I will never forget that moment that my Grandpa moved into a care home.
Although at 86 he was in his twilight years, he always seemed younger to me. As a child we used to visit him in his home weekly and were always treated to the smell of warm jam tarts he had baked for our arrival. My job was always to roll his cigarettes in his special machine and I used to love the smell of his old Gold Virginia tin – in fact I had an old tin of my own that I used to keep my spellings from school in.
As I got older my visits weren’t as regular but we saw him at least once a month until I moved from West Sussex down to Dorset. Nevertheless we phoned regularly and I still made the time to drive up to see as often as possible.
Grandpa lived in his 3 bedroom house which was always immaculate and he used to treasure his old trusty BMW which would get him to the shops and back, so it was a bit of a shock when he started to struggle. It started with the little things – he pranged his beloved car not once, but a few times and he struggled to keep up with his once beautiful garden.
Daily visits from my Mum and an independent carer plus hiring a gardener wasn’t enough and his driving licence was taken away because his eyesight was beginning to fail. Even he had to admit he needed help.
Choosing a Care Home wasn’t easy but it was a necessity. We looked into warden assisted flats but decided that he needed more personal care and opted for a Care Home which provided personal care. They offered him the support he needed, ensuring basic personal needs were taken care of such as meals, bathing, going to the toilet and taking medication.
We were very lucky that Grandpa had funds in place to help pay for his care but it can be a worry for all the family. It is worth investigating what you are entitled to and claiming as much as possible and Barchester have compiled an ebook to help you understand how to pay for care.
Grandpa’s care was second to none and although he had all but given up at that stage he did spend the remainder of his days writing all about his time in the Far East during WW2 with the help of the nurses and my Mum. I only wish I had spoken to him more about it when he was alive as boy did he have some tales to tell!
Image Credit: Shutterstock.com
Post written in collaboration with Barchester Care Homes.