What is the Difference Between Residential and Nursing Care?
All over the UK, there are numerous types of care homes including residential care homes, nursing care homes, dual-registered care homes and all-inclusive care homes. Choosing a care home for you or your loved one is a decision that is not short-term or easily decided as there is so much to consider including care types offered, location, cost, accessibility and more.
Both residential and nursing care offer support and care 24 hours a day for older adults and they can receive as little or as much assistance as they need with daily living. Most care homes offering Residential and Nursing Care will encourage independence as much as possible to enable residents to continue their sense of purpose but are always available to offer their support where it is required.
What is Residential Care?
Residential Care is one type of care tailored to those who can, for the most part, live independently but may require assistance with a variety of daily tasks, medicine management, mobility or companionship. Residential care facilities often include numerous communal areas, such as dining rooms and lounges, where residents can socialise and engage in activities with like-minded individuals. This allows people living in a care home to enjoy the benefits of group living, as well as avoid the stress and complications that household management can bring. The team offering residential care typically do not have advanced medical qualifications so are unable to administer medicine to residents.
Residential care homes can also commonly be confused with sheltered housing or assisted living. Residential care provides support by care professionals at all times of the day and night as well as numerous social activities, opportunities and expansive facilities and amenities for residents to utilise whenever they wish.
What is Nursing Care?
Nursing Care, on the other hand, is a long-term care option for individuals with complex medical needs that require 24-hour nursing care and medical supervision. Residents will receive assistance with activities of daily living including personal care, mobility, housekeeping, specialised medicine management, intravenous medication, physical therapy and consistent support from a group of licensed health and social care professionals.
Unlike residential care, those that receive nursing care usually have one specific staff member assigned to them, and the staff will have higher care qualifications enabling them to cater for people with higher levels of care needs.
The main goal of nursing care is to provide a safe and comfortable environment where residents can receive the personal care, medical care and overall support they need to maintain their health and quality of life.
What are the Differences Between Residential Care and Nursing Care?
There are many ways that residential care and nursing care are similar to one another including them both offering 24/7 care, every resident receiving a personalised care plan and both care types will include individuals that can assist with medication management. However, it is also important to outline the main differences between residential care and nursing care to be able to understand what the most appropriate care type is for you or your loved one.
- Medicine Management
Both nursing and residential care will have care professionals on hand to assist them with medication management such as being reminded when medication should be taken and which one is needed at that time. However, staff trained in residential care are unable to administer medication to residents due to them needing specific qualifications for this. Registered nursing individuals and caregivers offering nursing care will be fully trained in this field and can provide support with medication for a variety of nursing needs.
- Levels of Assistance
Whilst team members in a care homework tirelessly and will be available 24 hours a day to offer any assistance that residents require, individuals receiving residential care can typically function independently during their daily routines, and will only request support when they need it. Nursing care residents on the other hand usually require assistance for the majority of their daily tasks, which results in them having a 1:1 assignment with a team member who will provide a personalised care experience for them whilst being supported by care assistants.
- Home Adaptations
For both residential and nursing care, there would be home adaptations including wider corridors, ample amounts of bannisters, en-suite bedrooms with grab rails or chairs and nurse call systems. For nursing care, there would be additional adaptations including multiple ramps for wheelchairs, stair lifts, profiling beds, hoists or banana boards and more walking aids. This means that every resident can receive the support they need and will feel comfortable whilst travelling around the care home.
What is the Most Appropriate Care for You or Your Loved One?
With there being a huge number of care homes on offer, it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish the key differences between them and which would be most appropriate for you or your loved one. It is vital to not only consider the care that is offered but also their facilities, social opportunities, location, environment and support systems to be able to make the final decision.
If you or your loved one are searching for a type of care where you can reap the benefits of group living whilst enjoying a range of facilities and amenities, form new bonds and receive low-level assistance with daily tasks then residential care would be the correct care type for you.
However, if you are unable to, for the most part, live independently and therefore require a higher level of personal or medical care from qualified nurses on site, then nursing care would be the most appropriate choice. To find out the most appropriate information for each care type, we suggest asking the specific care home as they will be able to describe their services in a personal way and offer support to you during this time of uncertainty.
Once you have decided on a care home for you or your loved ones, the care home team will work closely with the individual and their friends and family members to create a personalised care plan which will outline their needs and preferences which allows the home to ensure the individual is looked after to the highest degree.
Care Offered at Bothwell Castle Care Home
Bothwell Castle Care Home in Uddingston, Scotland is a modern care home with a private, luxury environment for older people offering unrivalled levels of Nursing Care, Residential Care, Specialist Dementia Care and Respite Care. We understand how difficult it can be to make the initial decision of which care home to move into and our wonderful team is always available to offer any support or answer any questions you may have regarding our care types or day-to-day life.
Because we offer so many care types including both residential and nursing care, our residents can rest assured that if their care needs develop, we have trained individuals that can provide a continuum of care. This means that our residents can enjoy peace of mind knowing they can rely on us to support them no matter how their needs develop and can feel comfortable from the moment they join the Bothwell Castle family.
We take pride in the reviews we receive regarding our care and take on every comment noted to ensure we can provide the best quality of life to our residents around the clock. We take the time to recognise those who have left us reviews and use our feedback so that our experienced and dedicated team can continue to provide outstanding care for each person that stays with us:
Bothwell Castle is a fantastic care home. Throughout these difficult times, every member of staff continues to provide exceptional care to all the residents. They are all so kind and compassionate, always treating my mum with dignity and going out of their way to help my mum feel better during these unsettled months. - Review by Rhona (daughter of resident via carehome.co.uk).
Get in Touch Today
If you have any further questions regarding our care types or on-site facilities, you can contact our friendly team by calling 01698 622 299 or emailing info@bothwellcastle.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
