If at some time you might consider applying to the Homes we invite you to contact our staff and arrange to visit us, perhaps accompanied by friends or family. That visit may be followed up by submitting your name to our "Interested List", and saying when you might be ready to move in - many applicants put their names down years in advance, partly to get a place in the queue, and also because their circumstances might change. (In spite of the cartoon, we accept applications from people who are 65 or over. )

The waiting time varies according to the needs of the applicants and the type of accommodation available at the time. Others who have been on the "Interested List" for some time may still not be ready for a place, so some new applicants can be offered places very quickly.

Everyone on the list is kept informed about the Homes, and when a vacancy arises in the cottages or the main building, we consider people near the top of the list who might be ready to come in, and for whom the vacant accommodation is most suitable. They are offered a 4 week "trial period" staying in the Homes. At the end of that time, they may choose to move in permanently, to remove their names from the list, or to say that while they are not ready to move in, they would like to stay on the list. Both the applicants and the Homes participate in the decision about whether a permanent place will be offered and whether it will be accepted.

Our fees for the trial period are slightly higher than for residents, because we provide furniture for the trial stay, and because of the work of assessing care needs. Most of the permanent residents have brought in some of their own furniture.