Guild Care: Worthing charity explains what you can expect when your loved one moves into permanent care

As Worthing’s leading health and social care charity, we pride ourselves on the support and advice that we provide to families who are considering one of our three care homes – Haviland House, Linfield House or Caer Gwent.

If you’re not ready to move your family member into permanent care right now, you can still get a taste for what it’s like to be part of the Guild Care family, by trying our respite and day care services.

Our Bradbury Wellbeing Day Care Centre, for example, provides social activities – such as themed evenings with dinner and entertainment – for people living with dementia. It also offers a much-needed break for families and carers.

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Once you decide that the time is right for full-time care, our dedicated admissions team will support you every step of the way.

They give their time to work with families to understand an individual’s needs. This is particularly important for people moving into Haviland House, our purpose-built dementia nursing home, who may need highly specialist and tailored care.

You’ll meet people like Sharon McNamara, our commissioning manager at Haviland House. Her role involves guiding families through the admissions process and showing them the environment and facilities within the home, helping to put peoples’ minds at rest if they have any concerns.

Sharon says: "There can be feelings of uncertainty, guilt, pressure and even desperation from families. One of the biggest aspects of my job is helping to alleviate some of those feelings. This often starts by sitting down with them and listening to their story. It’s important to understand the level of care that an individual may require – especially those living with dementia, whose needs can differ dramatically.”

Kerri Sparrowe is our dementia champion and a qualified psychologist. She provides person-centred care that helps to make our dementia services unique in the Worthing area.

Kerri says: "I’m involved from the beginning of the admissions process, where I try to build a profile of the person who will be joining us.

"It’s important to understand their likes and dislikes, their background and where they worked, for instance. This enables us to offer a highly personalised level of dementia care. The care charts I create from these initial conversations provide our team with all the information they need when the resident moves in.

"My degree in psychology also enables me to focus on the psychological wellbeing of people living with dementia. I’m able to find out what people’s coping mechanisms are, which helps us decide the best way to help them when they arrive at Haviland House.”

Knowing when a care home is the answer – and then choosing a home in which your loved one will feel comfortable – can be a stressful time. So, wherever you are on your journey, call our friendly team on 01903 327 327 or email [email protected] – they are here to listen and help you and your family find the right solution.