Has anyone worked in an old people's home? (Or visited one)

[myhouseistoocold]

I'm writing a novel set in an old people's home (unpublished writer so very unlikely to be seen on the shelves at Waterstones but you never know!)

Can anyone tell me how many staff are needed in a old people's home and what the ratio is of staff to residents? Also, what type of staff, I'm imagining catering staff, cleaners, care assistants, a manager or managers (how many?), anyone else?

And does anyone have any stories for inspiration? (As long as you don't mind me putting them in my novel or using them as a basis for other stories).

The home I'm inventing is a bit grim, but my imaginary residents are lovely and full of spark and sparkle, so any horror or funny or touching stories welcome.

Is it a Nursing home or a Residential home, or just Assisted living? The staff ratios get higher as the needs increase.

Gardeners and maintenance people, plus visiting doctors/medical staff. Visiting hairdresser/chiropodist/entertainment.

not sure about homes for the elderly, but a normal care home will have very low staff levels. the care home I go to has a manager, deputy manager and then a financial person(they book transport and stuff like that as well)I do know they have 3 night staff.. and about 36 residents.

The school where I volunteer has a "relationship" with a local old folks' home, and different classes visit every month. I went as a helper on the last trip, and the Year 2s performed a couple of songs, and the Year 5s brought in their geography models, and history books, to discuss with the residents. The person who seemed to be in charge wore a name badge saying Entertainments Manager, so I guess is in charge of an overall programme of activities. I remember ex's grandmother being in a home, and I know they did days trips (I remember lunch at a garden centre being one of them), and had bingo and quiz nights.

You might want to add a district nurse in to the mix. Calling every day to administer insulin or to dress multiple skin tears and carry out pressure area checks 😏

Hi, op. Really interesting idea for a novel, and I do wish you luck with it, but the contact I have had with nursing homes has left me feeling very cynical about them and the kind of care they purport to offer the elderly.

I'm afraid that by the time most people get to a care home there isn't much spark or sparkle left in them and if there is, it soon gets extinguished by the reality of care home life which is nothing like the glossy brochure depictions.

Even the homes with beautiful surroundings are woefully understaffed. I don't know whether there is a minimum staff ratio prescribed by regulations, like there would be in a nursery, for example. If there is, then all I can say is it needs to be doubled, at least!

I could give you lots of anecdotes about my late Mother's and my Fil's experiences in care homes, but they would be unremittingly depressing and sad. And that is with engaged, involved families who were/are 'on the case'.

I'm afraid I have no doubt that many current residents of homes will be feeling themselves abandoned in some kind of hell. I think you are going to have to have some 'on the ball' relatives to hand, if your sparky residents are to retain their joie-de-vivre!

Sorry if this has been a bit of a rant! Wishing you every success with the novel . A care home setting will certainly be very pertinent, given the crisis in social care and people's worries about financing their future when they can no longer care for themselves.

In my life so far I have ended up in OPH as a respite case (Im now early 40s so not their usual demographic),

I can tell you about 1 nurse of the whole floor for the dementia unit (where I was cos that's where the room was available in both cases) with 2/3 care assistants for the day. The night staff was 1 nurse/ 1 carer.

Some went to the day room during the day and basically sat in front of a telly blaring out, mealtimes they were mainly wheeled in their armchairs to the dining room and fed as needed.

The care assistants also had timers on their person, that was to remind whoever was holding the timer to go and change the wash loads to the dryer / start a new load. The carers had responsibility for folding clothes and returning them to residents wardrobes.

I could have a shower or bath pending carers being available to pop in and out.

A cleaner was in during the day and the kitchen had a cook who would do meals as requested between 8-6. The manager, deputy manager and office manager all had offices downstairs and GPs visited when possible.

That was the better of the 2 care homes I was in. It was privately run. I was also given the wifi codes from the office wifi as they knew I was an avid internetter.

Still despite all this was short staffed and the staff never got a chance to sit down, they literally wrote their notes standing up between bells. There were 20 patients on the unit.

The other despite pressing buzzer when needed during the night and letting it go for over 10 mins (I know they could have been with someone else) but could hear them chatting and laughing down the corridor, to get someone to remove the man from the bed who thought I was his wife and was starkers, I ended up having to ring the outside line to go thru to nurses station before anyone came and then was told why didn't I press the buzzer. I had the buzzer pulled out and it had been going for over 10 mins.

The catering was done by a care assistant who was ushered into the kitchen to cook for the day. Don't ask for anything cos you wouldn't get it. The cooked breakfast was funny as even tho they asked if you wanted it, want doesnt always get as often ran out of stuff so the option was tea and toast or cereal. They also forgot about me several times as I was sleeping so missed medication and meals. It's safe to wake me up but cos I slept till after 9pm on one of those occasions from approx 1.30pm, it was my own fault I missed meals and meds.

The condition which was severe was affecting me and causing severe fatigue so sleep was a consequence. Nothing could be offered as the kitchen was locked.

I was forced to have a shower despite protesting loudly that I didn't want one (it had been about 36 hours since previous one) but "everyone" has a shower on Mondays - whether they like it or not. I was hoisted onto the commode and undressed, wrapped in a sheet and taken to the shower, back into the sheet and back to the room, dried and redressed.

