There is a lot to think about when it comes to arranging a care home place. Below is a list of the questions we’re frequently asked by those looking for care for themselves or a loved one. We hope you find these helpful and informative, and remember, we are always happy to provide any additional information you might need.
FAQs
How do I begin the process of moving a family member into an Ochre Care Home?
Enquire: joining Ochre Care as a resident always starts with an enquiry. There are several ways you can get in touch with us – by phone, email, contact form or through the website carehome.co.uk.
We visit you: following your enquiry we will arrange to visit you (your loved one) at your current home or residence, so that we can meet you and complete an initial assessment.
You visit us: we also like to invite prospective residents to have a look around our homes with friends and family, so we can show you our facilities and the rooms we have available. This is a great opportunity for you to see our care homes during a normal day and get a feel for the daily life within an Ochre Care home. Our Registered Manager or Deputy Home Manager will accompany you during your visit and answer any questions you might have.
What type of care does Ochre Care provide?
Our care services include residential care, short-term stays, and dementia-specific care. Our care teams undertake comprehensive training to ensure the highest standards of care are provided to our residents. If you have specific questions about our care services or need more detailed information, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Where are your homes and is there parking on-site for visitors?
Abbey Lea Care Home is easy to find as it is on the main road through the village of Barlby, which is accessible from the A19at both ends of the village. We are approximately two miles from the nearest town, Selby. We have a limited number of parking spaces but there is plenty of free on-street parking in the surrounding area.Westwood Care Home is located on Doncaster Road, one of the main roads through Selby town centre. The entrance to our car park is off Westbourne Road and there is also a small amount of free parking available on the surrounding streets.
What is included in the weekly fee?
Our weekly fees include all household expenses, catering, laundry and basic toiletries, as well as assistance with daily living, all activities and medication administration. In addition to these services, we are pleased to offer regular visits from professional hairdressers and chiropodists. Residents have the option to book appointments with these for an additional fee. We also welcome residents to supply their own personal toiletries for added comfort and familiarity.
When are visitors welcome in the homes?
We warmly welcome visitors for our residents at any time, however we kindly request that visitors are mindful of meal times. We strive to provide a peaceful and comfortable dining experience for our residents, ensuring they can enjoy their meals fully and meet their nutritional needs.If you’d like to join a loved one for a meal at Abbey Lea or Westwood, we’d be very happy to arrange this in advance.
What activities do you offer in your homes ?
We like to offer a range of activities which provide different types of stimulation and really get the senses going! Baking and cooking sessions are always popular.In recent months residents have enjoyed making pizzas for Italian Night, and baking cakes and buns for the coronation (we never need an excuse to bake!). We have regular visits from local exercise instructors who specialise in physical exercise for senior citizens, and we always have a full room for these sessions. In warmer weather we love to encourage residents to take a walk around the garden or village–sometimes we even take a stroll up to the local pub! Some of our most anticipated visitors are the regulars from the‘Pets as Therapy ’team! We have also welcomed small horse sand a mobile zoo into the home which included a snake, a tortoise and a skunk among other creatures! We love to see the positive effect and social interaction prompted by these visits, they are very welcome guests. Music is a regular feature in our homes and we love to reminisce to a soundtrack of old tunes while we’re crafting or baking. We also regularly enjoy visits from local choirs, singers and groups, and once we even hosted a travelling pantomime!
As much as we love bringing new and unusual experiences to our residents, we also appreciate the value of calm and routine. Sometimes a cup of tea and a quiet chat about times gone by is the best way to spend an afternoon.
We like to share our activities on our Facebook page and would love you to visit and like our page.
How do you support residents to follow their religious beliefs?
We will support you to practice your faith according to your personal preference, whether that’s attending a place of worship in person, joining a service through streaming or receiving a visit from your faith leader. We will work with you to ensure your religion continues to be an integral part of your life at Ochre Care.
How do you ensure you employ the right kind of people?
When we’re recruiting for positions within our homes, we follow a robust recruitment process, which includes in-person interviews with one of our residents on the interviewing panel. We feel it is really important to involve residents whenever possible in selecting new members of the team.
All new staff members complete a six month probationary period, with the first 12 weeks serving as a thorough induction including online and practical training, observational assessments and ongoing support from senior carers. We want our team members to feel valued and confident in their work, and never afraid to ask for help. We encourage our team to undertake further vocational courses and continuously develop their skills.
How do you ensure your service is meeting residents’ needs?
We use a care planning system called Person Centred Software which holds our residents’ information. With PCS we record daily notes and other updates to ensure we are supporting residents to achieve their activity, weight, and nutritional goals amongst others. We administer and record medication rounds using Med-E-Care which is linked into PCS and through this we are able to quickly identify and resolve any anomalies.
If my loved one is a private funder and run out of money will I then have to move them somewhere else?
In the event of a residents no longer being able to fund their own care, a financial assessment will be conducted by the local authority to enable them to fund the care. These assessments can take time, so it is important to notify the local authority a few months before you reach this point.
If my loved one becomes terminally ill, will I have to move them somewhere else?
Hopefully not, this is dependent on how their clinical needs develop. We do provide palliative care in collaboration with the district nursing team if required. We always aim to support residents in their own comfortable environment that feels safe and familiar for as long as possible.
How do you obtain feedback to improve your service?
We regularly seek feedback from our residents, friends and families, staff, and healthcare professionals. All feedback is valued and we use it to help us continuously improve our homes and the service we provide.