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Visiting and keeping in touch

We understand how important it is to stay connected to friends and family as we age

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Our teams are dedicated to helping  residents stay connected to their community and the people they care about

The importance of keeping in touch 

Moving into a care home is a big step, and we want your loved one to feel settled. Seeing the familiar faces of family members and friends will not only help your relative to feel at home, but it will also give you an opportunity to chat with team members about your loved one’s care and tell them about any changes in their needs, likes or dislikes. 

How we help you keep in touch

As part of our welcome, we support residents to design their own 'keeping in touch' plan, choosing from a range of communication options and technologies to stay connected with family and friends. In addition to visiting, your loved one may enjoy writing letters, sending regular emails or texts, having phone calls with you, or enjoying video calls with family and friends on the home’s tablet computers. Whatever their preference, we’ll make it easy for them and you to keep in touch and share experiences.

Visiting your loved one at Care UK

Visiting the home

We encourage in-person visits in our homes and love it when visitors get involved in activities or stay for a meal.  

Why not come along on one of our outings? Or you’re welcome to take your loved one for a day out at their favourite local spot. But there’s plenty to keep busy with in the care home too, from our cafés and coffee shops where you can enjoy our talented chefs’ homemade treats to our cinemas where you can sit back and relax while reminiscing with your loved one. We also welcome visits from local schools, entertainers and friendly therapy animals, so there’s no end of options for fun and varied things to do. 

Find out more about how we keep in touch with the community.

Technology keeps us connected

We keep loved ones connected through the Relish app, which is being used successfully by many homes to record resident’s personal stories and provide an additional channel of communication for relatives.

On average, Care UK homes record 38,000 activities each month on Relish, and nearly 4,700 relatives are already engaging with the app. We’ve also launched the relative communication element of Relish. This allows loved ones to engage with what their relative has been doing in the home, share pictures and helps us build their life history so our team can get to know them even better. Relatives can send messages to their loved one using the app too.

Many of our homes have had Facebook pages for some time, and these are a fantastic way for families to stay connected to daily life in their loved one’s care home.

Vising a loved one with dementia

If your loved one is living with dementia, you may find visits difficult – especially if they no longer seem to recognise you. You may even wonder if there’s any point in visiting anymore. It’s important to remember to be in the moment and in the reality of the person living with dementia. Even if your relative or friend has lost their memories, they will still benefit from the positive feelings of your visit. 

We've put together some advice on how to make the most of your visit when your loved one has dementia.

Have your say

The senior team in your loved one’s home will keep you regularly informed by phone, email and newsletter of the latest news, events, activities, menus and developments so you always feel part of what’s happening.

When your loved one has been living with us for a fortnight, we’ll invite you to a progress meeting (virtual or in person as appropriate) to check you’re happy with all aspects of their care. Please tell us what we can change and where we can improve. But don’t feel you have to wait until that meeting to make changes! Our teams are available at all times to listen to your questions and requests and make improvements.

We also invite residents and their family members to play a part in shaping how we run and develop our services. If you’re interested in taking part in our Voice of Customer programme please talk to the manager of your loved one’s home.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT LIFE IN A CARE UK HOME

FAQs

So long as the care home isn’t experiencing high cases of COVID-19, friends and family are welcome to visit whenever they wish and stay for as long as they like.

Read more about our approach to living with Coronavirus.

New admissions are usually no longer required to shield on arrival, and admissions may still be possible even if a home is in outbreak. Each is treated on a case-by-case basis, and the home team will discuss the arrangements, timings and requirements with families in advance. 

Read more about our approach to living with Coronavirus.

Yes, residents can enjoy opportunities to engage in activities outside of the care home, participate in trips and outings and interact within their local community, including their local pubs.

Yes, you’re welcome to take your loved one for a day out at their favourite local spot or join along with one of the care home’s outings.

Yes, you can visit a loved one in a Care UK care home whenever you wish and stay for as long as you like, so long as the care home isn’t experiencing high cases of COVID-19. 

We ask that everyone continue to take sensible precautions. Please note, you should not enter the care home if you are feeling unwell even if you have tested negative because flu, respiratory syncytial virus and norovirus can be just as dangerous to care home residents as Covid. Read more about our approach to living with Coronavirus.

Yes, more than one person can visit a loved one in a Care UK care home.

If the home is in outbreak, one named person can continue to visit at any time, with one further visitor, subject to risk assessment by the home. They will need to continue to carry out Lateral Flow Tests following the same regime as a care home employee. Read more about our approach to living with Coronavirus.