What do you / your loved ones look for in a care home? Share your thoughts with CQC - £300 Love2Shop voucher to be won NOW CLOSED

Firstly the smell, walk in through the door I would not want to be greeted by stale cooking smells or even worse!! Next the cleanliness, and the friendliness of staff, was I greeted immediately or did I have to go and find someone. Do the residents look happy and are there plenty of activities or is everybody just sitting around in chairs. Are the bedrooms clean, tidy and roomy, and what safety facilities are in place. Is there access to gardens and is there provision to sit outside in comfort. All this I learnt when the hard decision was made to find a home for my father, it was heart breaking to see some of the conditions that elderly people were expected to put up with all because they were now in a home.

The main thing I would want to see is that the place feels like a home rather than a facility.Are the residents happy,do they enjoy their time there?Is there laughter and fun?I would want to chat with them to get their views.
Then the staff-are they friendly and welcoming?Do they interact well with the residents,in a relaxed manner?
Rules and regulations-of course there must be some but are they reasonable for the running of the home or just for the staff's convenience?
I would check on the CQC's ratings and any other reviews available,while bearing in mind that these may not be the whole story.

In the video,I liked that the residents could personalise their rooms but would expect that as a basic standard.Could they get drinks,listen to music,read quietly,play board games,watch "their" TV programmes,etc.as and when they wanted to?

Will it be a home or a regime?

Accessibility
General Atmosphere
Compassionate Staff
Security / Flexibility
Cleanliness / Hygiene
Location / Facilities

I'd definetely prefer a care home that's close to family and friends, the last thing many residents want is to feel alone and separated from what they have always known.

Somewhere that has outside entertainment coming in (My mum loved a chap who came and played the piano, and also the local youth ballroom dance group came every month!), frequent volunteers to chat to, hairdressers, etc.

Urgh the SMELL!
Right now, looking (I hope) well forward in the future, what I want is simply as much autonomy as possible. I'd like to be able to get out into (or at least see) gardens; do a bit of digging if I'm able, maybe.
I'm worried about diet and medication -I'm diabetic, controlling with diet and exercise, and even if I progress to insulin, I will always want to eat low carb. I wouldn't eat, e.g., mash - and I could see a very clear path that led me to be undernourished and so vulnerable to anything going round.
Scary prospect...

I would not like to see the residents slumped in chairs, wearing inappropriate clothing and being forced to listen to an over loud TV. As a resident, that would drive me bonkers. Daily bath or shower is top of the list as is having a choice of tea or coffee- I do not drink tea and have no intention of starting as I hate it.

A choice of good quality food. It is not rocket science to offer a choice the previous day and then less food is wasted. A visit from a hairdresser and also a chiropodist- activities arranged and not being forced to join in. Not everybody is an avid bingo fan. Also change the music! We are not all "We'll meet again" fans, some of us are into Queen and the Rolling Stones!

Being able to go to bed when one wants to within reason- not all residents to be in bed by 8pm or whatever for the convenience of the staff.

Staff talking with the patients and not sitting in another room drinking coffee and gossiping. Visitors allowed anytime within reason. Not having that awful smell of urine when one enters the front door.

Maybe have a resident animal? Many residents would love that. I have no idea if that is allowed.

For myself I would like as close to home comforts as possible.

I would look for cleanliness, comfort but most of all caring staff. If the staff are happy the residents will be too - am having a problem with mother in law home at the moment- the staff have been caught more than once by family who just popped in leaving people wanting to go to the toilet until it's too late and leaving meals & drinks out of reach of the residents then taking them away uneaten. It's not goes on when visitors are there that matters - it's what goes on when no eyes are on them.'

On visiting many people are put off by seeing others asleep or staring blankly at a loud TV. I may not want to bother one day and be left in peace, so would like potential clients to see past this and think of their own needs.
I would not want to join in games etc but 'play' on my laptop and be allowed to go out to the theatre, for meals or my other interests.

Ensure they offer help with personal care, such as washing, dressing, taking medication and going to the toilet and also offer social activities such as day trips or outings. A local care home would be a must too.

Reputation, honest reviews, open door policy with welcome drop in visits at all hours, clean, friendly and caring

The things I'd look for in a care home are somewhat different to those I'd look for in a Nursing Home.
Independence and Stimulation. Space. Fresh air. Happy staff.

Staff that really care about the residents and take the time to talk to them and help them when needed. to know people well enough to know when something is wrong, even if it is not really obvious.

i would be checking out the other residents first to see if they are happy!! making sure the staff actually care about their patients. checking out food quality, to make sure they are getting healthy and filling foods. i would also be checking there is an outside bit for residents to wander around. checking out the rules to make sure they are too strict

I would look for qualified staff who have caring attitudes also plenty of entertainment for the elderly to keep their brains active. Also must be very clean & plenty of choice of foods so that every patient can enjoy.

Close to original house so friends and neighbours can visit easily
Friendly staff
Plenty of activities going on
Clean and safe

First impressions count, clean tidy (home)happy residence with lots of interaction between staff and residence. I would want to know my dad would be smiling even without his family there. Activities for the residence that was suited to them so their days would be fill with things to do if they choose too.

location - i want to visit as often as i could

It is essential the staff are professional and compassionate and that the home isn't too far from me. Also of importance are good and clean facilities.

Cleanliness and whether residents are happy and have things to do. The way staff are with the residents is very important.

That the staff are smiling and look like they enjoy woprking there. If staff are demoralized or underpaid they will not be happy and this will effect the residents

Somewhere that is clean and friendly, not too far away from relatives.

I recently looked at a couple of homes for my 100 year old Aunt. The first was beautifully furnished with squishy carpets and nice furniture in the rooms, but most had no views. The staff and owners were all non local and although the care would probably be good, I felt that they wouldn't have the same rapport with my aunt as would someone from her own area. The second home was slightly rough around the edges, but I had a really good feel about the place and the owner gave me a half hour guided tour. The inmates seemed much more alert than those in the first and had more opportunity for activities and different seating areas. The food was locally sourced and cooked from scratch and there were views over a garden to the rear and the sea to the front.
So after a brief foray into care homes, I would consider:
friendliness and interest of staff
No smells- cooking or otherwise
Choice of activities
Availability for friends and relatives to visit
Comfortable feel to the place
Outlook from the room

Needless to say, my Aunt changed her mind, however today she has changed it again and, alleluia, there is a room available!

A home away from home, somewhere that doesn't feel like a hospital, carers that are like friends and somewhere that all the residents seem happy and stimulated.

For our family the most important thing is respect for the residents! After that I agree with so many others, staff pretty constant, good cooking, clean and with lots of activities. No-one's mentioned (I don't think!) staff training, and when my father was in a home three years ago I had some great conversations about what staff were learnings about in their NVQs and Foundation Degrees, it was really impressive because they knew they needed to know about dementia and some psychology and first aid etc (sorry that sounds incredibly patronising but there were a lot of bright people working there and it was just very interesting. Dad was 98 and they had long discussions with me about how difficult it is to make new friends at that age, which I hadn't really come across before. The activities dominos, cards discussions were all things Dad enjoyed, and the odd bit of singing and dancing! All appreciated greatly!!!

I would look to see if the residents are happy and try to talk to them or their relatives to gain insight into how the care home operates