Care Home Types
What do residential care homes provide?
Residential care homes provide 24-hour personal care and support for people who need help with daily tasks, such as washing, dressing or eating, but do not need nursing care. This can be provided on a short-term or long-term basis.
Although some residential care homes can cater for some nursing needs through special care facilities or visiting health professionals, they are mainly for older adults who are unable to live independently and manage their personal hygiene, medication and toileting or struggle with mobility.
Residential care home residents may have a physical disability, a learning disability, mental health issues or other care needs due to old age, but do not need frequent medical treatment.
Staff at residential care settings are trained to provide the care and support residents need on a daily basis, such as administering medication, but may not be qualified to provide medical care.
In addition to the care provided, residential settings also help residents engage in social and physical activity, host events and parties and organise trips out.
In short, a residential care home provides a lower level of care compared to a nursing home. This means that the cost of living in a residential care home is also lower than a nursing home.
What services are provided by nursing homes?
Nursing homes care for people who struggle significantly with daily life or have various medical conditions and need regular treatment from registered nurses.
Nurses are supported by qualified care assistants, trained to identify symptoms and changes to residents’ conditions.
A nursing home, sometimes referred to as a care home with nursing, also offers 24-hour residential care but is equipped to look after people with complex needs, either on a temporary or permanent basis.
This means nursing homes are able to provide a higher level of care, which in turn means that they are more expensive. As mentioned above, nursing home costs are on average about £180 higher per week compared to what you can expect in residential settings.
However, if you have nursing needs, the NHS may pay for the nursing care component of your care home fees.
Some nursing homes specialise in a specific condition. This could be anything from severe learning disabilities, dementia or complex conditions to cancer, mental illness or severe physical disabilities.
Although a person living with dementia could be supported in a residential care home, a specialist dementia nursing home will be equipped to care for people in the advanced stages of the disease.