Moving into a care home can be a big change not just for your loved one, but for the whole family too. It can be daunting packing up everything from a lifetime and move into a new home, especially when leaving fond memories behind. At Belmont Healthcare we want to make moving into one of our care homes as smooth as possible, which is why we’ve put together this brief guide on how you may want to prepare.
While preparing to move into a care home is likely a new experience for many, it can be easy to forget that it is no different to moving house. Just like moving home you should let friends, family, service providers, and healthcare providers members know of your loved one’s new address.
You’ll want to ensure your loved one’s Optician, Dentist and GP have been notified, ensuring all communication with them is forwarded on to their new home. Next, their pension provider and bank will need to be told about the change of address to ensure all financial details are up to date. Finally, one should inform utility advisors such as gas and electric companies, water companies, and any other providers such as phone services, TV and internet.
A lot of essential everyday items will be provided by your new care home, however we always recommend bringing personal items along to help residents settle in.
We recommend your loved one brings:
All Belmont Healthcare care homes provide laundry services so there’s no need to worry about making other arrangements for cleaning clothes.
On top of this list your loved one may wish to bring their own mobility aid, such as a wheelchair, walking frame or rollator. Mobile scooters can also be brought for use outdoors around the grounds or for excursions out of the home.
We encourage residents to personalise their rooms with perhaps a favourite chair or bureau and lots of photographs and pictures to really make the room their home. Cushions, bedspreads and ornaments can also be added to further create the homely feel.
Residents can also bring their own electronic devices such as a TV for their room, a laptop or tablet device and mobile phone. Alternatively all residents can watch live TV, films and sports on our communal TVs in our lounges and cinema rooms or keep in touch with friends and family by using the IT Suite.
Before moving into a Belmont Healthcare Care Home we’ll give your loved one an ‘About Me’ book for them to fill out together with their family. This book will ask questions about their lifestyle, how they like to be addressed, what they enjoy doing, and what they dislike, their favourite and least favourite foods, and so on.
The purpose of this is to give their care team a picture of who they are, ensuring all our residents can continue the lifestyle they are used to.When your loved one arrives at their new home, they will be greeted by a member of the team and helped to settle into their new home in their own time. Many families arrange the room in advance of moving day so that everything is in place and ready for their relative. Families often stay and join their loved one for lunch or dinner to help them to settle in and allow for a period of time where the team, family and resident can start to get to know each other.
While moving into a care home can be a new experience, we work hard to ensure the experience is as natural and easy as possible. To find out more about moving into a Belmont Healthcare care home please select their local home here and get in touch.
Our team is always ready to provide you with the assistance you need, you can call us on
