FAQs

Whilst we specialise in care for older people, we welcome all members of the community. Our most popular types of housing are:

Amenity Housing: for people over 50
Alarmed Housing: for anyone over 60. The property is fitted with an alarm system
Sheltered Housing: for ages 60 and over. These are staffed sites with inactivity monitoring including an alarm pull cord. Staff are usually on site Monday to Friday between 09.00 and 15.30
Enhanced Sheltered Housing: entry age of 60 and over. Similar to sheltered housing but some sites have a café and staff work 9.00 – 5.00, seven days a week.

Click here to read details of all the different types of housing we offer.

Although you have a self-contained flat, there are common areas for socialising, communal laundry rooms, and guest rooms for family or visitors to stay. There are support staff on site during the day. There is a built-in inactivity sensor system and every room is fitted with an emergency pull cord.

We have a wonderfully diverse range of people living in our sheltered housing, from very fit and active older adults, to those who need support to enable them to live as independently as possible.

These fully qualified support staff are onsite throughout the week to organise events, check you’re OK and assist you in setting up extra support and advising you on your tenancy.

You get your own self-contained property. It most definitely is not a care home, and you and your family and friends may come and go as often as you like. We only ask, if you are going away over night that you let the Coordinator know, so we do not call out your key holder to check if you are okay.

You will be asked when you apply if you have a pet. We allow one pet automatically, but more than one must be requested in writing via your Housing Officer.

Family and friends are welcome to stay for a few days or a week. However they can’t move in. Most of our complexes have a guest room which may be booked out at a very reasonable price per person per night.

All our tenants living in sheltered and enhanced properties can get help from our on-site staff with rent management, housing benefit claims, reporting repairs, monitoring inactivity and responding to emergency pull cords. We can also put you in touch with other professionals if you need further support to enable you to live independently.

Please register for housing in Edinburgh via Edindex, Key to Choice lettings system in conjunction with Edinburgh Council. For Fife you will need to register with the Fife housing or our own waiting list. And for Mid and East Lothian, apply directly via the local authorities in these areas.

If you move into one of our sheltered sites, the onsite Coordinator will check in with you to ensure you are settling in well, and will be on hand if you need to speak to them. If you’re moving into our Mainstream, Amenity or Alarmed Housing, you will have a Settling In visit arranged with your Housing Officer, and again you can call them to arrange a home visit if you need to speak to them prior to this date.

A financial check will be carried out before you’re offered a property to see if you can afford the rent on you own - or if you need to apply for Housing Benefit. If, once you move in, you are struggling to make ends meet, then a meeting with our Welfare Rights Officer can be arranged. She will visit you in your own home to discuss what options are available to you.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch here - we'll be happy to help!

Our care homes provide exceptional levels of nursing care 24 hours a day as well as spacious accommodation, company and support. They are registered with the Care Inspectorate as Care Homes with Nursing, specifically for older people. Our dedicated Care Assistants assist our Registered Nurses to provide thoughtful, compassionate, personal care and our Managers and Deputies are also qualified and experienced Registered Nurses.

Yes, our team have specialist training in dementia care and many other medical conditions. We’ll meet with the person and their family before they move in, to carry out an assessment and then tailor a care service to their needs. Please call us to arrange a meeting.

When accommodation becomes available it’s instantly posted on our active waiting lists. Give us a call to find out more.

Yes, and there are different ways to fund care. We can discuss this at the viewing.

Don’t worry, you can stay in the care home and the same room. Your care will continue to be provided with the same compassion and attention to detail.

Yes, all our rooms are single en-suite. However, we can sometimes accommodate couples if two rooms are available at the same time.

Of course, visitors are welcomed and encouraged. We can even arrange for you to have a meal with your guest if you want. Check with individual homes for visiting times. We welcome four legged visitors too – pets always make everyone feel at home.

Yes. We also offer WIFI throughout our homes so you can stream movies, Skype friends and relatives and keep in touch with everything that’s happening in the world wide web.

We provide all these but feel free to bring your own. We have a laundry in house and provide a very good laundry service and always check the labelling for your machine washable clothes.

Yes, we actively encourage you to.

Of course. We want you to feel completely at home and to continue living and doing the things you normally do.

Everything’s on the menu, from breakfast, morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner to snacks at suppertime plus other treats throughout the day. We also cater for events like birthdays and parties. We have our own kitchens with trained cooks and staff who will be happy to cater for your needs. We accommodate all special and religious diets.

Yes, we encourage you to go out. Our homes are located in quiet residential areas with easy access to shops, cafes and other areas of interest. There are also activities and bus trips you can take part in – we even have our own bus.

Sometimes residents need to be admitted for treatable conditions. When this happens, we try to get you back home as quickly as possible.

We always ensure we have more than enough members of staff to provide you with an exceptional level of service. In fact, we always staff at, and on occasion exceed, our Care Inspectorate staffing notice.
Our staff are recruited for their values and attitudes as well as their qualifications. They are provided with a full training and development programme to ensure they maintain and expand their skills and expertise. Most of our staff have been in post for several years.

Your Care Home Manager will constantly stay in touch with your relatives by phone, email and Skype.

Let’s chat in person. To discuss your specific situation and needs please get in touch with the care home directly. We will be happy to speak to you and arrange a viewing.