Beginning the search for a nursing home in West Sussex can feel like a daunting task. When you are looking for a condition specific nursing home, you need to be extra mindful of how suitable it will be for your loved one.
They may potentially require further care that some nursing homes will not be prepared to accommodate. To make your search slightly easier, we have outlined some of the key questions we believe are important to ask during your search.
What training do the staff have?
Are the nurses and carers well equipped and professionally trained to look after someone with the condition your loved one has?
Country Lodge ensures that all their staff are trained for all the conditions that we specialise in. We want both you and our residents to feel at ease knowing that they are being taken care of.
Is an activity plan bespoke to the individuals needs?
It’s common that set activities will be going on around the nursing home in order to keep the residents entertained and also mentally and physically stimulated.
However, whilst these activities are great for the majority of residents, some, due to their health condition, will not be able to take part. You should ask the nursing home whether they tweak activities to suit the condition, and have additional ways of engaging those residents who do not feel so social rather than taking a ‘one size fits all’ approach.
At our nursing home in West Sussex, our activities range day by day and we like to think that no two days are the same. But we also understand that some residents like consistency and take that into consideration when planning the activities.
Take a look at our gallery to see the variety of activities we do with our residents >>
What kind of activities are planned for the residents?
As mentioned above, ensuring the activity plan suits a wide range of residents, whatever their condition, is very important. We recommend you ask the prospective home for some activity examples that would suit your loved one.
As an example, a resident with the physical stages of Parkinson’s Disease would benefit greatly from feeling like they have a level of independence still, so we would allow them to do safe and nurturing activities such as short walks, exercises and dancing.
For a resident who has had a stroke, they may enjoy using their minds and perhaps some of the more creative activities that we have available according to their abilities. This may be something like drawing, knitting or making music.
There is definitely never a dull moment at Country Lodge.
What is the ratio of nurses to residents?
Carers provide the majority of personal support but the ratio of qualified nurses to residents is an important question to ask. According to the Royal College of Nursing, the average ratio of nurse to a resident is 18 in the day and 26 during the night. However, even with these statistics, some nursing homes find staffing particularly difficult and will struggle to match these staff to resident ratios.
However, at Country Lodge, we believe that residents should receive a bit more attention, so we invest heavily in making sure we have top quality nurses running our shifts with additional nursing staff on duty during the day too. As a result our nursing ratio can be as much as 1:9 during the day although more typically it is 1:12.
How much personal care would my loved one receive?
Ensuring that 24/7 care is available at all times should be an integral part of your checklist. This doesn’t necessarily mean that someone will be sat next to the resident all day (as we understand this isn’t always necessary) but it does mean that sufficient staff to meet everyone’s needs will be on site at all times.
Personal care doesn’t just come in the form of someone being ‘available’, it also means ensuring that the right food is being provided. Some quick fire questions you can ask include:
- Are balanced, healthy & delicious meals provided?
- Are they made fresh every day on site and where do the ingredients come from?
- Do the residents get any choice on the menu?
- Will they receive assistance with eating if required?
- Does the home take into account intolerances, allergies and preferences?
In short, Country Lodge can confidently answer YES to all the above questions! We even go the extra mile with special treats on birthdays and daily afternoon tea and cake.
Does the West Sussex nursing home go the extra mile to assist with the specific condition?
This may mean providing the resident with physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy.
We always ensure that this is readily available if it’s required and will work with the resident and their family to put together a plan for any required therapies.
What specific conditions does Country Lodge support?
All our nurses are qualified to deal with residents that have a variety of conditions. More specifically, we specialise in those living with:
- Parkinson’s
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Motor Neurone Disease
- Strokes
Articles that may assist you to make your decision…
Our blog is full of useful information for those looking for a nursing home in Worthing.
Contact Country Lodge when looking for a condition specific nursing home
We hope this article has given you some insights into the questions you should be asking care homes when your loved one is living with a specific condition.
If you are ready to enquire about Country Lodge, we would be more than happy to arrange a virtual viewing of our home and a call with our care home manager.
Contact our nursing home in West Sussex by calling us on 01903 830600 or emailing us at manager@countrylodgenursing.co.uk. You can also find us on Facebook for updates and reviews.
We look forward to welcoming your family into our home.