Choosing the wrong level of care is expensive and stressful. Here is how the main options differ.
Home care
Carers visit the home to help with daily activities (washing, dressing, medication) while your relative stays independent. Lower cost per hour, but not suitable once round-the-clock supervision is needed.
Residential care home
24-hour personal care and support in a communal setting, without on-site nursing. Suitable for people who need help with daily living but not complex medical care.
Nursing home
A residential setting with registered nurses on site around the clock, for people with more complex medical or nursing needs. This is the highest level of institutional care, and where NHS-funded nursing care (a fixed weekly contribution) most often applies.
Dementia (specialist) care
Available within residential or nursing settings, with staff trained in dementia care and layouts designed to reduce confusion and prevent wandering.
If you’re unsure, ask a social worker, GP or hospital discharge team to name the level of care they’d recommend — then shortlist homes that provide it.
How to use this guide in practice
Don’t read this as general information — use it as a worksheet. Write down the details of the person who needs care, the current limits of the situation at home, the monthly budget, the documents you already have, whether a local-authority financial assessment may apply, and who you’ve already spoken with. Then turn every unclear point into a specific question. A family that arrives with a clear picture usually gets more useful answers than one calling under stress with scattered information.
Keep one simple rule: anything about admission, cost, funding, timelines and whether a care home fits must be confirmed directly with the care home or the competent authority serving your area. This guide prepares the search — it does not replace official decisions.
Want a clear shortlist before you start calling?
If you don’t know which care homes to contact first, Curalune Care Help can prepare an ordered shortlist of 3–5 suitable options — with CQC ratings, contacts, useful links and a ready-to-send inquiry.
The service helps you organise the search.£69, one-off. If you don't receive at least 3 homes matching the area and criteria you gave us, we refund you in full. It does not replace the care home’s own assessment and does not guarantee admission, price or bed availability.
Important limit
Curalune offers practical help with the search and orientation. Admission, pricing, bed availability and the final assessment always rest with the care homes and the competent authorities (the local authority, the NHS, the Care Quality Commission).
