Moving my Uncle in to a residential care hone next t week, any tips?

[KatyMac]

I find out tomorrow if its in the dementia care or residential care (different floors)

Any hints or tips?

Label everything - glasses, walking aids and hearing aids more so than clothes. You can get labels for glasses frames that shrink on with a hairdrier. It's nice to personalise their room with something from home - pictures, photos (also all labelled)

Ask the staff what you need to know, it's their job and they do it week in, week out but it's all new for you. They may hold a resident's account that needs funding for things like haircuts and chiropody or they may just add it to the bill. It's a strange new world for you and the more you know the easier it will be for you.

If he still reads maybe a good daylight reading lamp.

Check with the staff about what he needs - my mum doesn't need toiletries or towels for instance.

When it comes to labelling I was told not to bother - they would label everything and keep an inventory of what she had.

Check what he can have from home to personalise his room - my mum has her own duvet cover, pictures and photos on the wall and a couple of lamps.

Definitely label absolutely everything. If it’s a dementia unit things get picked up and moved by other residents and can go missing. Photo albums are great to look at together when visiting. Also things to personalise his room as other posters have said. Hope your uncle settles in quickly.

Thanks, I will ask the staff

He plays the keyboard so I think headphones will be vital....several pairs!!

& chess!

Oh god I'm a bit nervous

If you can write up a list of info about him… they will probably ask about likes/ dislikes food/ drink ie tea or coffee/ sugar etc, but background info, where he lived, family, what he did, interests, stuff the staff can chat to him about.

Label his dentures if he has them

@Underscore21 ew!

I suppose I know quite a lot about him although initially I thought I knew nothing

Something that would give you a framework - because that's what it's meant for - is the "This is me" leaflet from the Alzheimer's Society.

Having to put name labels in clothes is something we didn’t expect.
Also, she said she was cold so we bought her a fleece for her knees. And labelled it !

Labels bought! & family tree being written

Thanks