What Happens When Your Care Needs Change?

Choosing a care home for someone you love can feel overwhelming. There are so many factors to consider, and you may focus solely on their current care needs. This is necessary to find a care home that is specialised to support their needs.

However, health requirements often develop with age. For some, they will simply need more assistance with mobility and daily tasks, while others may develop entirely new conditions. While you can rest easy knowing that your loved one is living in a medically and socially supportive environment during this transition, health changes will impact the care that they require.

Although it may be years in the future, choosing the right home that will accommodate changing care requirements will make the transition much easier.

Why Do Care Requirements Change?

As we age, it’s natural for our health and care needs to change, whether these changes are physical, cognitive, or psychological. This could include:

• Reduced mobility.
• Developing/worsening dementia.
• Increased frailty.
• Parkinson’s disease progressing over time.
• Stroke recovery.
• Vision/hearing loss.
• Increased falls.
• Requiring assistance with medication management.
• Requiring more assistance with personal care.

While everyone’s experience is different, gradual changes in health are a normal part of ageing. This can make it more difficult to manage and decide when higher care levels are required.

How To Choose a Care Home That Can Adapt

If you are currently looking to move your loved one into a care home, do not just consider their current needs. When speaking with the care home, ask these questions to help you gauge their adaptability as health changes:

• Does the home offer both residential and nursing care?
• Does the home offer dementia care?
• Can residents remain in the same room when changing care types?
• How often are the care plans reviewed?
• How do you involve family members in changes to their care?
• Does the home work alongside GPs, physical therapists and other healthcare professionals?

Moving to a different care home can be very unsettling, especially for someone dealing with dementia and other worsening conditions. Where possible, choosing a provider capable of meeting future needs may reduce the likelihood of another move later.

Signs That Someone Requires More Care

Shifts in health are not all as obvious as each other. When dealing with worsening health conditions, there are a range of physical, cognitive, and emotional changes that can appear. Although they range in obviousness, being aware of these signs will allow you to catch worsening conditions and act upon changes to their care.

Physical changes

• Increased falls.
• Struggling to walk.
• Losing weight.
• Difficulty managing medication.
• Requiring more assistance to dress and bathe.
• Requiring more assistance to eat.

Cognitive changes

• Increased confusion.
• Wandering.
• Difficulty recognising people.
• Memory deterioration.
• Changes in general behaviour.

Emotional changes

• Anxiety.
• Depression.
• Social withdrawal.
• Loss of confidence.

As care staff spend time with residents every day, they’re often the first to notice subtle changes in mobility, appetite, mood or behaviour.

How Are Care Plans Reviewed?

Care plans should be regularly reviewed and changed to ensure a resident is receiving the care they require. At Mulberry, we personalise care plans to each resident. We work closely with residents and their families to ensure it reflects changing needs while continuing to respect personal preferences, routines and independence. This can be:

• Daily observations.
• Regular assessments.
• GP reviews.
• Regular conversations with family members.

By reviewing care plans in this way, we ensure that each resident is receiving support that reflects their current needs.

When a care plan is updated, this usually results in increased assistance with mobility and medication support. While personal care assistance increases gradually for most residents, a change in care plan could introduce condition-specific care and specialist equipment.

Will the Care Home Fees Increase?

Care home fees generally reflect the level of care and support a resident receives. This means that care fees can increase if more one-to-one care is needed. Specialist support or equipment may also increase fees.

If your loved one needs to transition from residential care to nursing care, some care homes charge a flat rate, whereas others may charge more. Every provider structures fees differently, so it’s always worth asking how changes in care are assessed and communicated. Be aware of any differences in fees for care types when choosing your care home initially.

When visiting a care home, you should enquire about how fees can change. Ask them:

• What fee increases are related to changing care?
• What fee increases are related to inflation?
• How often are fees reviewed?
• How are families consulted beforehand, and is there a written notice?

If you are concerned about changing fees, remember there is a range of funding available from Attendance Allowance and NHS funding to Local Authority funding.

Planning Ahead

No one can predict exactly how someone’s health will change over time. Choosing a care home that reviews care regularly, communicates openly with families and can adapt as needs evolve can provide reassurance for everyone involved.

If you’re comparing care homes, don’t hesitate to ask how they support residents whose care requirements change. The answers can help you feel confident that your loved one will continue receiving the right care, both now and in the future.