No one suddenly one morning realises that their mum should go into a nursing home. It builds. Another diagnosis, another tablet, another fall, another hospital visit and she ends up weaker than ever. Then you sit down at the kitchen table at 11 pm and you search and feel bad about it. This is a feeling of guilt, which is quite common and not a sign that you’re doing anything wrong.
In this blog, you’ll find out what nursing homes do for those with complex needs and what questions you should ask before selecting a nursing home.
What Counts as Complex Care Needs?
Complex care needs are when a person requires routine clinical interventions as well as assistance with washing, dressing and feeding. There is no official checklist, but families typically visit a variety of these:
- Several health conditions at once
- A long list of regular medicines
- Health that can change within a day
- Repeat hospital visits or a recent discharge
- Needs that rarely stay the same for long
According to the NHS, a nursing care Sutton Coldfield always has one or more qualified nurses on duty. That’s the main difference from a residential home.
Why Do Health Conditions Need to Be Looked at Together?
They have an impact on each other. Painkillers can affect blood pressure. If you cannot eat enough food, a diabetes plan may be dangerous. If a hip hurts, it doesn’t get you anywhere. Any single problem is dealt with separately and one slips. A whole-person nurse views the pieces.
Who Looks After Someone With Complex Needs?
There is a team at the centre with a registered nurse.
- Registered nurses: monitor health, provide clinical care and make doctors’ calls as necessary.
- Care assistants: contact with residents the most and will therefore be the first to notice changes.
- GPs and specialists: provide input on treatment and medicines.
- Dietitians, physiotherapists and speech therapists: join in when eating, swallowing or walking gets harder.
Nurses are supported by GPs and counsellors at Marian House and also in conjunction with families; no one is left in the dark.
What Happens When Someone’s Health Changes?
The care plan also changes. A good plan is one that is a work in progress, not a form completed on day one. Tell Mum that she has diabetes and arthritis and she has begun to leave half her dinner. It is said by a care assistant at handover.
The nurse’s weights and blood glucose are checked and the GP is rung. The dietitian switches her food. Her plan is revised and someone calls you on the same day. So long as the team doesn’t talk to each other, none of that works.
Ask any home how often plans are reviewed. To see what an ordinary day looks like, read A Day in Nursing Care at Marian House: What Families Can Expect.
How Should a Home Keep You in the Loop?
You shouldn’t hear about big changes by accident. Look for:
- A call the same day after a fall or a GP visit.
- An invitation to care plan reviews, not a summary afterwards.
- One named person you can ring with questions.
What Should You Ask Before Choosing?
On a visit to any of the care homes Sutton Coldfield has, ask about your relative’s actual needs, not the brochure.
- Registration: Is the home registered for those needs? The CQC regulates care homes and publishes inspection reports
- Nurse cover: who’s on duty at 3 am?
- Hospital stays: what happens before a discharge and after?
- Staff: are the faces familiar or always changing?
More questions are in our 10 questions worth asking when you tour a care home in Sutton Coldfield.
Who Pays for Complex Care?
The NHS says nursing homes usually cost more than residential homes. If someone’s needs are mainly health-related, they may qualify for NHS continuing healthcare, which can cover the cost. Ask the hospital team, GP or council about an assessment early. Our care home fees page explains how fees work at Marian House.
Complex Care at Marian House
As a nursing care home Sutton Coldfield, we care for individuals whose needs may look similar, but everyone wants to get personalised care. Our nurses and carers have experience with dementia, physical disability, recovery from a stroke and palliative car, and sometimes one resident may have more than one of these.
An attempt is made to find out the individual behind the care plan. It could be what they eat for breakfast, who they are waiting for and which Song puts a smile on their face. Families are invited to visit and have a private discussion before purchasing. A short respite stay or longer-term care can be discussed.
Conclusion
A home with complex needs puts a strain on every concerned member. You want nurses that can see the little changes, a team that can speak and a family that can be informed of what’s happening. It is not easy to choose and sometimes seeking assistance does not mean you are being disloyal to those around you. Come more than once, ask lots of questions and believe what you see and feel when you walk in.
Call bells left ringing, strong smells and residents parked in front of the TV all day are the clearest red flags. Rushed staff, constant staff changes and vague answers to your questions are others. So is silence: if nobody tells you about a fall or a change in health, ask why.
Use familiar items: pictures, favorite blanket, their own chair. Limit early visits, and keep them quiet. Inform staff prior to day one of routines, likes and dislikes. Dry days will be in the mix and it’s okay. You can speak to our dementia care team at Marian House about what you can expect.
Visit regularly! Even for twenty minutes! Take pictures, news or a pack of cards, and ask what happened today. Listen! Acknowledge little successes and state them. It’s best to encourage them when they can still do something rather than when they can’t.
The primary concern is staffing. Having too few employees (or changing staff too often) can result in hurried care and unnoticed cues. Inquire about staff tenure, agency visits and night cover.
There is no one correct solution in every case. A study in the UK looked at 305 care homes and the average duration of stay was approximately 2.2 years, with only slightly over a quarter of the residents occupying the care home for more than three years. More people are admitted to nursing homes for shorter periods, as they may have more medical needs when they are admitted.
