Yes, we do. Following recent investments and renovations, we now have full commercial grade Wi-Fi throughout the home.

Unfortunately, we aren’t able to allow pets to live at Alexander but they are very welcome to visit.

We serve breakfast at a time you request, lunch is served from 12.30pm and dinner from 4.30pm. You are welcome to take meals in you room or in our dining room. We also have morning, afternoon and evening drinks and snacks breaks and our ream are happy to rustle you something up when needed.

FAQs

Making your choice

Frequently asked questions

We want to be as helpful as possible to anyone thinking about moving into care or their family and friends. We’ve tried to answer some of the most commonly asked questions people have about moving into care and about our home below as well as in our Service User Guide.

You can download a pdf of the Service User Guide here.

Making your choice

What does a care home provide?

Care homes provide the staff and environment to assist residents with personal care, such as washing, dressing, taking medication and help going to the toilet if needed. Care Homes can also assist people with eating and if they also provide dementia care (like us) they will be designed to make people feel safe and comfortable and staff will be trained in dementia care. There are also Care Homes with Nursing. We can discuss all your care needs with you.

What should I look for in a care home?

How do I find out more or arrange a visit?

When we’ve received your enquiry we will be in touch promptly. An experienced manager will start by asking you or your representatives about you as an individual and your care needs. We’ll also talk to you about how care funding works depending on your individual circumstances. We’ll also liaise with your social worker if you have one assigned, but you don’t need to have a social worker to contact us.

At this stage it might be helpful for you to come and visit the home, either just to take a look round hosted by one of our senior team or to stay for lunch or longer.

The next stage will be for us to come out to meet you and carry out an assessment in person. If you’re then feel Alexander will be the right home for you, we can arrange for you to move in at a time of your choice and make sure you’ll get a warm welcome. We’ll also make sure we ask you what you want for your first meal before you move in.

Please take a look at our FAQs section for more information about moving in, care funding and fees and what’s included in your room.

Do I need to appoint a Lasting Power of Attorney if I am considering moving into care?

A Lasting Power of Attorney is someone you can appoint to manage your affairs in case there is a time when you lose the mental capacity to make decisions. There are two types of Lasting Power of Attorney: one for financial and property decisions and one for health and care decisions. A Lasting Power of Attorney can also take financial decisions on your behalf while you have mental capacity, if you wish them to. A Lasting Power of Attorney for health and care will only come into effect if you lose mental capacity.

While you don’t need to appoint an LPA when moving into a care home, they can be extremely useful to ensure your affairs and care can be managed smoothly and in your interests.

Can I move into Alexander Care Home?

If you fund your own care, you like us and we can meet your needs then you can move into Alexander as soon as we have a vacancy. If you will need Local Authority funding, the council will need to carry out a Needs Assessment. It might be that they will recommend funding for domiciliary care or other forms of support before funding your move into a care home. If they agree to fund a place in a care home then, as above, if you like us and we can meet your needs, we will be happy to welcome you. For certain rooms we may ask for a “top up” (please see below).

Do you offer respite care?

Do you offer trial stays?

We also recommend Age UK www.ageuk.org.uk, which provides helpful information and factsheets. Leeds City Council also has a helpful page here How to get adult social care and support (leeds.gov.uk) and you can call the Council team on 0113 222 4444 for support.

Funding your care

Who will pay for my care?

This can be a complex area and we recommend you look at Paying for care | Working out the costs of elderly care | Age UK and the Leeds Council pages at https://www.leeds.gov.uk/adult-social-care/how-to-get-adult-social-care-and-support/help-to-pay-for-care/help-paying-for-care-homes

Currently, if you have capital (including your house) worth over £23,250 then you must pay the whole cost of your care fees (this is known as being Self-Funding).
If you have Capital of less than £23,250, you will become eligible for Local Authority support, which will be calculated based on any income you may have such as from private pensions, for example. Even if you are eligible for Local Authority funding in Leeds the care home will still need to collect the “Assessed Contribution” which will essentially be your pension minus an amount the council allow you to keep from your pension.
If your care needs become more complex while you live at Alexander Care Home it may be that you will become entitled to fully-funded NHS care known as Continuing Healthcare. More information can be found here https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/money-work-and-benefits/nhs-continuing-healthcare/

If I am eligible for Local Authority funding, do you charge a “Top-Up”?

