What care seekers want to know about your care home during Coronavirus

In recent weeks we’ve spoken to a number of care seekers to understand what it’s like to search for care during the COVID-19 outbreak and what they are looking for in a care home at this time.

We’ve compiled our findings below to allow you to hear, in their own words, what care seekers want to know, what concerns they have and how you can address their worries.

If you’re accepting new residents

The current lockdown and ban on care home visits has confused many people. Some are unsure if care homes can accept clients during this time. Knowing if your home is accepting residents gives seekers confidence and saves them time calling providers that can’t help.

It is obvious from speaking with people searching for care that visiting a home is an extremely important part of their journey. It gives them an opportunity to get a feel for your home and understand if it is suitable for their loved one.

What can you do?

Are you accepting new residents? Great – make sure everyone who sees your home knows this. Include it on your website, social media and anywhere else that someone might find your home (to update your availability on your Care Sourcer profile, log in and go to Room Availability).

You should also outline your current process for new residents so that care seekers know what to expect (eg: do new residents have to self isolate? Do you conduct assessments over the phone?).

Promotional videos, brochures and virtual tours are a great way to give care seekers a feel for your home when they can’t visit. This can give them the confidence that your home is right for their loved one and make their decision much easier.

How you’re managing the virus

Lack of PPE and deaths in care homes have been covered extensively in the media. This makes an already stressful time even tougher for people who need to find a care home for their loved one.

It is vital, now more than ever, for clients to feel confident that their loved one will be safe in your home. They want to know what you’re doing to mitigate the risk of infection and what you will do should an outbreak occur.

What can you do?

Care seekers want one thing; to know you are prepared. As long as you have the correct procedures, protection and processes in place, the only thing to do is tell everyone. Keep clients and seekers up-to-date and they will be reassured. Like the client below.

Communication is key to happy clients during lockdown

Prepare, prepare, prepare. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Then prepare some more. We are proud of this care home for making the lockdown a little lighter for their client.

In a time of great uncertainty, there are some things you can do to help people searching for care. Advertise your availability, provide alternative ways to “visit” your home and communicate how you are managing the virus in your home. This will help care seekers make a more informed decision on which care home can best meet their needs.

Would you like to connect with more people searching for care online? Claim your free Care Sourcer profile to share your availability with 1,000s of monthly users and showcase your home online.