Labelling things for care home

[CareHomeQuestions]

MIL is moving into residential care soon, and I've offered to help label things. I'm pretty good at labelling my children's things for cub camps etc: but this is different.

Any tips / products / tools / techniques / dos & don'ts / good ideas are really welcome, please. What are the things I haven't thought of?

Don't forget to label shoes and slippers too. We used the stickers that you can buy for kids school shoes. I even labelled DMIL knickers and socks. I just figured that if she didn't have dementia, she would have been revolted at the thought of wearing someone else's knickers.

We also use the Stickins stickers. Have used them for years for the kids. We stick them on everything clothes, shoes, TV remote control, ornaments, the plastic box she keeps her mint humbugs in.

www.stikins.co.uk

I dont work for them, I just think they're really handy.

My fathers care home was pretty good but they definitely did get washing mixed up. I also took his own bedding but so often he had other bedding on his bed. Another daughter of a resident on my dads floor had a washing basket in her mums room and she would do her mums washing herself - I just didn't have ability to carry loads of washing back and forth. I got a dymo label maker - they do laundry labels too but though they would have been ok in normal washes as a pp said they use a much higher temp in care homes and they definitely DO mix batches of clothes by floor at my dads Carehome.
As for other items we were encouraged to bring familiar things but I would go in to his room and realise his carriage clock was missing or his old biscuit tin. Invariably another resident had also recognised them as a familiar object and taken them. This was a pretty regular occurrence snd despite all my labels and photographing we still lost things.

I would advise to label everything with her full name, because often people can have the same initials, surnames etc and that can lead to confusion, especially as styles are often really similar and some things like hearing aids, glasses and socks are all a similar size regardless of who they belong to and similar styles.
But maybe check with the home first as I've worked places that labelled by room number as all the rooms were equally accessible and with exactly the same facilities so there was never any need for someone to move out of the room they moved into unless they wanted to.

Also as others have pointed out, plenty of clothes and ensure they are a good fit, easy to put on and take off/use the loo and comfortable, having easier clothes to put on and take off can help maintain independence for longer, so elastic waistband instead of zips and buttons for example, or slide on shoes instead of lace up, a couple of pairs of slippers, a couple of dressing gowns or robes to wash against each other.

And if you're taking her TV label that, and the remote and provide some instructions on how it works and how to tune it in etc, I've spent a fair few night shifts (as we had more time) with someone's TV in the dining room googling how to get it to work and tune it in because it needed doing after they moved in but staff are just too busy especially during the day to spend time doing it.

One place I did a few bank shifts had care home towels, that all the residents used, and another had personal towels that if they were labelled were returned to the resident.
If it is a place with individuals own towels, maybe make sure all hers are the same colour, and if she was buying new ones, I would pick a weird and vivid colour. Because everyone knew the neon yellow towels belonged to Mr P in room 4 and the green and purple stripey ones were Ms S in room 9, but a load of white or grey ones could be anyones so they end up shared.

Same for things like knickers and socks, labels are easily washed out of small items of clothing and plain white briefs could belong to anyone. But if Mrs T only has big red knickers she will always be given back her big red knickers.

I wouldn't do it for stuff that is seen, like there is no need to buy her weird and destinctive trousers and she most likely wouldnt want them, but underclothes are fine

That's really good advice @Sandysandwich. Thank you.

If you'll be taking her out places once she's moved in, then keep a permanent Sharpie in your handbag in case you/she buys something on a trip out that she wants to take back in with her straight away. You can always use your normal labelling method on the next visit.