Should I bring dad home now or temporary residential care during pandemic?

Well.

If your kids are being really, really good about social distancing. AND if you're able to "shield" your dad, especially with things like explaining why the kids need to keep their distance. And if you have looked ahead and are confident you're not going to get more than you bargained for permanently (e.g. if it then becomes extremely difficult either to get him to his own home, or to find residential care for him)...

On the whole, yes, I think he'd be safer and happier with you. But what about the rest of the family?

Shona the reason I asked where you are (just roughly) is that it makes such a difference what part of the country and which local authority.

It isn't something I'd recommend, but where I am we certainly are seeing elders discharged to their homes alone and we certainly are providing support - I'm about to go out on my round!

You say your father is in a care home for assessment, then say it's only an assessment unit and he's being discharged because he doesn't need nursing care - so I'm a little confused, whose care is he under? Is this an NHS rehab unit - didn't know there still were any! - or a community hospital or what?

I still think it's a bad idea to bring him into your home unless:

you already have substantial experience of caring for him day to day and know that you can cope
"loads of room" includes enough physical rooms for him to live separately from the rest of you if need be
your home is well located for access to health and food delivery services

Any children in the house?
Do you have LPA for him?

I would ask that he be tested and u too. If negative, I see no problem with bringing him to ur house till this is over. I would bring none of his things into the house until you can wipe them down. Wash all his clothes again. Bring nothing from the facility that they supplied to Dad.

What ought to happen is that he stays where he is until - well, until the restrictions are relaxed. Why is there talk of moving him at all for now?

Yeah to live me temporary til carers are getting back to community. I’m in UK I feel if he was moved to residential care he would be more at risk and with his dementia it could or probably would knock him back 😊

Where are you, Shona?

If the care home he's in were that dreadful, would he be doing so well there after several weeks?

The trouble with bringing him to your home - do you mean to live with you? - would be that if anyone in the household got ill you would have to deal with isolating that person, PLUS "shielding" your vulnerable father. It would be a heck of a challenge.