Visitors' views on residental homes

Relatives and other people who visit residential care homes have an opportu nity to formulate their own views about the quality of care, often over a c onsiderable period of time. They may be experienced in providing care thems elves, and many have been the principal carer before admission of the resid ent. They can be decision makers in purchasing care, and their preferences will therefore influence the market. Finally, through their frequent attend ance, they too form part of the environment of a home. This paper reports t he findings of a survey of 228 visitors to 17 residential care homes throug hout England. It shows who the visitors were, what they did, their likes, d islikes and ideas for improvements. It summarizes what aspects were most im portant to visitors, many of whom were former carers; this has implications for purchasers and providers of residential care. It closes with a methodo logical discussion about how the valuable views of visitors may be tapped w ithout encountering reticence due to guilt or fear of retribution affecting the resident.