One of the toughest decisions we’ll ever make is deciding on an aged care home; it takes a lot of trust and faith to place the health and wellbeing of a loved one in the hands of other people. If we know what to look for, if we know what it is that makes a good aged care home, then we can reassure ourselves that we’re making the right decision.

Of course, looking after the elderly is a specialised field that relies upon the right training and long experience. Having done it for over sixty years, we at BASScare have a unique insight into this area. Here’s what we believe makes a good aged care home.

Firstly, what is residential aged care?

Residential aged care is designed for those who can no longer live on their own. It provides accommodation and personal care every hour of the day and night, with access to nursing and other health services. That’s the basic gist. This broad definition, however, leaves room for much interpretation, and you’ll find many different types of residential aged care in existence.

In this blog, you’ll learn what we at BASScare believe a good aged care home looks like, and how we’ve created it at Faversham House.

A residential aged care community

We all want to live in our homes for as long as possible. Unfortunately, for most of us, there comes a day when that’s no longer possible. One of the most common reasons people make the transition to an aged care facility is a lack of mobility; they’re simply no longer able to go out and about on their own.

If somebody isn’t as free to move about in their community as they once were, then the community needs to be brought to them. An aged care home shouldn’t just be a collection of rooms containing a bed, TV and bathroom; it should be, in essence, a microcosm of the entire area in which we live.

Shops, green areas, gardens, restaurants, bus stops, mini golf, perhaps a racing track. We’re not being tongue-in-cheek – this is truly what we believe aged care homes should look like, and it’s what we’ve created at Faversham House. Yes, there’s a bus stop and mini golf. And a race track.

Fostering continuity and spontaneity

Aged care facilities need to embrace continuity. They should in some way feel familiar to new residents and reflect the community they were once freely able to move around in. They should also encourage spontaneity. We don’t want residents sitting in the one arm chair all day long, staring forlornly out the window. This is an image our industry is striving to shake off. Residents should have choices; perhaps a walk in the garden this morning, followed with tea by the fireplace this afternoon. Maybe a spot of golf and some car racing with the grand kids tomorrow.

Too many aged care homes seek only to do for residents what they can’t do for themselves. At Faversham, we focus on empowering those we care for so they can maintain dignity, independence and control. Creating a community instead of a facility is just one way we achieve this.

Staff to resident ratio

This, understandably, is a critical concern of many people deciding on which aged care facility to become a part of. It’s one of the first questions we receive from potential clients, as it should be. No matter the facilities an aged care home boasts, the quality of care always comes down to the type and number of health professionals on the floor.

A good aged care home aims to provide the highest level of care and a safe working environment for their staff – 24 hours a day. To this end, we only employ staff that are highly skilled and experienced, who are able to respond to the changing needs of our clients. Each of our six units is run by an in-charge Manager, and a registered Division One nurse is in attendance at all times, supported by a team of Division Two nurses and personal care attendants.

Our level of care is rare in the aged care industry and something we’re proud of.

A good aged care home changes with you

Joining a new community is not an easy transition; there’s always an accompanying level of stress and anxiety. As we get older, our requirements change. If every time our needs became greater we had to move to a new community, the stress would be almost too much to bear.

The best aged care homes incorporate different levels of care within their service. What this means is that the facility changes with the resident so that the resident doesn’t have to go elsewhere for a higher level of care.  They will be surrounded by the same staff, have access to the same facilities and will still be able to socialise with the same friends they’ve made since first moving in.

Take a tour

Now that you’ve learned what we think a good aged care home should look like, it’s time to find out if you agree. The best way to do this is to give us a call, have a tour and a chat, and see Faversham House for yourself. Aged care is personal; we all have our own ideas, needs and desires. We’re confident that Faversham House captures everything you think a good aged care home should be.