When considering specialised care options there are other extra issues to consider:
Do staff regularly interact in a respectful, warm and caring way with residents?
Does the home operate a specialised dementia programme e.g Eden Alternative, Spark of Life etc.?
Is there a collaborative relationship with family e.g. are they involved in making or revising care plans?
Are residents engaged in meaningful activities? How do staff oversee these?
Do staff manage behaviour that bothers them or other residents in a skilled and sensitive way? What do they do if they can’t manage? (There should be a policy to minimise the use of restraint.)
Are staff members qualifications displayed? (Staff should be well qualified and their training ongoing.)
Is there a plan for how the service will manage the person’s changing needs over time?
Is there free and easy access to parts of the building and grounds?
Is the home designed to help residents orientate themselves and decrease anxiety ? e.g. Are there visual cues (e.g. the common symbol of a toilet on toilet door) and few locked doors and ‘dead-ends’?