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Environments matched to residents needs
Our trademark is the wonderful environment we create for our residents, from the elegant décor and furnishings right through to the variety of facilities each home houses.
We don’t compromise on quality – our residents deserve the best. We want our environments to enhance their lifestyle. It is not about starting a new life but creating an extension of their old one.
Defining spaces
Our homes include a range of spaces under one roof and strive to create environments our residents can enjoy. There are private dining rooms for families to enjoy a Sunday roast with their loved one. There are hair salons, and beauty spas in our newer homes. As well as bars and cinemas, we have libraries that are well stocked, including audio books for those that struggle with reading. Kitchenettes are incorporated into our dining areas where residents can wash dishes, make a cup of tea or bake a cake, which can help them feel purposeful.
We believe outdoor space is just as important and our homes proudly present some magnificent gardens. We are including more allotments in our homes where possible and flower beds are raised so residents with a passion for gardening can do so at a comfortable height.
We have the luxury of defining space in our new builds. Alderwood in Colchester and Claremont Court in Guildford feature putting greens for avid golfers. Residents can also opt for a private garden at our newer homes, which is a wonderful extension of the living area and a great space to entertain families and friends.
Our homes feature large bedrooms, and all our rooms are in excess of the legal requirement of 12 square metres. Our new builds incorporate rooms of between 17 and 19 square metres. While Claremont and Alderwood additionally offer suites, which have extra space for separate seating areas.
We listen to our residents. We have put more emphasis on our day space because that is what our residents want. For example, at our Cheltenham home we originally planned to have 88 beds but reduced this to 66 beds to make room for a larger cinema, bar and library. Our residents want a lifestyle not just a home with a lounge. They can wake up in the morning, have breakfast and a chat with fellow residents, wander down to the activities room or hair salon, the cinema to catch a movie or outdoors to do some gardening.
Design for Dementia
Our dementia residents have specific requirements and we work with Stirling University and Dementia Care Matters to ensure the design of our environments meets these needs.
We know they prefer smaller living groups so we split up our floors into smaller units. These are furnished with plain carpet and wallpaper, instead of patterned designs, as this helps reduce confusion. Simple touches like this can go a long way in helping our residents feel safe and secure.
Our dementia residents need more stimulation and that’s why we have hats, scarves and handbags strategically placed around the home. There are lots of tactile objects to fiddle with and reminiscence items to spark conversations.
Acacia Lodge in Henley boasts a bespoke lighting concept which is particularly helpful to our dementia residents. Research shows that they can get more agitated when the sun goes down. We help relieve this by gradually darkening rooms, while our newer homes feature lots of natural light thanks to floor to ceiling windows, in addition to the flexible lux lighting. Bedrooms, for example, include more switches so you can light up rooms depending on the weather conditions outside.
These are just some of the features we consider in designing our homes. Read more about our Specialist Dementia Care or take a virtual walk through one of our homes to see more of the features we incorporate for those living with dementia.
Planning for the future
Creating a new build is a timely business and can take up to six years from a simple idea to the care home opening its doors for the first time.
There’s more to planning than finding the perfect site. A lot of research is conducted on the surrounding area and demographics. What type of facilities or activities would appeal to local people looking for a care home for example?
We want every new build to be better than the last. We never stand still but are always looking for how we can enhance the next new home. We need to get it absolutely right. When we open the doors to a new home, we want to be 100 per cent happy.
We bring in the experts to help us do this. We work with one of the top three architects specialising in care home design and have close relationships with key bodies who help advise us on every minute detail, down to how wide the doors should be.
It’s not just about creating fabulous new homes. We also constantly upgrade our existing ones and look at ways of improving spaces. We spent £800,000 in 2010 on refurbishment alone. If you walk into one of our older homes or a new one, you will find similar décor and furnishings. Consistency is key. In the same vein, our homes also develop their own style and personality.
