In brief
Dementia care for families in Edinburgh
Families across Edinburgh come to us at very different points. Some are managing well at home with support from a partner or a daughter, but nights have become difficult. Others are here because a hospital stay has changed what is possible, or because the person they love is no longer safe on their own between visits.
Dementia care in a care home is not simply supervision. It is an environment shaped around memory loss: routines that stay the same day to day, staff who know how to communicate when words are hard to find, safe places to walk, and activity that keeps someone connected to who they have always been.
Our Edinburgh home is registered for dementia care alongside nursing and residential care, which matters more than it sounds. It means that if someone's needs change - and with dementia they usually do - they do not have to move again to a different home to get the right support.
Where this care is provided
Our home offering dementia care near Edinburgh
Looking more widely? See all Meallmore homes in Edinburgh.
The detail
What dementia care looks like in our Edinburgh home
Every resident has a care plan written with them and their family, covering the practical detail as well as the personal: how they like their tea, the name they answer to, the parts of the day they find hardest, what settles them when they are anxious.
Teams are trained in dementia communication and in recognising distress that is being expressed through behaviour rather than words. Medication is reviewed regularly with the GP practice, and registered nurses are on site so that changes in health are picked up early rather than at crisis point.
Day to day, the aim is an ordinary life: breakfast when you wake, a walk in the garden, music, familiar objects in your own room, visits from family without a rigid visiting slot. Edinburgh residents often keep up things they have always done - a Sunday paper, a hymn they know, a view of the sky and the weather coming in off the Forth.
Next steps
Arranging dementia care in Edinburgh
Most families start with a conversation and a visit. You are welcome to come and see the home, meet the manager, and ask the awkward questions - staffing at night, what happens if someone walks with purpose, how the home handles the difficult days.
If the person needing care lives in Edinburgh, the City of Edinburgh Council social work team will normally carry out a needs assessment, and a financial assessment if council support is being considered. You can also arrange a placement privately while an assessment is going on, and many families do.
Availability changes week to week, so the quickest way to know where you stand is to ask us. If we cannot help immediately, we will tell you plainly and point you to what else is realistic.
Areas we cover
Families travel to us from Edinburgh and nearby
- Edinburgh
- Leith
- Portobello
- Musselburgh
- Newhaven
Council area: City of Edinburgh Council.
Common questions
Dementia care in Edinburgh: your questions
Yes. Forthland Lodge in Leith is registered for dementia care, nursing care and residential care, with registered nurses on site. That means someone living with dementia who also has clinical needs - wounds, diabetes, complex medication, swallowing difficulties - can be supported in the same home rather than moving on. See the Forthland Lodge home page for the full picture.
It depends on the level of care, the room, and whether the placement is council-supported or self-funded. In Scotland, free personal care is paid to adults of any age who are assessed by their council as needing it, with a further free nursing care contribution where nursing care is needed, and the council may fund more depending on the financial assessment. Our care home costs guide sets out the current figures, and we will always give you a clear written fee before anything is agreed.
There is rarely one moment. Families usually describe a build-up: nights without sleep, weight loss, falls, medication going wrong, or a carer whose own health is suffering. Our guide on when to move to a dementia care home walks through the signs. If you are unsure, talk to the GP or the community mental health team as well as to us.
Families come to us from Leith, Newhaven, Portobello, Trinity, Granton, the city centre and out towards Musselburgh and East Lothian. There is no catchment - if you can visit comfortably, the home works for you.
Yes, and we would encourage it. Come at a normal time of day rather than a staged one, bring whoever else is helping you decide, and stay for lunch if you would like to. You can also arrange a short respite stay first so the person moving has a chance to try the home.
Before you decide
Guides worth reading first
- When is it time for a dementia care home?
- Choosing a dementia care home in Scotland
- The stages of dementia, and what to expect at each
- How much does a care home cost in Scotland?
Everything we have written on dementia sits together in our Dementia Knowledge Hub.
Important - please read
The information on this page is general guidance about care in Edinburgh. It is not legal, financial or medical advice, and Meallmore cannot accept liability for decisions made on the basis of it.
- Always check your own position with a trained professional: your GP or healthcare team for anything health related, an independent regulated adviser for money, a solicitor for legal matters, and your local council for needs and financial assessments.
- In an emergency, or if someone's health is getting worse quickly, call 999. For urgent advice that is not an emergency, phone NHS 24 on 111. Please do not use this page in place of medical help.
- Care rates, thresholds and council policies change, and availability moves week to week, so confirm current figures and vacancies with us before relying on them.
None of this is a reason to put off asking for help. If you would like to talk it through with a team who do this every day, we are very happy to hear from you, and there is no obligation either way.
Other care in Edinburgh