Before moving into sheltered housing, it is important to visit several schemes so you can work out if your needs will be met. The facilities vary from scheme to scheme, so there are a number of points you need to consider during your initial visit.
Location
Consider whether the area is easy to access and listen out for noisy factories, main roads or busy flight paths. If it's a different area from where you live now, think about how you'll cope with an unfamiliar place and how you'll feel about moving away from friends and family.
Spend some time exploring the area and around the scheme and find out how close you are to shops, post offices, banks, chemists, medical services and so on.
Alarm system
The emergency alarm system is usually linked to a communication centre that can summon help for you in an emergency. The people at the centre then contact a relative, doctor or emergency service, depending on the situation.
Try to find out about the reliability of the system and what action is taken when you call for help.
Transport
If you drive or have regular visitors who do, find out if there is adequate parking space and easy access from the parking area to your home. If you use public transport, find out the nearest routes and frequency of local bus and train services.
Communal areas
Most schemes have a common room or residents' lounge, and a guest room where visitors can stay. You might like to arrange a visit when there is a coffee morning or a similar event in the lounge so you can meet other residents. It is also advisable to find out the arrangements for using the laundry – earliest and latest times of day that it can be used – as well as charges for using the guest room.
How sheltered accommodation is monitored
By law, sheltered accommodation must meet certain standards of care that protect your safety and rights. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only register care services if they meet what they call ‘essential standards', and monitor them to make sure they continue to do so.
In practical terms, if you live in sheltered accommodation and are getting personal care, you can expect:
- to be involved and told what's happening at every stage of your care
- treatment and support that meets your needs
- to be safe
- to be cared for by qualified staff
- your care provider to constantly check the quality of its services.
Read a summary of the standards you should expect by law:
Making a complaint about sheltered housing
If you have a complaint about sheltered housing, the first thing you should do is tell the manager or another senior staff member. You might want to ask a friend or relative, a voluntary organisation like the Citizens Advice Bureau or a charity to help make your complaint.
If you're unsatisfied with the way the centre deals with your complaint, you can contact the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO). In most cases they will only consider a complaint once the agency has been given the opportunity to deal with the situation. It's a free service and the LGO's job is to investigate complaints in a fair and independent way.
East Sussex County Council