Adult Residential Care

[roseblossom75]

I don't know why but I am finding this very daunting and would love to hear from others who have experience of these Homes either through work or personal circumstances.

I never imagined I would have to do this and it's absolutely breaking my heart.
I think it's partly fear of the unknown.

I have worked with elderly in residential care, but I just never thought I would ever have to place my vulnerable 19 year old son in one.
He needs constant round the clock care/ supervision and is on a staff ratio of 1/1 and 2/1 when out in the community.
He is a gentle young man but has absolutely no sense of danger (he doesn't know where the pavement ends and the road begins or the difference between a swimming pool and a lake).
He has the mind of a baby and no speech at all. He doesn't understand spoken language either.

I would love nothing more than to care for him myself but my youngest child of the four (aged 7) has a different unrelated disability and he too requires my constant care and attention.

I have looked around this residential Home (it's actually supported living but he will have the 1/1 level of care he needs) and it seems lovely but I still feel uneasy and heartbroken and guilt ridden.

An insight into what to expect would really help me.

My son went into residential care at 14. He also has very little awareness and no speech. I was very upset at the time but no longer coping at all and close to breakdown.

It was the best thing I ever could have done for him. The carers are amazing. He gets taken to a disco, weekly, with other adults with additional needs. He gets taken swimming. They've got him eating food he'd never touch at home and they have the patience and understanding to teach him new skills.

He is so happy.

My son is only 11 and still living at home at the moment but we hope he will be living in supported living in his late teens. I think he can have a much fuller life than if he lives with us as an adult although I know it will be hard letting him go. We also want to do it whilst we are young enough to fight for the right placement and support.

The organisation I work for runs a lot of residential homes for adults with LD and many of my colleagues started their careers there.

I never fail to be impressed by the compassion and commitment of the staff who work in them, but I have also met a few people who have worked in establishments run by a national charity, were the staff were badly treated and utterly demoralised, and the standard of care was shocking.

I'd start by looking at reports of CQC inspections, and only consider those with a good or outstanding in all areas. Then visit: you will be able to judge a lot from the atmosphere and attitude of staff, and check basic things like cleanliness (of both premises and residents), whether or not the buildings/equipment/furnishings are well maintained, safety equipment is in place and ask questions about things like staff training, esp in dealing with challenging behaviour, how many staff and what grades are on shift at any time, including over night, how quickly they can call in bank staff if a worker is ill) how many medication-trained staff are on shift at once (a friend was on shift overnight without any medication-trained staff because someone had called in sick, a resident had a seizure and she had to call an ambulance because she hadn't been trained in administering midazolam, then no-one could go to hospital with the resident because there were only 2 on shift).

You'll soon get a feel for which places have a real commitment to caring for people with compassion and dignity.