Supporting quality of life as needs change

Huntington’s disease care

Supporting people to live well with Huntington’s disease and complex, co-occurring needs.

Enquire about care Find a care home
A man with short, fair hair sits indoors, wearing a navy T-shirt with green trim and a graphic design. There is a plant on a shelf and patterned curtains in the background.

Who we support

Huntington’s disease affects everyone differently, and people’s needs can change as their condition progresses.

Our nurse-led care homes support adults living with Huntington’s disease alongside complex and co-occurring needs relating to:

Movement and physical health

Including changes in movement, balance, coordination, posture and mobility, alongside pain, falls risks, and other physical health needs.

Behaviours of concern

Including anxiety, depression, agitation, aggression, impulsivity, disinhibition, social withdrawal and other changes in behaviour or mood.

Cognition and communication

Including changes in thinking, memory, decision-making, speech and communication, affecting relationships, choices, and everyday activities.

Eating, drinking, and swallowing

Including dysphagia, swallowing difficulties, aspiration risks, weight loss, and other changes affecting nutrition, hydration, and mealtimes.

Complex nursing needs

Including complex medication, epilepsy, respiratory needs, continence, enteral feeding, pain, and other needs requiring nursing oversight.

Advanced and changing needs

Including increasing physical dependency, communication difficulties, and nursing needs as Huntington’s disease progresses over time.

A smiling man wearing glasses and a white shirt with a lanyard stands by an open door, greeting a person who is partly visible in the foreground. Indoor setting with signs and light coming through the doorway.

When someone might come to live with us

People come to Exemplar Health Care at different points in their care journey, including:

  • stepping down from hospital or a secure setting
  • moving from another care provider that can no longer safely meet their needs
  • looking for a new home following a placement breakdown
  • moving from their family home or another setting as their needs increase
  • stepping down from prison or living on conditional release.*

*Available at selected homes, subject to individual assessment.

Our approach to Huntington's disease care

Our care adapts around the whole person, bringing together nursing, clinical, therapeutic, and behavioural support while helping them maintain their abilities, relationships, interests, and quality of life.

24-hour nursing care

Registered Nurses are on site 24 hours a day, providing responsive care, clinical oversight, and early recognition of change.

Needs-led staffing

Staffing and observation levels are shaped around individual needs, risks, and complexity, adapting as a person’s needs change.

Multidisciplinary approach

Nursing, medical, therapeutic, and behavioural expertise works together to provide coordinated care around each person’s needs.

Complex clinical capability

Complex nursing and clinical needs are supported alongside neurological, mental health, and behavioural needs.

Positive behaviour support

Proactive support helps teams understand distress and behaviour, reduce triggers, build trust, and respond safely and consistently.

Meaningful living

Supporting everyday choices, relationships, interests, abilities, independence, and continued involvement in everyday life.

A smiling young nurse in blue uniform talks with an older man in a grey jumper in a cosy room.

Supporting behaviours of concern

Huntington’s disease can affect behaviour, emotions, impulse control, and communication.

Our teams use positive behaviour support to understand what may be contributing to distress or behaviour and develop proactive, consistent support around the individual.

Colleagues receive BILD ACT-certified training and support from our Behaviour Support Specialists.

Read about behaviour support

Therapy support

Physiotherapy and occupational therapy can help people maintain mobility, physical function, independence, and comfort as their needs change.

Support can include movement and balance, falls prevention, posture and positioning, equipment and adaptations, and maintaining everyday skills and meaningful activity.

Read about therapy support
Smiling woman in a chef's hat and apron places biscuit dough on a baking tray in a bright, modern kitchen, with stacked plates and a food processor nearby.

Eating, drinking, and communication

Huntington’s disease can affect swallowing, speech, and communication as needs change.

Our teams support safe eating, drinking, and communication, including dysphagia, enteral feeding, nutrition and hydration, and alternative ways to communicate.

Read about nutrition support

Find Huntington’s disease care

Our Referrals Team can help find the right Exemplar Health Care home for someone living with Huntington’s disease.

Make a referral
A woman with short blonde hair sits at an office desk, talking on the phone and smiling. She faces a computer monitor. The background features wallpaper with a black-and-white book pattern.

FAQs about Huntington’s disease care

Huntington’s disease is a progressive neurological condition that affects movement, thinking, communication, emotions, and behaviour.

The condition affects everyone differently, and needs can change over time. Some people experience increasing difficulties with mobility, swallowing, cognition, mental health, communication, and everyday activities.

As needs become more complex, someone may require 24-hour nursing and multidisciplinary support to help them remain safe, comfortable, and involved in everyday life.

The care someone needs depends on how Huntington’s disease affects them and how their needs change over time.

This can include support with mobility, communication, cognition, eating and drinking, medication, mental health, behaviours of concern, and everyday activities.

As needs progress, someone may also require 24-hour nursing, therapy support, enteral feeding, positive behaviour support, or palliative and end of life care.

There is no single stage at which someone with Huntington’s disease needs to move into a care home.

A care home may become appropriate when someone’s needs can no longer be safely met at home or in their current setting, or when they’re ready to leave hospital but still require ongoing nursing and multidisciplinary support.

A full assessment should consider the person’s needs, goals, preferences, risks, and how these may change over time.

Funding depends on each person’s needs and circumstances. Care may be funded through NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC), a local authority, joint health and social care funding, or privately.

If you’re unsure how care may be funded, speak to your social worker, discharge team, care coordinator, or healthcare professional.

Our Referrals Team can explain the referral process and discuss the options available.