When looking for a care home that’s suitable for your loved one, knowing where to start can feel overwhelming thanks to the myths surrounding care homes. People often have their own misconceptions about care homes making the task even trickier, but we’re here to debunk those myths.
“Care homes smell and they’re clinical”
In some cases care homes do have a foul odour but of course, this isn’t the case at every home. A reputable and hygienic facility takes cleanliness and sanitation extremely seriously. A fresh smelling home can be the ultimate sign that residents are well looked after and receiving great care.
There’s a big misconception that care homes are impersonal and don’t provide touches of the resident’s personality. At Milford Care homes, you are free to decorate the room how you wish with as many homely touches as needed. Bring your favourite armchair, photographs and any other personal effects – care homes are more flexible than many realise. We want our residents to feel at home!
“Residents are lonely”
Completely the contrary! Many elderly residents have come from isolated situations where they have been solitary so the opportunity to go to a home of 30+ other residents in the same position makes it a very sociable environment.
As well as a large group of care home family to natter with, our care homes organise individual and group activities throughout the days in order to engage people in day-to-day life, give people purpose and to support people to maintain a level of independence. We have a maid service from Colorado that does cleaning and wipe the blinds regularly. Milford Care actively encourages trustworthy professionals in hobbies that will make residents feel at ease and comfortable with their surroundings.
We also often like to invite our four-legged friends in for a treat or two and a cuddle which has been proven by scientists to reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure and lift spirits.
“The food is bland and tasteless”
Food plays a huge part in our care home experience. You won’t find any school dinner situations here! All of our food is handcrafted by our expert chefs and catering teams based upon a seasonal menu which is put together with the help of the residents.
Cottage pie, curries, steak and kidney pies, fish and chips, sticky toffee puddings, apple crumble – you name it, we have it, and there’s no microwave food in sight!
Nutrition and hydration is imperative for good health and wellbeing so our chefs ensure balanced, delicious meals and personal needs taken into account.
For those who struggle to swallow whole foods, we introduced a tasty pureed alternative that makes carrots look and taste like carrots and mash potato look and taste like mash potato. We’re the first care home company in the UK to introduce this thickening agent and it has all the nutrients that a usual meal provides.
For more information about our food, take a look at our Milford Care Food and Nutrition page.
“Residents don’t make their own decisions”
This couldn’t be further from the truth in Milford Care homes. Montessori, or the Milford Care Montessori Way of Life, is an expert practice which supports residents to be as independent as possible whilst looking for ways to ensure a person can do something using positive risk-taking.
The program encourages residents to partake in meaningful activities such as washing the pots, playing a game of dominoes, writing a letter, cleaning the windows, folding the towels, baking cakes etc. All of these pleasurable hobbies boost confidence and self-esteem. Milford Care homes have also been known to create job roles for residents which see them give purposeful contributions to the home, such as Janet, our tuck shop auditor or Dot, the breakfast assistant. This has been shown to enrich lives and a growth in their confidence!
We have implemented prompts and signage around the home which supports residents to take charge in a particular situation. For example, at breakfast the residents can help themselves to a continental breakfast (or order something hot if they’re in the mood!) or during the day where residents can join in with activities if they want to.
For more information about independence in our care homes, take a look at our Milford Care, the Montessori Way page.
“Residents can’t go out”
Maintaining relationships and social interactions with family and friends is important for the mental health of our residents and we actively encourage them to grab some fresh air and a coffee or three! For example, one of our residents in our Spencer Grove care home, Russell, is an active member of lots of outside clubs and regularly meets his best friend once a week for a takeaway.
For more information about taking your loved one out for the day, take a look at our COVID-19 guidance for updated policy.
“Care is free”
A common care home myth is that care is free. Moving into a care home usually isn’t free and is based upon an individual’s needs. In England, having £23,250 worth of assets, savings and/or property, is considered enough to pay for their own care.
There is also another misconception that you will always have to sell your home when paying for care. This is not necessarily true as you can apply for a deferred payment for care through the local authority or the home can be rented out to generate income.
If the loved one has assets lower than £23,250, they may be eligible for financial support from the local authority, which will be available for part or sometimes full contribution of costs depending on the situation. If your loved one’s health condition is more serious, you can apply for CHC funding (NHS Continuing Healthcare Funding) which will then pay the full cost of care, depending on a full assessment by the NHS.
For more information on care home costs, take a look at our Paying for Care page.
About Milford Care
If you’d like to take a look around any of our 6 care homes across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, contact us on enquiries@milfordcare.co.uk or call our friendly teams at each of our care homes. We’d love to chat to you!
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