Care homes and nursing homes are undoubtedly residential facilities designed to provide some degree of care to individuals who need care.

Often people go to either of these homes only to be told that a care home or nursing home is more suitable for their needs.

Healthcare providers would have faced the question; what is the difference between a residential care home and a nursing home? In this blog post, we will explain the differences between a care home and a nursing home

Difference Between Care Homes and Nursing Homes

The difference lies in the type of services provided, the financial implication and the type of staff.

Residential Care Homes

Care homes provide 24-hour daily care by trained carers. Usually, the residents are elderly clients and their care needs are due to age-related degenerated health conditions such as reduced mobility and poor memory.

Both care and nursing homes help their residents with activities of daily living such as eating, housekeeping, washing, dressing, toileting and so on.

Generally, if your need for care is because of support with basic activities of daily living then most likely a care home will be more suitable. However, if the reason for requesting care is due to a medical condition then a nursing home will be more appropriate.

Nursing Homes

Nursing homes also provide 24-hour daily care to nursing home residents. However, the level of care is higher than what is obtainable in care homes and is done by registered nurses supported by care assistants.

The residents all require some degree of nursing care such as wound care, intravenous medication and other interventions. The cost of services in nursing homes is usually higher than in care homes.

A healthcare professional will inform you if a care home or a nursing home will be appropriate for your care needs. Explore Caregiver Jobs in the UK