I got told off for sitting on one of the low windowsills as I made the place look untidy, it was either rest there or hit the ground and so I went for less pain sitting on a windowsill.

The day staff was 1 nurse with 2 carers covering 2 corridors so about 40 rooms. The night staff was 1 nurse / 1 carer covering the same area.

Despite less staff and a bigger area to cover, the staff sat around the desk chatting quite a bit of the time in the second.

I had to argue to let me close my bedroom door for privacy (and also cos of the man who thought I was his wife) and other wanderers into my room. The room door was consistently left open and I was told it was the best way as then I wasnt shutting myself off,

The other place I could close it when I wanted for as much as I wanted for my own privacy and if someone needed to come in, knock knock and close it again on way out.

Both NH had activity therapists who ran groups doing crafts, went out and did shopping for residents etc. Organised visits from local schools to entertain and put on shows.

The first description is from a private family run nursing home and the second is from a national chain which has many NH.

So any questions if you want to pm me

I've never worked in one but my mum did back in the early 90's. After my parents separated my mum didn't have much childcare so would sometimes take DSis and I, and we would sleep in a spare room while she did night shift (wouldn't be allowed today, but they were desperate enough for staff that they went along with it).

I remember one lady who in her day had worked in some type of finishing school, she would spend hours trying to teach me correct elecution. Looking back I think she must have had alsimers or similar, and seeing children focused her mind on that time of her life, but at the time I had no idea. I was 5 or 6 and had been told that I must be on my best behaviour, so I just did as I was told as she was an adult.

I used to manage a chain of care homes. However do you mean residential or Nursing or Extracare. They differ in terms of staffing requirements.

Not sure I want to contribute to another negative stereotype of a sector already struggling. If you are going to write about this sector negatively at least have the decency to work in one or gain some real life extand not rely on heresay!!

I’m a social worker for older people and I spend a lot of my time in care and nursing homes...

Ratio wise, less for residential, more for nursing, but I’d like to see around 4:1 (probably unrealistic 😂).

I have some great stories of sparky residents, but I’m not allowed to tell you them 😂.

In terms of staff make up:
Manager
Deputy
Senior carer
Carers/HCAs
Activities coordinator
Visiting physio
Social worker
CQC (governing body)
Chiropodist
Hairdresser

You could contact one of your local homes and ask whether you could do some befriending for a few days/volunteering and then you could get to know some of the residents and their stories first hand

Thank you all so so much, your posts are very helpful and helping me build up a picture.

Mooey89 I was thinking of doing that befriending / volunteering, there's a home very near to me, though I feel a bit shy I think I should push myself as hopefully the residents would enjoy the extra company.

My mum has been in a home a few times for respite care but she finds it difficult to tell me the details.

Decormad38 I'll have to look into the different types you mention, I wasn't aware of those different types so will do my research and find out the difference. I hadn't thought about reinforcing stereotypes so will give that some serious consideration. I do want to be sensitive to any potential readers who have worked or lived in or had love ones live in these places. I suppose like any institution there are wonderful ones and terrible ones and I'd imagine that behind the scenes a lot of people working very hard with a lot of budget cuts etc.

smurfy2015 your long post was very interesting to me, thank you.

So many interesting points and experiences, thank you.

My 95 year old nan recently passed away while in a nursing home. 2 anecdotes the staff told me were

1: she saw a member of staff going out for a smoke break and asked if she could come with her for a cigarette. To my knowledge my nan has never smoked!

2: she gatecrashed a fellow resident's 100th birthday party. When the staff went in to take her out she was the life of the party, champagne in hand and the family member hosting asked if she could stay as everyone loved her ❤️

Sounds like a great idea for a book, do let us know if you publish it

My gran was in one last year until she passed away. We would bring her in all her favourite food and sherry, with the home's blessing. There were two young guys who brought her meals and made her comfortable (one was a nurse I think, the other was from the kitchen). They reminded me of the guys from "people just do nothing", a bit gangster wannabe (rural village!) but lovely. visiting toddlers and babies were welcomed by the more able residents, lots of chatting and waving.

Visitors were welcome whatever time of day. It seemed like a good one. I think my gran got a certain number of weeks there on the NHS after discharge from hospital but then paid for the rest which was pricey. The manager and admin staff were located on the ground floor, with a tiger trap door and signing in sheets for staff and visitors. There was a lot of art work on the walls, by the residents plus local school children to the residents. There was a communal lounge with papers and board games (which I never saw used) and a small garden area.

That's a lot, sorry, hope it's semi useful!

I worked in one, at the time to get care experience for a nursing degree. I didn't apply after working in one! But it was a valuable experience nonetheless.

I worked for an upmarket small chain... home was lovely, residents had own furniture and all rooms ensuite. Massive variation in residents from the bed bound, to the ones who'd had staff their entire lives and wanted waiting on hand foot and finger. Good food, visitors welcomed all hours. It was also back breaking work and long long hours. I had one day where I did 14 hours and was almost physically sick on the way home, I was so exhausted.

I'd honestly say volunteer in one to get a better perspective. For each resident that gets visitors every day, there are at least 2 who have none from one month to another. I used to go in on my days off sometimes to sit and read a book with someone that I knew was lonely.