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CareMapIreland

Guide

Home care or a nursing home: how to think it through

A decision guide for Irish families weighing continued care at home against residential care — the questions to work through, not a comparison of providers.

5 min read

Last reviewed: 11 September 2026Verified

The short answer

This page does not rank providers and it cannot tell you what the right answer is. It sets out the questions families usually need answered, and where the official information for each route comes from. CareMap does not give clinical or legal advice.

Questions to work through

  • Ask the care team what level of support appears necessary
  • Understand what can realistically be provided at home, and by whom
  • Discuss the person's own wishes with them
  • Understand the HSE Home Support route, including how to apply and what the assessment of need involves
  • If residential care is being considered, use the current HSE Nursing Homes Support Scheme guidance and HIQA information about individual centres

Understanding the home route first

  • Has an application for HSE Home Support been made, and has an assessment of need taken place?
  • Has the local Home Support Office been told about any change in circumstances?
  • Would equipment or a change to the house make a difference — and who can advise on that?
  • Are day services, meals or respite available locally, so a family member is not the only cover?

If residential care is being considered

We do not publish scheme contribution rates or thresholds, because they change. Check them with the body that publishes them.

  • Use the current HSE Nursing Homes Support Scheme guidance for how the scheme works and how to apply
  • HIQA publishes inspection reports for individual designated centres for older people
  • Visit, and ask the centre your own questions about staffing, daily life and how families are kept informed

What this page is not

It is not a clinical or legal determination, and it is not a provider comparison. Where a decision has to be made quickly, the people who can tell you what is possible are the care team involved and the offices that run each scheme.

Sources

This guide is general information, not medical, legal or financial advice.