The questions families ask most.

…my loved one takes a while to settle?

It’s completely normal. The first days and weeks are all about us getting to know our residents, and them getting to know us. Some people adapt immediately, others need time. But we’ve experienced every stage, and know how to navigate the early days.

We always encourage you to decorate your loved one’s room to their taste, if you wish. Their furniture, their precious items, their bedding or curtains — their room is yours to make feel like home, if you choose.

…they ask to go home?

This is also very common, and for some it never stops. But “home” can often mean somewhere from long ago rather than the house your loved one left. The answer is company: a cup of tea, a walk along the corridor, a voice they know. Familiarity makes a place feel like home, and over time those same faces we’re so proud to say will be here every day will help make our home feel like their home.

…they fall?

Your loved one is checked and treated, and you are rung by the person who was with them. Then the cause is looked at. A carer who has known them for years notices a change in how they walk before anyone else can, which is why falls here have more than halved since 2020.

Aria also has the latest technology installed in all bedrooms, as well as CCTV in our communal areas, to alert our team discretely to our residents’ movements when we need to, all to support fall prevention.

…they are ill, or need to go to hospital?

You are rung straight away, and where possible someone your loved one knows goes with them. Their room stays theirs. When they come back the faces are the same, and that is usually what they notice.

…your loved one’s needs change?

Their care changes with them. Most people who come to live here stay for the rest of their lives and are cared for to the end. If their needs ever go beyond what a residential home can safely meet, for instance round-the-clock nursing, you will hear early and the next step will be planned together.

The formal process will be a nursing assessment, if it’s felt that they may need more specialised care. However for our residents we always do everything in our power to help meet their needs with us.

…something goes wrong?

You hear it first, from the home, with what is being done about it. In certain situations we will have legal obligations to report incidents or issues directly to our regulator, Care Inspectorate Wales, as well as potentially to other bodies such the local Safeguarding Team, Public Health Wales, for example.

…the money runs out?

This is a contentious area to navigate, and you’ll often hear things like “they’ll need to move to a cheaper home.” However, this simply is not the case.

We’ve successfully supported families through this period, and highlighted the legal processes, statutory duties of Social Services, and to ensure that their rights are upheld.

We’ll explain why you should never be forced to pay a ‘top-up’ as a condition of your relative’s continuity of care. We’ll explain what every Council must do first – before they try to instruct you to move homes. We’ll make sure you’re fully informed at every stage.

When savings approach £50,000, the council is told and its contribution starts; everything below that line is left alone. They have a statutory responsibility to every person needing social care support.

…the council says it won’t pay for Aria?

We’ll prepare you for that scenario with what questions you should be asking, what processes should be followed first, and what your rights are.

A Council cannot enforce a blanket decision that requires a vulnerable person to move homes based solely on cost.

We’ve featured in national media on this very subject, and it’s one we feel immensely strongly about.

…when my loved one leaves Aria, is there a notice period to pay?

No. Never. We always ‘close’ rooms the very day a resident moves on, and never charge any notice periods.

…your loved one isn’t keen, or can’t take the decision in?

Both are common. If they can make the decision, it is theirs, and an afternoon here with nothing decided often does more than any conversation. If they cannot, the law asks for the decision to be made in their best interests with the family’s voice at the centre, and the move is planned gently, in stages if that helps.

…I promised them I’d never put them in a home?

Most families did. You have not put them in a home; you have found them one, and brought in people who can do the nights and the lifting. That is how the promise gets kept.

We know the guilt attached for you when making such a decision. But we also know the difference having your loved one live somewhere where they’re cared for 24/7 can make to an entire family’s life.

You’ll be able to go back to enjoying quality time together, not having to worry about all of the things that we’ll take care of.

…we can’t visit as often as we’d like?

Come when you can. You have your families to support, your own lives, your own responsibilities. You can always call, even video call, if you can’t make it often enough. But whether you visit once a month, once a week, or even once a day, it’ll always make your loved one’s day.

Do you use agency?

No. Most of the fee goes to the people in the room with them: the best-paid carers in the country, and no agency staff. You are paying for the same face at breakfast.

What is the fee, and what is not included?

£1,530 a week. The fee covers their room, meals and drinks, personal care day and night, laundry and activities. We partner with local hairdressers and chiropodists, and their costs are listed before anything is signed.

What is the notice period, and what happens to the fee if they go into hospital?

No notice period. Never. We always ‘close’ rooms the very day a resident moves on, and never charge any notice periods.

If your loved one is ill, or needs to go to hospital, you are rung straight away, and where possible someone they know goes with them. Their room stays theirs.

When was your last inspection, and can I read the report?

We are registered with and inspected by Care Inspectorate Wales, and the latest report is public.

What happens if your loved one’s needs change?

Their care changes with them. Most people who come to live here stay for the rest of their lives and are cared for to the end. If their needs ever go beyond what a residential home can safely meet, for instance round-the-clock nursing, you will hear early and the next step will be planned together.

What do you pay your carers?

The best rates in the UK. Our carers are the best-paid in the country, and they pay it back in years: the carer who knows how they like their hair done is still here.

Can I visit whenever I like, unannounced?

Come when you can. You have your families to support, your own lives, your own responsibilities. You can always call, even video call, if you can’t make it often enough. But whether you visit once a month, once a week, or even once a day, it’ll always make your loved one’s day.

How will you tell me when something goes wrong?

You hear it first, from the home, with what is being done about it. In certain situations we will have legal obligations to report incidents or issues directly to our regulator, Care Inspectorate Wales, as well as potentially to other bodies such the local Safeguarding Team, Public Health Wales, for example.

Can I see your activities schedule?

Yes. Our activities schedule is on the notice board in reception, updated every week.

Can I see a sample menu?

Yes. Our four-week menu is always on the notice board as you enter the lounge.

What technology or safety equipment do you use?

Aria has the latest technology installed in all bedrooms, as well as CCTV in our communal areas, to alert our team discretely to our residents’ movements when we need to, all to support fall prevention. A carer who has known them for years notices a change in how they walk before anyone else can, which is why falls here have more than halved since 2020.