Looking for a care home? How our Care Help Team can support you

Finding a care home for yourself or someone you love can feel overwhelming. There are so many things to consider, from care needs and location to fees, funding, facilities and availability and often families are making these decisions at a difficult or emotional time.

carehome.co.uk’s free Care Help service is here to make that process easier.

The Care Help Team can listen to what you are looking for, answer your questions and help you find care homes that could be a good fit for your needs and circumstances. The team can search across registered care homes in the UK and create a personalised shortlist to help you narrow down your options

Finding care can feel like a minefield

For many people, looking for a care home is something they may only have to do once or twice in their lifetime. This means knowing where to start can be difficult – particularly if you are searching for care for a parent, partner, relative or close friend.

Care Help Manager Paulina Frisby understands how challenging the process can be.

“I think it is a minefield out there for care seekers and they don’t genuinely know where to start.

“One of the biggest challenges is that they are put in an emotional position and they don’t know whether they should look at funding first or if they should approach the home first or where they should get that information.”

There can also be a sense of urgency. A family may suddenly find themselves needing to arrange care following a hospital stay, a change in someone’s health or because they are no longer able to manage safely at home.

Whatever the circumstances, the Care Help Team can help families understand their options and take the next step.

A personal service when you need it

Every care search is different. The team takes time to understand what matters to the person needing care, including their care requirements, preferred location, budget, funding situation, interests and the type of home they would feel comfortable living in.

Paulina says the emotional side of the work is something the team sees regularly.

“We get some very emotional calls sometimes, which is totally understandable. It is a very, very difficult point in someone’s life when either they have to look for care for themselves or for someone they love, especially a parent or a sibling.”

For families who are already under pressure, having someone to talk through the options with can make the process feel more manageable.

Helping families from the first call onwards

The Care Help Team can support people at different stages of their search. You do not need to have everything worked out before getting in touch.

The team can help you think through what you are looking for, search for suitable care homes and provide a personalised shortlist. From there, families can contact homes directly, arrange visits and make their own decision about which home feels right.

The aim is not simply to provide a list of care homes, but to help families make sense of their options.

“We do our follow-up calls and we find out the information we gave them did help them. They have managed to find somewhere for their loved one. They have moved in and they have settled. That stress and that weight has gone.”

The rewarding side of Care Help

While supporting families through difficult circumstances can be emotionally challenging, there is also a hugely rewarding side to the role.

For Paulina and the Care Help Team, hearing that a family has found a suitable home and that their loved one has settled makes the work particularly meaningful.

“That is hugely rewarding to know we were a small part of that and that massive life change has really improved not just the care seeker’s life but their loved one’s life as well.”

For Paulina, being able to follow a family’s journey from those first uncertain questions through to finding a care home is one of the most rewarding parts of the job.

“We see that whole journey do the full circle and we get some really good responses from the people we help out.”

What can Care Help help with?

You can contact the Care Help Team whether you are just starting to think about care or need to make a decision quickly.

The team can help you:

• Understand what to consider when looking for a care home
• Identify care homes that may meet your needs
• Search based on location, care requirements and budget
• Think through questions about funding and fees
• Narrow down a large number of options into a manageable shortlist
• Understand what to look for when comparing care homes
• Take the next step towards finding the right care for you or your loved one

The service is free and impartial, and there is no obligation to choose a care home recommended by the team.

Need help finding a care home?

You don’t have to navigate the care search alone.

Talk to a member of our Care Help Team, who can listen to your circumstances and help you find care homes that could be suitable for you or your loved one.

Call our Care Help Team or request a callback today.