Some, but not all, residential care homes can cope with people who are incontinent. And, although they will provide help for residents who fall ill, they can't usually give long term, full nursing care. Residential care homes are run either by local authority social services departments, individuals or companies on a commercial basis or voluntary groups. These are for people who also need skilled nursing care, and cannot be cared for in the community by their GP or district nurses. Qualified nursing staff are available 24 hours a day.
Some homes can offer both types of care.
The main advantage of these is that you won't have to move if your nursing needs increase. Care Homes Homes of all types vary in what they offer and it is important to be clear abuut what level of care is included in the fees, how they could increase and what services may be extra. This is because if you need help with the fees later on, the local authority can do so only if it has assessed you, or your relative, as needing residential or nursing care, Although you may be able to get reassessed, it's better to get it done sooner rather than later. And by contacting the local authority before you move, you can get an idea of how much financial help you could get which could affect your choice of care home. If you're in hospital and need continuing medical care which the hospital cannot provide, the District Health Authority can arrange placement in a nursing home.