How to make a care plan
Once you’ve explored what your thoughts are on how you might be cared for in future (see the FAQs for help) it’s a really good idea to create a care plan that can be shared with others. It’s best to do this with the help of a loved one and you’ll need to provide the name of someone who will be your key carer, so have a think about who that should be.
Easy ways to start care planning
You can download our Care Plan Toolkit here to help you get started.
You can also get face-to-face help with creating a care plan, but who provides that help depends on what part of the country you live in. Your GP might be a good place to start. You can also find more information about creating a care plan here.
Care planning help
When you start planning your care you might find yourself with more questions, including queries about funding and other support. Here’s where to find further help:
Care planning useful contacts
Age UK – 0800 678 1602
Independent Age – 0800 319 6789
Dementia UK Helpline – 0800 888 6678
HousingCare.org – for looking up local services, including care homes and home services
Carers UK https://www.carersuk.org/
Alzheimer’s Society https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-support or call 0333 150 3456
The Family Rights Group 0808 801 0366
Making an Advance Care Plan
It might also be a good idea to think ahead to making an Advance Care Plan so there’s a record of what you’d like to happen as your dementia progresses.
You can find more information about making an Advance Care Plan and a handy template for making one on the DementiaNet Planner here.
What are your care options?
Many people with a dementia diagnosis wish to stay in their own home for as long as possible. If that’s you, there are many things you can do right now to help you remain as independent as possible for as long as it’s safe. You’ll find helpful tips here
You can plan ahead for future changes, though. Start by looking at The Elderly Accommodation Counsel whose website has an app called HOOP that can help take you through the steps of assessing your current home situation and how you live in it and what considerations you might have for the future.
What would you like your future care to look like?
Here are the main options for you to think about in terms of future care:
remaining in your home, being cared by a loved one
remaining in your home with carers coming in to help you (or care being provided by a blend of loved ones and paid-for carers)
moving in with family or other trusted care-givers
moving to a residential care setting
Help with money and care
When the time comes for you to seek extra help a care needs assessment can be done. You can find out more about this at your local council’s Adult Social Services department. Age UK has lots of information about how to do this here.
You might get NHS funding to pay for some of your care. Check out Dementia UK’s advice on this here.
Care at home
There may come a time when you need a bit of help with tasks like getting dressed and cleaning. That’s when home care services can help. This is when you have carers coming into your home regularly to help you out and ensure you’re safe, secure and happy.
If you’d like to access care at home help the first step is to get a care needs assessment and you can find out more about getting one here.
When you have a care needs assessment, it’s important that you’re honest about the things you struggle with – even if it seems like a small thing, like turning the taps on and off. Ask someone to be there with you when the assessment is happening.
If the assessment finds you need care help, you will most probably have to pay something towards it if you have savings. You can find out more about how this is calculated here.
You can find out more about paying for care on Alzheimer’s Society website here.
If after having a care needs assessment if it’s decided that you don’t need care help, your local authority should still provide information about how you can access other kinds of help. If this doesn’t happen, ask.
Organising care yourself
If you prefer, you can organise your own home care. If you qualify for financial help from your local authority, they can help with the cost of meeting your needs, as stated in your care plan. Usually this means they make a regular payment to you (or a trusted loved one) and you can then use that money to arrange your own care.
You can find out a bit more about this on the Age UK website here and they have factsheets, including Getting Help At Home.
If you need help with ad hoc jobs, like gardening? Try Age UK or the Royal Voluntary Service or local befriending services run by organisations like hospices.
What to look for in a care provider
When you’re looking for a care provider, it’s important to ask questions and do your research. Consider the following:
If you’re looking to use a private care agency is it registered with the Care Quality Commission and subject to their standards, assessments and regulations? Check by searching here
Is it clear up front what you will be charged for? How long will carers stay for? What tasks are they able to help with – which are they unable to deal with?
Will you be introduced to the staff looking after you? How will staff be sure to treat you with dignity and respect?
Will staff have had the relevant background checks and training? How can the agency reassure you that you will be kept safe with your wellbeing front and centre of the care they provide?
Will there be consistency of care? What will happen if a carer is on holiday or off sick? How much notice will you or your loved ones get of a change of staff?
How are staff selected? What qualities do agency owners look for in a carer?
How will staff know what food and drink you like and what medication you take? Are they trained to give medicines?
How do staff communicate? How will other care-givers know what care has been given… and when?
You can find out more about choosing good quality care providers on the Care Quality Commission website here
Care home considerations
If your needs change you might want to think about moving to a residential care setting, or care home.
Some people living with dementia don’t like to think about how their condition will progress, but it might be worth visiting a few care homes now, so you can get a feel for what they’re like, whether you think you’d be happy living in one or just so you can weigh up all your options, armed with knowledge rather than making choices based on assumptions.
There’s a lot to consider, including location (how easy will it be for loved ones to visit?), environment/feel of the care home, accessibility (how easy is it to move about with walking aids, for example), food and activities provided.
Here’s how to start:
Make a list of the care homes you might consider
Think about the ones you’ve heard good reports about from others and ask your local social services for a list. You can also get a list from The Elderly Accommodation Counsel
Go visit
Make an appointment to go and look around. Take a trusted friend or family member and a list of questions you’d like answered. It might be useful to ask someone you trust to drop in for an impromptu visit to check things out and get a sense of how secure the care home is and how happy residents seem.
Do online research
Care homes are inspected by the Care Quality Commission so check out their reports here. Most care homes have a Facebook page so have a look to see what kind of activities are going on. If you’re not very tech savvy, ask for help with this.
Ask for personal recommendations
Ask friends and loved ones for their feedback on experiences with care homes in your area – word of mouth recommendations and personal feedback are invaluable.
For further information, Age UK have a handy care home checklist that you can download here