Are you looking for the right care solution for a loved one? If so, you’ll be weighing up home care vs nursing home to help you make the best decision.
The blog will help you understand the key differences between home care and care homes, how they compare in key considerations such as cost and living arrangements, and it will give you a better understanding on the benefits of both options.
Once you’ve reached the end, you’ll have a good idea of which one is the best fit for your relative.
What is Home Care and what is a Care Home?
Home care covers services provided in a client’s own home to help them with daily activities. These can range from help with morning and bedtime routines to accompanying them to appointments.
Home care is flexible and customisable, based on individual needs. You can read about it in more detail in our post What is domiciliary care and how can it help a loved one?
By comparison, a care home (or nursing home) provides both accommodation and care services under one roof. This makes them suitable for people who need round-the-clock support.
Care homes may be less flexible than home care but still provide a valuable service, especially for people living with dementia or complex needs.
What are the main differences between Home Care and Nursing Homes?
When you start comparing options for a nursing home or home care, you will notice some key differences.
As we have already discovered, home care services are more flexible than nursing homes, while nursing homes can cater for more complex needs.
Here are some other differences to consider when weighing up the options of a nursing home or home care.
Cost
It’s hard to allocate an exact cost for each option, as every case is different. But generally speaking, home care services are more affordable than care home fees.
You also have more scope to buy extra or fewer services as your loved one’s needs change with home care services.
Learn more about paying for care on the Age UK website.
Living arrangements
With home care services, your loved one does not need to change their living arrangements. The aim is to support them in their own environment.
A care home becomes your loved one’s new home. They will need to adapt to their new surroundings once they move in.
Care needs
Both home care and care homes offer a spectrum of services to support individual care needs.
Home care services are far-ranging, including regular home care, specialised dementia care and mental health care.
While both options offer variety, care homes are more suited to people with more complex support needs who would find it difficult to remain at home.
Types of support offered
Home care provides a range of different types of services, which include:
Personal care: Help with everyday tasks
Companion care: Emotional support and companionship
Live-in care: 24/7 support in the client’s home
Dementia care: Specialist care to support this condition
Mental health care: Supporting a range of conditions
Respite care: Allows family carers to have a break
Learn more about the different types in our post Understand the types of home care services available and which one is the right fit.
All these services can be provided in nursing homes too, which can also offer more specialised nursing care.
Support staff
Carers working in both care homes and in clients’ own homes are trained to provide a range of services.
The main difference between home care vs care home is that care homes have staff on duty 24/7. Unless you choose a live-in option for home care, carers will not be available round the clock.
The benefits of Home Care
There are lots of reasons to choose home care:
Stay in their own home: Home care supports your relative to stay in their own environment.
Flexibility: You can change the type and level of care your relative needs.
One-to-one support: Your loved one’s carer will focus on them alone.
Emotional support: A home carer can provide valuable emotional support.
Maintain a social life: Your loved one can continue going out to meet friends with the support of a home carer.
The benefits of a Care Home
A care home offers many benefits too:
Always connected: Living in a care home means your loved one always has people around them to connect with.
24/7 care: A care home provides 24/7 care for all its residents.
Suitable environment: If your loved one’s home is no longer safe or comfortable for them, a care home is a good option.
Activities: Many care homes offer their residents activities to improve their quality of life.
If you are looking for a care home for a relative with dementia, consider Bramble House. Our sister company provides person-centred care in our family-owned care home designed around the needs of our residents.
Home Care vs Nursing Home: Which one is best for my relative?
There is a lot to consider when deciding whether to opt for home care or nursing home for your loved one.
Home care offers flexible, personalised services in your relative’s own home. This is ideal if they want to stay at home or adapt their package if their needs change.
Nursing homes provide round-the-clock care, with staff always on hand to help. The activities they offer can be attractive too.
Ultimately, the decision rests with you and your loved one. You know them best, so use the information you have learnt in this article to make the most appropriate choice for them.
Learn more about arranging care on the Age UK website.
Why Bramble Home Care?
If you're looking for an experienced and reliable home care agency serving Gloucestershire, make Bramble Home Care your first choice.
When you entrust your loved one’s care to us, you can be assured that you’ve made the right decision.
Bramble Home Care has been providing services such as Home Care and Specialist Dementia Care and Mental Health Home Care since 2010.
Our carers have been trained to the highest standard in home care to ensure they have the right expertise to look after your loved one. What’s more, our approach to each of our clients is unique, with care tailored to their needs
Reach out to know more about our Home Care services
If you’d like to discuss how our Home Care services could help your relative, please contact our friendly team.
You can book a home care consultation to take place in your or your loved one’s home at a time that suits you.
Or choose another way to contact us:
Call us on 01684 217040
Email us at enquiries@bramblehomecare.co.uk