for a care home:
Finding care home accommodation
This factsheet explains the issues which should be considered when looking for a care home, whether self financing or seeking financial assistance with the fees from the state.
Local authority charging procedures for care homes
If you live in a care home or know someone who does, this factsheet will enable you to make sure that you aren't paying too much.
Paying for care in a care home with a partner
This factsheet explains how the local authority treats individual and joint assets when assessing qualification for help with care home fees.
Treatment of the former home as capital for people in care homes
How are former homes treated in local authority means tests if moving into a care home? This factsheet explains when property is included in the means test and when it is ignored.
Paying for your care home
This Help the Aged information sheet explains how local councils and the NHS can help to pay for a place in a care home. It explains the rules for working out contributions to the cost of care. It also looks at some common problems people have getting local council funding.
