Is an Assisted Living Facility right for me?

Choosing the right accommodation post-retirement can be a difficult job. In this Clarendon Homes insight, we will look at what an assisted living facility is, the support available, which post-retirement option is right for you, and give an overview of what our Cobnut Park retirement development offers.

What is an Assisted Living Facility?

An assisted living facility (also known as extra care housing) is where you have the opportunity to live in a self-contained property with specialists available to help you with the day-to-day tasks that you may need assistance with. The good thing about an assisted living facility is that help is only a phone call away, so it is great for keeping your independence and freedom while having the support you need.  If you would like to know more about what assisted living is, have a look at our previous blog ‘what is assisted living’.

What support is available?

The care options offered can vary between different providers. At our Cobnut Park development, the care provider is Meritum Integrated Care. They offer a range of care from bathing and dressing, to shopping and preparing meals. Their excellent team provides a personalised service to each resident, ensuring each resident gets the care they require.

Meritum staff are highly trained and can provide care for several health conditions, including support for mental health, physical disabilities and dementia. In the UK today, there are almost 1 million people living with dementia, with no current treatments to stop or slow the diseases that cause dementia. But history has shown us that diseases can be cured.

To support our continuing effort to care for our residents, we are very proud to say that we are a corporate partner of Alzheimer’s Research UK : “We’re delighted and incredibly thankful to have the support of Clarendon Homes. Together, we’ll raise awareness and vital funds for life-changing dementia research, so we can find a desperately needed cure for people living with the condition. It’s going to be an exciting partnership and we can’t wait to get started!” – Lucy Squance, Director of Supporter Led Fundraising at Alzheimer’s Research UK

You can find out more about how we are supporting their incredible work here.

Which option is right for me?

Whether you need full-time care or minimal support, choosing the right accommodation is important. This section highlights some information which you need to consider before making your choice.

Assisted Living

When deciding if assisted living is for you, there are some factors which should be considered…

• Location: Whether you are a budding explorer or prefer the relaxing life – everyone needs local shops, a post office, and other important services nearby. It may also be worth considering how near to friends and family you would like to be. This is important if you may need to rely on them more in the future. These are key things to make your new home a forever home.
• Personal needs: For many extra care communities (such as Cobnut Park) you must qualify for the care to be able to live at an assisted living facility. Consider assisted living to be somewhere in between sheltered housing (which provides less care), and a residential care home (which provides more full-time care). These are some options to consider depending on how much care you need.
• Size: A retirement home should fit your needs now, but also in the future. Therefore, assuring you have enough space for you and any grandchildren, or family, who may want to visit is important. When looking at different homes, make sure to also consider if there is enough storage space so that you can fit the things that you love with you.
• Finances: Make sure that all the costs are clear and check them over with a qualified advisor! This includes any charges for support or service as well as for the actual property.

Finally, always make sure to check with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). They provide ratings for assisted living facilities which you can usually get by asking the home provider.

Moving in with family

Moving in with family is a big choice and depends mainly on the living arrangements and the relationship you personally have with your family. Although this seems very straightforward, there are many things that you need to check before you decide this is for you.

Firstly, this move is centred around you! Your care is the priority, and you need to be sure that if you are moving in with your family, this care can be provided by them. You also need to consider if the house would have to be adapted to help with your daily tasks and activities as this could be very costly.

Finances are key in having a peaceful retirement. Knowing the full arrangements prior to making any decisions is key, such as if you are expected to pay rent or bills, considerations towards council tax, and if moving in would change the family’s financial situation.

Another thing to consider is the legal side of things. Although legal advice may be awkward at first, it is important in protecting you and your family. One way is to get independent legal advice and possibly a formal agreement drawn up. This can help to keep all arrangements clear from the start, resulting in less disputes further down the line.

Sheltered housing

Sheltered housing is a type of supported housing. This provides less support than assisted housing but depending on which schemes, amounts of support can vary. 

Sheltered housing is suited to people who need very little amounts of support or want to move into a smaller, more easily manageable home. Unlike in assisted living, personal care, support in doing daily tasks, and meals are not usually included. Therefore, the amount of care needed is a key factor in deciding whether a sheltered home is for you.

Key things to check:

• How much is the service charge and what is included?
• Are there any additional services to pay for and how much do they cost?
• Can any charges be covered by pension credit, housing benefit, or the council?

Care home

A care home provides extra support for the people who need it most. Using the bathroom, eating, washing and getting changed are a few common tasks that you can be assisted with at a residential care home. Although moving into a care home may seem daunting, your health and wellbeing is the priority, and if this amount of care is needed then it is worth it.

Some care homes offer day trips or outings, but this depends on the care providers.

All care homes provide accommodation and personal care. There are 3 main types of care homes to consider:

• Nursing homes – along with personal care, Nursing homes provide assistance from qualified nurses.
• Care homes with dementia care – These are designed to make people with dementia feel more safe, comfortable and at home. 
• Dual-registered care homes – These care homes accept people who need personal care and nursing care. Therefore, if the situation changes and they need any extra nursing care they do not have to change home.

Cobnut Park

Cobnut Park is an assisted living community made up of 24 idyllic bungalows. If you enjoy the freedom of meeting people, going on walks, and socialising, or if you prefer to stay at home and relax with the peace of mind of extra support, this is the perfect place for you. Many people need some support at some point after retirement, but also want to retain their independence. This is where Cobnut Park comes in!

Self-contained homes allow you to do everything that you are used to and more, while receiving the support that you need. Regular assessments mean that your health is looked after, so you can enjoy the idyllic site of Cobnut Park and Boughton Monchelsea stress-free! Meritum is dedicated to providing only the highest quality care, and with staff on site, support is always available.

The community clubhouse is the heart of Cobnut Park where everyone can come together and get involved in social activities and events. The communal lounges and gardens allow you to meet up with your friends and even meet new people!

If you want to learn more about Cobnut Park, have a look at our website and sign up to our newsletter to be kept in the loop with everything Clarendon.

Got any questions or feedback on the blog? Or maybe a topic you would like to be covered in a future blog? Email courtney.gardiner@clarendonhomes.co.uk today, I would love to hear from you!