Understanding residential care

1. Consider the person’s needs

Start with what the person needs and wants from daily life. If support at home is becoming difficult to organise, discuss the situation with the person and the professionals involved in their care.

Consider what is working, where support is missing and whether other arrangements at home could help. A residential care decision should include the person’s preferences, relationships, language, routines and sense of belonging.

Prepare for the conversation

What support is needed during the day and overnight?
What has changed recently?
What matters most to the person?
What help can family realistically continue to provide?
Which options should be assessed before deciding?

Explore the detailed guides

2. Compare care homes

Make a shortlist and use the same questions at each visit. Look beyond a welcoming reception area: ask about ordinary daily life and how the service responds when needs change.

Can you meet this person’s current needs?
Who provides care, and what cover is available overnight?
How are care plans agreed and reviewed?
How are meals, activities, visitors and personal routines handled?
How will you communicate with the person and their chosen supporters?
How can someone raise a concern or make a complaint?
What happens if more support becomes necessary?

Ask for written information. Give the person time to ask their own questions, and record what remains unclear.

Use the care-home comparison and visit guide →

3. Check costs and plan the transition

Request an itemised explanation of fees, deposits, optional extras and the terms for leaving or changing arrangements. Ask the provider and the relevant funding body to confirm what applies before committing.

Before a move

Agree on key contacts, medicines and care information to share, personal belongings, communication preferences and the first review meeting. Discuss how familiar relationships and routines can continue.

Compare support at home or return to Start Here.

Country relevance: Australia and United States. Updated September 2026. This is a planning guide, not an assessment of an individual’s care needs or a recommendation of a particular home.