I read with great personal interest Simon Barrett's article on care homes in East Sussex (The Argus, March 23). For many years I was involved with care of older people in both the NHS and in the community.

Back in 1983, as part of a course I undertook, I did a piece on work involving care and nursing homes in Brighton and Hove. The findings then were appalling and the conditions now in some homes are worse than we can imagine.

In the Eighties, there were only two homes I would have allowed my parents to be residents in.

Now I think there is only one I would go into myself.

I am of an age when many of my neighbours need more support than they can get in their own homes and are looking into going into residential homes.

Some of the homes we have visited are not fit for animals. My advice to anyone thinking of going into a care home is visit the home without an appointment. If the home says you must visit at a certain time, don't even bother looking as it has something to hide.

If your are going into a home, get your family to go with you and visit at every time of the day and do a night visit.

Please remember, moving into a residential care home is one of the biggest steps you are going to take in your life. Getting into a home is easy but getting out of a bad home is extremely hard.

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