Choosing to move to a care home, either following an assessment by a social care worker or as a person funding your own care, is a big decision. Before making a commitment, we recommend that you look into your alternatives. With the right help and support, many people can live safely and independently in their own home.

To find the best care home for you, we recommend searching on the Care Choices website. Care Choices keeps a list of all homes in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

You can also: 

• contact us for a free brochure
• read inspection reports for local homes from the Care Quality Commission
• use guides and checklists from Care Choices, Age UK or the Alzheimer's Society to find the right home for you care checklists Age UK's care home checklist
• Care Choices' care checklists

Types of home

There are different types of care home available, depending on your needs:

• residential homes provide a place to live, meals and personal care if required
• nursing homes provide the same services as residential homes, but also provide medical care
• some homes provide specialist care for dementia, physical disabilities, learning disabilities or specific mental health conditions

To try and stay as independent as possible, you could also consider extra care housing.