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As a leading care home company, our experienced care and nursing centre managers often consult with families and loved ones who benefit from guidance, support and independent advice when making key decisions about the care for themselves or a relative.

We never underestimate the complexity of these conversations, which many find emotional, with concerns about how they can compare one care home to another or what they should ask to verify whether a residential home has the compassion, kindness and sensitivity they want their loved one to be treated with.

Our first tip is to pick a care home provider who welcomes questions and in-person chats and is happy to take as much time as you need to talk you through care planning, facilities, and available care services. It is essential that all parties feel assured that their selected care setting is right for them and that their preferred care home has the necessary team members and support services.

Evaluating Potential Residential Care Facilities 

Family members pour time, effort and energy into finding the perfect home for older people and loved ones and often refer to regulatory inspection ratings published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England. These ratings are useful and provide a broad-stroke overview of how well a care home conforms to safeguarding, record-keeping, confidentiality and patient care standards.

You can also use resources such as CareHome.co.uk to access each care centre’s review score to see how other service users and residents feel about the care they have received.

However, it is always valuable to take the opportunity to visit a care home in person. Speaking to all the staff, getting a proper look at accommodation and suites, and seeing how carers engage and connect with their residents is a great indication of whether a care home has a friendly team and delivers good care.

The care teams in each Forest Healthcare location also encourage families and residents to visit any of our facilities that they may be interested in, whether a specialist nursing care centre or residential care home. Having that first-hand experience can make the transition into a care home far smoother and less stressful for all and ensures our care managers and teams are familiar faces.

Next, we’ll run through the questions we’d advise you to ask during those visits and before making any decisions.

1. What Care, Support, Accommodation and Amenities Are Inclusive?

Care homes charge varied fee structures, depending on the type of care required, the accommodation or suite a resident wishes to reserve, and whether the individual or family receive funding support to contribute towards their overall care costs. 

Although most amazing care homes offer absolute transparency, it’s worth enquiring during your visit if you are unsure whether everything is included in that fee. For example, you might find that visiting therapists or beauticians offer manicures, haircuts and beauty treatments at an additional charge or that the care home can organise extra amenities within a room for a nominal fee.

Particularly when you are arranging long-term or complex care, you should be informed about any potential changes to care home fees, if these are reviewed annually, or whether you need to make a deposit there and then to avoid losing out on a high-demand accommodation space.

We suggest asking to see either the room or a similar room during your tour, where you can check what is included, what you might be able to bring from home, or what the care home might be able to organise on your behalf. Simple things like a private TV, a comfy sofa, generous wardrobe storage space and a radio can make a big difference.

2. How Does the Care Centre Provide Entertainment, Activities or Opportunities for Socialisation?

Entertainment facilities add real value and ensure that all care home clients, whether living as residents in a dementia care or complex care setting or short-term recovery and rehabilitation care, have plenty of things to do, from crafting to day trips, garden parties to birthday celebrations and movie and quiz nights where residents chat, make friends and relax together.

Although all care homes are required to offer daily activities, the broader the range on offer, the better every resident will be able to pick and choose outings, organised entertainment or group activities that bring them joy.

It’s also a great idea to ask about outdoor activities or visits. Our award-winning care homes place huge value on social interaction and organise all sorts of day trips, cinema evenings, days out or shopping trips for residents who wish to participate and can do so.

3. What Level of Nursing Care or Medical Expertise is Available?

If you are organising a care home place on behalf of a family member with an ongoing or degenerative medical condition or cognitive illness, the standard and availability of nursing support may be key. Care homes normally provide medication reminders and help patients take prescribed medicines at specific intervals, but more in-depth or ongoing supervision may be required.

For example, you might ask how the care team tracks medications and what they would do if a doctor or consultant prescribed a change in dosage. You may also need to know what happens if your loved one becomes ill or needs help with an intravenous line – is there a registered nurse on duty at all times, or does the care home have a resident or nearby doctor they can call upon?

4. How Often Are Family Members and Loved Ones Able to Visit? 

Visiting arrangements may vary depending on the type of care delivered. However, even residents with profound disabilities or cognitive impairments benefit from regular visits from people they know and love, and the impact on their mental health is impossible to overstate.

Some care homes have specified visiting hours or durations or might allow a resident to have a maximum number of people per day to avoid overcrowding in smaller facilities. Others will have an open access policy and offer a warm welcome to every relative, taking the time to organise larger gatherings for special events or celebrations.

5. Does the Care Home Cater to Individual Catering Preferences and Dietary Requirements?

Finally, meal times are a focal point for many care homes, and it’s important that your loved one can advise on the types of foods they like to eat – not solely based on medical requirements, allergies or intolerances.

Excellent care is centred around health, well-being and comfort, and providing a varied, tasty and fresh menu every day is hugely important to the happiness and enjoyment of residents. Never hold back from asking to see the menu, enquiring about snacks during the day, or wanting to know whether your relative will be offered a soothing cocoa at bedtime if this is part of their routine.

For further information about comparing care homes, choosing the best care facilities for you or a loved one, or raising questions and concerns during care home visits, please get in touch with Forest Healthcare at any time.

 

Information Source: - https://www.foresthc.com/choosing-a-great-care-home-company-for-you-or-your-loved-one/

Scandinavia is an astonishing part of the world, with cities and landscapes across Denmark, Sweden and Norway Holidays that range from vast open wildernesses to eclectic towns, tiny villages and islands perched in the ocean to sophisticated spa hotels and luxury wellness centres.

 

If you’re keen to travel to Scandinavia and want to see as much as possible, a tour package is the perfect option. We offer a range of Scandinavian holidays, from winter wonderland trips to relaxing summer adventures and self-guided fly/drive packages.

