Independent days: Why your approach must not disable residents

For those who move to a care home certain freedoms have been constrained as a consequence of physical, functional and mental conditions that limit an individual’s ability to be self-reliant and to direct their own affairs without the support of others. At the point of moving to a care home the majority of residents (75%) are classified as severely disabled and this is often followed by subsequent decline (Office of Fair Trading, 2005). Thus, residents are likely to need assistance with the most rudimentary aspects of daily life such as dressing, using the toilet, bathing, feeding and mobilizing.