A Guide to making the most of visiting your loved one in a care home

Moving into a care home is a big step, and being able to see a familiar face can be a comfort for your loved one. But visiting your loved one in a care home can feel difficult, and knowing how to act or what to say can feel awkward, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Regular visits to your loved one can be comforting, especially if they suffer from dementia. At Lidder Care, we understand the importance of quality time, which is why we do everything we can to support you and your loved ones during this time. 

Discover our guide to making the most out of visiting your loved one in one of our care homes.

Know their Schedule

Keeping a routine in a care home is important, which is why in our Mansfield Care Home Newgate Lodge we provide each of our residents with a schedule that they can choose to follow, whilst also supporting them as they create their own.

It is important for our residents, especially those suffering from dementia, to have a regular routine to follow, just like they would at home.

Choose your visit based on the time of day when your loved one will be the least tired, and avoid visiting during times when they may have a therapy session, social event or usual nap time.

Your visit will run smoothly if you are considerate of the person you are visiting, and taking a patient that suffers from dementia out of their regular routine can have a negative impact. Instead, why not try to integrate your visits into part of their regular schedule?

Speak to our friendly staff before you visit for insights into the best times to visit and what to expect when you do.

What to talk about during your care home visit

Talking to your loved ones when visiting may feel awkward at first, but remember that your loved ones are being cared for.

To make speaking to your loved ones easier, try not to ask questions that can have a yes or no answer, it can begin to cause stress if they don’t know the answer, the same can be said for trying to make them remember something. If you are talking about past memories and your loved one has seemingly forgotten, don’t press the matter, move on to something else.

Dementia can put a strain on a relationship, and whilst it may be upsetting for you that your loved one doesn’t remember things, it can be more upsetting for them. Instead, ask them about their day, and what they’ve been up to recently, and even if they are not recalling what you know to be true don’t correct them, just allow them to steer the conversation in a direction that is comfortable for them.

Spend time together doing activities

Your visits don’t have to be reserved for talking, so why not bring an activity that you can do together? This could be a puzzle, painting their nails, watching family videos or even reading a beloved book. The real importance of your visit is spending quality time together, showing them a familiar face and reminding them that they are loved and not alone. 

Living with dementia can be scary, especially when you don’t always recognise where you are, so anything that soothes your loved one is the ideal way to spend your visit.

Make the most of your visit with Lidder Care

At Lidder Care the happiness of our residents is important to us, which is why our staff work closely with you to make sure your visits go smoothly. We have one of the top dementia care homes in Mansfield, so you can rest assured that your loved ones will be well looked after in our care.

Make the most of your visits to our Mansfield Nursing Home. Pop in to see your loved one soon!

Get in touch with our friendly team to learn more about how we can help, or check out our FAQs for more information about our quality care homes in Nottinghamshire.