Long-Term Retirement – Considering Your Options

Baxendale Care Home could be classified as a 24-hour retirement home in the Barnet area of north London, offering more care than a typical retirement community (but less than a nursing home). But when is the right time to move into a facility such as ours? There is no right or wrong answer, as everyone’s circumstances and needs are different, but here are some factors to consider.

Your Age and Condition

If you or your loved one unfortunately deal with frequent physical problems, such as lots of falls or a general lack of mobility, it may be a sign that you (or they) would benefit from moving into a retirement home.

Furthermore, their mental faculties may be deteriorating due to conditions such as Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia or Parkinsons’ Disease, meaning your loved one gets stressed or confused performing everyday tasks.

Obviously, while there is no set age at which this starts to become a problem, at Baxendale you can move in when you turn 65. We offer cover around the clock (three eight-hour shifts in any 24 hours) so there should always be someone on hand if you have a problem, whatever time of day it is – and can help with everyday tasks such as washing, bathing and dressing.

Some people choose to retire much later than others, so a long-term retirement home might be an immediate option for some people as soon as they stop working if they decide to work well into their 70s, for example. However, those who retire early will probably find that they don’t need to move into a retirement home straight away.

So we offer more support than a typical retirement community, although not as much as a nursing home, where specialist medical procedures can be carried out regularly (for more details on the differences between residential care homes such as ours, and nursing homes, check out our previous blog post here.

Your Existing House is Unsuitable

Many people decide to downsize once their children have ‘flown the nest’ and they no longer need as much space for their home. But even so, this may not be the answer if your mobility is starting to decline. For example, stairs may present a problem for those with arthritis (and a stairlift won’t solve all the mobility issues anyway).

Older properties may also have odd steps and inclines (and narrow doorways and corridors) which increase the likelihood of falls and accidents. However, long-term retirement homes are built to be accessible by residents of all levels of mobility.

How Much Support You Get Locally

Humans benefit from regular contact with each other and this contact has a proven effect on both mental and physical wellbeing, but this can be more difficult if your family live a long way away, or if friends have passed away or moved away.

Carers who come into your home once or twice a day can help, but obviously there may be gaps in between (unless they live in).

In a long-term retirement home you can have plenty of contact with people of your own age and make new friends – the stimulation will do your mind good – as well as help with daily tasks.

Your Financial Situation

If you have the financial security and support, it may be beneficial to move in as soon as possible, rather than wait until it becomes a necessity.

Some of our rooms at Baxendale are available to people requiring financial support from their local authority. These rooms are available at a greatly reduced rate, which we negotiate with the relevant local authority, based on the care required by the applicant.

There’s also the issue of when you receive your State pension – this has changed in recent years and may do so again. For more details check out our previous blog post here.

Contact Baxendale – a Caring Home in North London

If you think you – or your loved one – would benefit from your moving into Baxendale, give us a call on 020 8445 1127.

You can also follow this link and fill in the online form and we will be happy to talk to you about your requirements.