Residential care

For many people there comes a time in their life when they are no longer able to care for themselves. Some choose to arrange care in their own homes but for others, moving to residential care may be the best option.

Finding the right care is important. Anyone considering moving into residential care should look at their own situation and think about how the care home can meet all their needs and how the care will be paid for. Age UK provides an excellent guide to help you decide if moving into a care home is the right choice for you.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is responsible for the registration and inspection of care homes. Each care home that is registered should have a CQC report that you can see. This report will show you when the home was last inspected and the star rating that it has been given for the care it provides.

As a person living with HIV there might be particular things that you will want to consider.

Medical treatment

How will your medical treatment be handled in the home? Who will have overall responsibility for your care? HIV may not be the only health problem that you have so it is important to find out how all of your healthcare needs will be met.

Disclosure and confidentiality

How well does the home deal with confidentiality and disclosure issues? You might want to ask to see their confidentiality policy or to ask them what experience they have in caring for people with HIV and how they have managed disclosure before.

Inclusiveness

If you are gay, lesbian, or transgender, you will want to make sure you are in an open and inclusive environment, where your partners and friends are allowed privacy and freedom of visits without prejudice.

Specialist HIV care homes

There are care homes that provide specialist care for people with HIV that you may want to consider.

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