Making decisions about whether a private, welcoming and comfortable residential care setting is the best option for yourself or a loved one can be complex and emotional – but adding the difficulty of translating varied care centre specialisms, focuses, and services can make those choices feel incredibly challenging for families.
While most of us recognise the contrast between a care home and a nursing care centre, there are also numerous other factors to consider.
They might range from picking a home that has the capacity to support a loved one with dementia, selecting somewhere that can manage a degenerative condition with respect and kindness, and having certainty that the staff can continue to adapt their care over the long term, with no further upheaval.
Today, we’re concentrating on our outstanding care centre in Oxfordshire, The Grange, and sharing insights and guidance to highlight what each type of care and support service means and how the differences between purely residential, care-focused and nursing settings may influence your choices.
The Main Categories of Care Homes in Oxfordshire
Let’s start with a quick recap outlining the care and assistance you might expect from the primary types of care homes you’ll find throughout Oxfordshire.
Residential Care Centres
Residential facilities can differ quite considerably, but most general care homes offer private rooms and bathrooms, catered meals, snacks and nutrition, reminders around medications, and a friendly, welcoming environment where family and friends can visit, join in with activities and social occasions, and ensure their loved ones are healthy and well.
Although a care home located close to family can be an excellent option, the drawback is that anybody with a condition or diagnosis that is likely to mean they need a greater degree of support in the future would be unlikely to be able to stay for the long term.
That is because care centres without dedicated nursing specialisms or expertise in specific conditions, respite care, rehabilitation or dementia care do not normally have 24-7 nursing and GP cover and, therefore, cannot cater to progressive needs in terms of therapies, medication management, and sustaining quality of life.
Nursing Care Homes
Nursing care homes are different because care teams and assistants are supported by qualified Registered Nurses and have a greater ability to offer high-quality medical care around the clock. This type of care home is better suited to residents with complex health concerns or who would benefit from ongoing monitoring and check-ins to protect their well-being and health.
Families seeking help from their local council will often find that they may qualify for contributions to funded nursing care if a loved one requires help with mobility, such as getting from a bed to a chair, and has medical conditions that make nursing support necessary.
In other respects, nursing homes can be similar to care homes with communal facilities and private bedrooms, crafts, entertainment and activities, mealtime catering and schedules for families and loved ones to pop in or participate in celebrations and events.
Specialist Residential Care Providers
The Grange is the third type of residential care setting. As a specialist and nursing care centre, we focus on delivering the very best care and support diverse residents, from older people with cognitive conditions to families in need of reliable respite care, with 40 individual private rooms and four double rooms for couples.
We are located in Stanford in the Vale, close to the nearby market town of Faringdon – with beautiful, landscaped gardens and a passionate range of care professionals and nurses, as a highly-rated facility with full Care Quality Commission regulation.
Service and Facilities Available at Our Specialist Nursing Centre
We provide 24-hour support for adults and have a wide scope of expertise within our multi-talented teams. That means we can offer the agile care planning many families depend on to protect the independence, dignity and welfare of a loved one with a more complex medical condition. These specialisms include:
- Care for older people with dementia care needs, frailty and limited mobility.
- Support for residents with physical disabilities who may require help with day-to-day tasks, rehabilitation exercises, or personal care.
- Postoperative care, acting as a bridge between hospital and home, ensuring every resident is recovered, happy and can head home with confidence.
- End-of-life support, acting to relieve pain and discomfort and provide compassionate and gentle care for residents approaching the end of their lives.
- Continuing care, where we work to revise and update care plans as often as needed, ensuring residents with disabilities, illnesses, or injuries receive tailored support that fits their needs, wishes and preferences over time.
This ensures that families have the peace of mind that a loved one with any condition, care needs, or health prognosis can settle in, furnish and decorate their private space, relax in a welcoming, peaceful, and calm setting, and never have to consider an onward move should their needs or health change.
The Key Benefits of Picking a Specialist Private Care Setting in Oxfordshire
One of the challenges in any relocation to a care centre is the emotional strain of leaving a much-loved home.
We are always on hand to smooth that transition, making introductions to ensure a new resident is welcomed by familiar faces, and putting the arrangements in place to ensure they are comfortable, content, and feel fully supported.
Alongside our dedicated nurses, who are on hand 24 hours a day, GP partners and amazing catering teams, we provide a huge variety of therapies, allowing us to provide every resident with personalised assistance. These include:
- Visiting dentists and opticians
- Occupational therapist visits
- Access to a professional physiotherapist
- Regular chiropodist visits
Having every service, specialism, requirement, and nursing cover in one centre assures our residents that The Grange truly feels like a home, as a warm and airy space where no request is too much trouble and there is no likelihood of needing to relocate elsewhere now, or in the future.
If you would like further information about different Forest Healthcare homes, the type of assistance that would most benefit yourself or a loved one, or to have a chat about whether The Grange is a great fit for your needs, you are welcome to get in touch or arrange a good time for a walk around our centre and grounds.