home

Choosing a dementia care home

A good dementia care home will treat the resident as an individual, taking account of personal preferences, needs and abilities.

 

In order to look after someone with dementia, a care home must have accommodation specially registered for dementia care. You can contact your local social services department for a list of such homes in your area.

Try to visit a few care homes so you can see the differences between them. This will help you to decide whether the home will be right for the person you care for.

A good dementia care home should provide tailored care for each resident, so look for evidence of this. For example, do they talk about:

  • the person's life history
  • how their food preferences will be catered for
  • how they'll provide the kind of activities the person likes or the ability for the person to be somewhere quiet and calm
  • how their room can be personalised
  • things they may prefer to do in their own room
  • how you could be involved in their care if you want to be.

Questions to ask

  • ask about specialist dementia care training and watch how the staff interact with residents
  • every care home is regularly inspected so you should ask to see their latest inspection report
  • most people with dementia will also need some degree of nursing care so it’s important to check that the home can provide this
  • think about your needs too. Is the care home easy for you to get to? Can you visit at convenient times for you? Is there a relatives group you can join if you want to?

To help you find the right home for your situation, we have produced a checklist to take with you to help you assess each home you visit.

Next steps

Contact us

  • Telephone

    For general enquiries call us on:

    0800 00 10 10

    Lines are open 24/7

Find a care home

Featured care home

This impressive nursing home in Leeds provides specialist dementia care.

Park Avenue Nursing Home

Free care home guides

You can order the following care home guides for free.