 

Let us share some of the best places to go and the most popular things to do in the region, alongside recommendations for activities and excursions you will love.

 

Creating a Customised Tour of the Scandinavian Countries

 

One of the brilliant aspects of travelling around Scandinavia is the contrast between the seasons – the region transforms throughout the year with the changing weather, and even if you’ve visited countless times there is always something new to see.

 

We’d recommend beginning with a checklist of your must-see places or the type of holiday you’d most love to experience – for example:

 

Would you prefer to travel in the warmest summer months, during the snowy winter, or during spring and autumn when most cities are quieter?

Are there activities you’ve always wanted to try? Perhaps you’d like to hike up a mountain, relax in an authentic outdoor spa, snowmobile across a glacier, or camp in a rural area overnight to watch the Northern lights holiday.

Do you have a particular type of accommodation in mind? We offer a huge selection, including treehouses, ice hotels, glass igloos, rustic summer cabins, ultra-modern hotels and lodges.

Organising a tour means you don’t need to make any compromises – you can incorporate all of your bucket list items into one trip, often starting in one of the major capital cities to soak up some culture and entertainment before you head further out.

 

Exploring Scandinavia’s Capital Cities

 

The architecture and history of Scandinavian cities are a big draw for guests. There is a variety of experiences to pick and choose from, such as fine dining, visiting world-famous palaces and museums, walking tours and self-guided tours where you can see the sites via bike or book a boat trip around the local harbour.

 

Oslo is Norway’s capital, with an urban, contemporary feel, yet surrounded by mountains and greenery. The nightlife is lively and welcoming, and we recommend a stop at one of the superb museums, including the Munch Museum and the Kon-Tiki Museum.

 

Our next stop is Stockholm, Sweden – a captivating and beautiful city characterised by cobbled streets winding through Gamla Stan, the 13th-century old town, with attractions like the Royal Palace and Nobel Museum.

 

If your Scandinavian tour includes a visit to Copenhagen, you’ll see colourful houses lining the harbour and canals. You can also visit the stunning Amalienborg Palace, home of the Danish royal family, and the world’s second-oldest amusement park at Tivoli Gardens.

 

Booking a Winter Tour of Scandinavia

 

Several Scandinavia tour packages are designed around festive themes, including the Polar Express Train Journey, which takes you on an incredible tour through the Arctic Circle, crossing Norwegian and Swedish Lapland. The eco-friendly transport runs from Kiruna in Sweden to Narvik in western Norway, with opportunities to try a dog sledding safari in the snow and visit the Abisko National Park.

 

Another great option for a Scandinavian tour holiday in the winter is our Swedish Ice Hotel Adventure. It begins in Stockholm, which is made up of fourteen islands that form the archipelago. Once you’ve finished exploring the city, you’ll head to Swedish Lapland and dive into a truly magical experience.

 

Scandinavian Travel During the Summer

 

If your ideal holiday is a summer visit, we can suggest an equally broad array of options, tours and packages. The Castles and Jutland package is a popular fly-drive holiday where you can explore Denmark at your leisure and stay as long as you wish at each landmark or city.

 

This holiday is suited to visitors of all ages and takes you through the Danish countryside. You will learn about the Viking heritage of this fascinating country, visit pristine beaches along the wild coastline, sample Nordic cuisine, and see historic ruins and museums at each stop.

 

Highlights include a stop-off at the original Legoland in Billund, which opened in 1968 and is adjacent to the Lego factory, and a visit to the beaches in Skagen – Skagen Sønderstrand and Gammel Skagen Strand are both great places to visit.

 

Recommended Places to Visit During Scandinavia Tours

 

Scandinavia offers such diversity that it’s impossible to curate a list of everything we’d recommend. Still, below, we’ve highlighted some amazing views and structures you’ll not see anywhere else in the world.

 

Denmark and Sweden: Oresund Bridge

This bridge connects Sweden and Denmark and sweeps for five miles above the Oresund Strait. There is an underwater tunnel, an above-ground bridge and even an artificial island called Peberholmen. As a feat of engineering, the bridge is the longest road or railway in the world and can be seen from the air as you land in Copenhagen.

 

Norway: Preikestolen Cliffs

At 2,000 feet high, these cliffs are far above the Lysefjord below. They are a granite plateau accessible via a short, steep hiking path that takes roughly three hours to climb. This is another unique Scandinavian landscape that keen hikers should never miss—the view is breathtaking.

 

Sweden: The Stockholm Archipelago By Boat

We’ve mentioned Stockholm, but a tour of the archipelago by boat is a great day out in itself. There are numerous islands to explore, with the chance to stop off and cycle along the nature trails or see the ancient Viking graves, with seabirds, eagles and seals often spotted along the cliffs and coastlines.

 

Booking Travel and Transport throughout a Scandinavian Holiday

 

Travel is part of the excitement of Scandinavian tours, where you can experience an overnight train ride across borders, hire a car for a once-in-a-lifetime road trip, or navigate the Norwegian fjords aboard a ferry – spotting rare wildlife and even the Aurora Borealis in the right winter weather conditions.

 

There are plenty of sustainable, eco-friendly travel options throughout the region, especially in Norway – examples include emissions-free public transport networks across Oslo and electric ferries and trams.

 

Please review our comprehensive range of tours and packages online. You’ll find full itineraries, flight details, and lists of the attractions, excursions, and accommodations included.

 

If you need any assistance tailoring your Scandinavian tour or can’t find what you’re looking for, please feel free to contact the expert travel consultants at the Baltic Travel Company.

 

Information Source: - https://www.baltictravelcompany.com/blog/index.php/scandanavia/scandinavian-travel-checklist-designing-a-bespoke-tour-across-northern-europe/