Residential care

Here you can find information on finding a suitable residential care and advice on paying for care.

A explanation of Residential care

Residential care is for people who cannot continue living in their own home, even with support from home care services. It is possible to stay in residential care for a short time (known as respite care), over a longer period or permanently. Residential care means staying in a comfortable furnished room (in some places it is possible to bring furniture from home) and staff are usually available 24 hours a day.
A residential care home normally provides accommodation, meals, and personal care. Personal care can include such things as assistance in getting up or going to bed, eating, washing, dressing, and using the toilet.

However, if you feel you can continue to live in your own home with support from home care services, but the home environment is proving difficult for you, (for example there are too many stairs, your home is damp or difficult to heat, you feel unsafe or isolated, or it is too far away from the services you need, etc) then moving to extra care housing may be a better option for you. Extra care housing  means still having the privacy of your own self contained home. Staff are still usually available 24 hours a day to assist you with personal care, etc as set out in your own personal support plan, and there is usually a cooked midday meal available in the communal dining room if you choose.

Relatives & Residents Association (Essex)
This is a new initiative which aims to provide information and support to older people and their families and friends on matters relating to residential care and the alternatives to it.

Information on Extra care housing

Extra care housing  (PDF)
Good quality, affordable accommodation with communal facilities and around-the-clock on site support available to meet your care needs for the 55+ age group. Your own home for life, helping you to maintain your independence and allowing you choice of and control over your day-to-day living.         

Finding a care home

Choosing the right care home  (PDF)
A leaflet produced by Action on Elder Abuse. It provides some practical steps you can follow to make sure a care home is right for your needs and that you feel safe and comfortable.

Essex Care Services Directory
A comprehensive guide to choosing and paying for care, home care, care homes, specialist care and useful contacts. This guide is published independently by Care Choices which uses its own systems to verify the content within this publication.
Please note that if Essex County Council is contributing to the cost of the placement in a care home you still have a right to choose which home, but please refer to the terms and conditions on page 12 of the document.

Care Quality Commission Directory
You can use this directory to locate Care homes in your local area which cater for specific needs such as, Dementia, Older people, Learning disability or younger people.

Paying for a care home or long term care

Finding care home accommodation  
This page explains the issues which should be considered when looking for a care home, whether self financing or seeking financial assistance with the fees from the state.

Paying for long term care
This factsheet gives information and advice on how to pay for care, especially if you are planning for retirement or have a need to fund care immediately.

Paying for permanent residential care
This factsheet provides information on financial help that may be available for older people needing care in a care home.

Paying for care in a care home with a partner  
This factsheet explains how the local authority treats individual and joint assets when assessing qualification for help with care home fees.

The means test & your property
This page explains how property is dealt with in the local authority means test for the provision of care home accommodation.

Care funding calculator  (Equity Care)
This calculator allows you to quickly identify any shortfall between your income and outgoings.