Top-Ups are common now in social care due to the shortfall between the funding the government makes available to Local Authorities to pay for care, and the real cost of providing quality care which meets CQC standards. We will ask for a top-up fee where the room you wish to move into costs more than the Local Authority funding available. We have rooms at Alexander where we don’t ask for a top-up.

What if I’m classed as a “Self-Funder” but I don’t have immediate access to funds or I need to sell my house to pay for my care?

The best thing to do in this case is still to contact the Local Authority as they may be able arrange funding in the short term the cost of which they could reclaim from you. Or, if you are awaiting a house sale, you should be able to apply to the Local Authority for a Deferred Payment Agreement by which a Local Authority will lend you the money to pay care fees and you can repay once your house has been sold. Find more information about Deferred Payment Agreements and how they differ from conventional loans here Deferred payment agreements (leeds.gov.uk).

When are care fees due?

When do you review your fees?

What’s included at Alexander Care Home?

What’s included in my care fees?

Fuller information is in our Service User Guide but, in summary, all of the following are included in your care fees:

care and support according to safe staffing levels (CQC requirement)
a furnished room (please see below for further details)
heating, electricity and water
TV licence
Wi-Fi
main meals, snacks and hot and cold drinks according to our menus
laundry and ironing
communal in-house social activities

What’s included in my room?

Food is also important to me – how does this work at Alexander Care Home?

We’re very lucky to have a skilled catering team at Alexander and residents often compliment our food. We have four weekly menus, but as an independent care home we’ve got lots of flexibility with our menus and we can make sure we stock any particular favourite items you might have. There are hot drinks offered throughout the day and afternoon cakes too. If you have special dietary needs, we’ll work with your dietician to make sure we provide you with nutritious food.

We also prepare meals for special occasions, and we’re happy to invite spouses free of charge for Christmas Lunch or other important occasions.

Do you have Wi-Fi?

Will you do my laundry?

Can you arrange appointments for me?

Will you escort me on trips and appointments?

Practicalities of living at Alexander Care Home

Can I bring in personal possessions?

Yes – of course you can! We only ask that we are still able to look after you safely in your room.

You’re welcome to hang pictures with proper fixings and our handyman can help with this.
If you have valuables, we can keep them in our safe or there is lockable storage in your room. But please talk to us about bringing valuable items into the care home before you move in.

Do you allow pets?

Are my family and friends welcome?

Of course – we value these most important of relationships.

We like to work as a team with family members to help support residents and to plan care together. There are often occasions when guest are invited to visit as well as drop ins to keep in touch. If you’d like to hold a small family function for a birthday or celebration, you’re welcome to host your guests in our upstairs lounge or in your room.

What are meal times?

There’s a Resident’s Area on our website where you and your family can access more information and updates.

If things are not as you’d hoped

We pride ourselves on listening to our residents and to their friends and family and it is really important for our community that everyone is happy living with us. But we’re also aware that things don’t always work out and you’ll have questions about what happens then.

How do you make sure my opinions are heard?

Your key worker will be your first point of contact at the home, and you are always welcome to speak to our friendly management team. We’ll always build how we care for you around your opinions, concerns, likes and dislikes. We then also hold quarterly resident forums in the home and via online meetings so as many family and friend can attend. We supplement this with surveys – and we talk to you!

If I am unhappy with Alexander Care Home, can I complain?

Yes. If you’re not happy with anything please do let us know as soon as possible. You can do this informally or formally via our complaints process. If you’re not happy with how we deal with your complaint, you can contact the CQC or Local Authority. Indeed, you can contact them anonymously at any time. Likewise, if you have positive feedback, please do pass this on as we can pass this on to our staff, which always gives them an extra spring in their step.

If I want to move out, do I need to give notice?

Would you like to know more?

if you have any questions or want to get to know more about us here at Alexander care Home, get in touch using our form below.

FAQs

Making your choice

Frequently asked questions

Making your choice

Funding your care

What’s included at Alexander Care Home?

Practicalities of living at Alexander Care Home

If things are not as you’d hoped

Would you like to know more?

Help

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