I would like to thank all of the dementia care homes that responded to my appeal for a dementia care home that could cope with challenging behaviour.  It can be very distressing when you need to find a care home that deals with challenging behaviour, but it is quite common amongst sufferers of dementia.

Therefore, to have received such a response from the 3 star care homes that are listed on best-care-home.co.uk has been wonderful and extremely supportive.  The phone calls and emails have been coming in all day and Managers of homes from all over the country have been sharing their experiences of how they deal with challenging behaviour so that we can work out how best to deal with the enquiry I received at best-care-home.co.uk

We are always willing to help anybody that contacts us to find a care home, however difficult and challenging the behaviour or circumstances.

So a big thank you to the 3 star care homes!

3 star dementia homes

3 star nursing homes

3 star residential homes

A National Care forum survey in January this year confirmed that self funding residents of care homes are not getting the support that they are entitled to from Social Services.

For example, Dorothy, a 96 year old woman who was funding her own care in a residential care home, would have had her deteriorating health picked up far sooner if she had been a social services client.  Social Services claimed that because she funded her own care, she was outside the "positive safeguarding framework" provided for social services clients through the system of assessment and regular care reviews.

Gary Fitzgerald, chief executive of Action on Elder Abuse, echoed the review's concerns about the lack of support for self funders and added that providers should still be conducting an assessment of need and had  a responsibility to pick up safeguarding concerns.

At best-care-home we recognise the minimal information provided by social services for self funders and dedicate our website to helping those who are paying for their own care, by providing information to help you get the best care.

Self funder - what do I do now?

How to find the best care if you are a self funder

The best care awards

The needs of those using domiciliary care must be met and the first need is that of being able to find the best domiciliary care agency.  Over 85% of people, who are still working, search for their information on the internet and this figure may well be higher amongst those who are paying for their own care - 'self funders'.

It makes sense therefore that a domiciliary care agency has an online presence and  presents themselves in the professional way that prospective clients would expect.  At best-care-home.co.uk we only list 3 star care homes and domiciliary care agencies and we provide full information on the services that they offer.  If your domiciliary care agency is not listed with us please get in touch.

The best domiciliary care will be found amongst those agencies that have achieved the highest rating of 3 stars 'Excellent', by the Care Quality Commission.  Unfortunately this rating system is to be phased out and as yet there is no replacement. 

So, at best-care-home we go one step further to help you find the best care homes and the best domiciliary care agencies, we encourage those that use the service to leave personal recommendations giving others the information they might need to choose the best domiciliary care that most suits their needs.  If you would like to leave a personal recommendation about the domiciliary care agency you use, or about a care home that you use please contact us.

Living in a care home shouldn't mean the end of normal life - holidays or weekend breaks don't need to stop just because you live in a care home.  At best-care-home we give you a guide to the issues you should consider and provide details of several companies that offer assistance to elderly or disabled travelers either in the UK or abroad.  With a little planning a holiday can provide a variety of benefits including making new friends and a change of scenery.

If you are a self funder, paying for your own care, you may be used to taking regular holidays and deciding to move into a care home shouldn't stop you from living your normal life.  If you are self funding your own care you may want to discuss your budget for holidays and your care with a specialist care fees adviser who can help you to plan ahead.

The over 65's with money to invest are the 'self funders'  of the future.  They will be paying for their own care when they need it as they will fall outside the criteria for eligibility of Social Services.

The Sunday Times reports today that there is mounting evidence that the banks are selling commission-driven investment products that are totally unsuitable for the elderly and there are a rising number of complaints being upheld about these products, fueling fears of a new mis-selling scandal.  To read the article in full.