A needs assessment will determine whether a person requires permanent care or not and the extent to which they do. The elderly person themselves must either have given their consent to move into a Forest care home or another person (usually a family member) must have a valid Power of Attorney to make the decision on their behalf.

We want to support you through this decision-making process encourage you to get in touch with us to arrange a personal viewing.

Take the time to visit a few care homes. Look for a home that focuses on person-centred care. The decision will also depend upon the assessed needs of the individual and their financial circumstances. Our friendly teams are on hand to chat through any questions that you may have. Our Help & Advice page has some useful FAQs. You can also view our homes in their entirety via our Virtual Tours and Book a Visit to any one of our care homes.

There are several different types of Dementia, with Alzheimer’s disease being the most common.

All types have different characteristics but understanding those and the different stages is very difficult. In general, there are 3 stages of dementia; early, middle and late, but there is another “7-stage” model that breaks cognitive decline down to more specific categories across those 3 general stages.

It is very important to remember though that the progression of dementia is different for everyone. Being able to determine roughly where a person might be on their dementia journey by helping identify signs and symptoms can help with understanding and also in determining the most appropriate care needs.

The 7 stages of Dementia are:

• Normal Behaviour – In the early stages of Dementia there might not be any visible symptoms. Changes in a person’s brain can happen several years before any signs or symptoms do.
• Forgetfulness – a person might forget things easily and constantly lose things around the house, but this could also be due to normal age-related memory loss.
• Mild Decline – a person might start to notice subtle changes and signs that something ‘isn’t quite right.’ That could be frequently losing things, forgetting appointments and so on. This stage can last for several years.
• Moderate Decline – at this stage, the signs and symptoms become more apparent to everyone. A person might struggle to manage money or even to remember what they had just eaten. This is the point at which they would most likely be diagnosed with Dementia if they visit their GP. This stage can last up to 2 years.
• Moderately Severe Decline – a person may need more help with day-to-day living during these later stages. While they will probably still be able to take care of other personal needs on their own (such as using the toilet), they might not be able to dress properly or appropriately or to remember simple facts about themselves, such as their address or phone number. However, they usually will still recognise family and friends and be able to recall events from years ago very clearly. This stage typically can last 1-2 years.
• Severe Decline – a person will need constant supervision at home. They will probably need help with washing and dressing and may also become incontinent. There might be changes in their personality and behaviour such as anger and aggression. They might be very confused, but they will often still know and recognise the people closest to them. Typically, this stage can last 2-3 years.
• Very Severe Decline – many people will pass away before they reach this final stage, often as a result of other health conditions. At this stage, a person will usually experience severe loss of speech, and will need assistance with all daily living tasks, and may even need round-the-clock care from professional carers.

Nursing care is typically care that needs to be provided by qualified Registered Nurses such as wound care dressings, catheter care, sub-cutaneous medication administration and the like. Personal care is typically provided by carers and involves help with daily tasks such as washing, dressing, going to the toilet and so on.

Please contact us by email enquiries@forestcare.co.uk to enquire about our care services and new residents availability.