Heather View care home wins place in final for national dementia award

Home news

Oct 07, 2011

Care UK’s Heather View has been short-listed for a prestigious national dementia care award for its innovative design.

Heather View, which specialises in care for people with dementia, was built as a vision of care homes of the future. The home officially opened in September and features an indoor village with an old-fashioned tearoom, coffee shop, hair salon, village shop, and a cinema. This has already become a favourite place for residents to catch up with family and friends, whatever the weather.

Project Manager Sara Goodwin said: “We are all delighted to have reached the finals of the National Dementia Care Awards in the category for Best Interior Dementia Design. This is a beautiful home that has that has been designed to be fun and stimulating to live in”.

“Our residents love it and so do their families because not only do they get to see their loved ones looking happy, relaxed and well in their new home, they also get to share in the facilities and join in a quality family experience. The village is definitely a big hit with grandchildren, and residents tell us that they enjoy being able to have lunch with friends and family at the coffee shop and then catch a film at the cinema.

“This is so important because people often move into a care home when their quality of life has become restricted due to their health. Quality time with their family has gradually been eroded, especially where a partner has cared for someone in their own home. At Heather View, they can start to enjoy socialising again with friends and relatives.”

“The design of Heather View also allows us to reach out to the community, to those caring for family members at home. We can offer the facilities of our village to non-residents - people with dementia and those who are frail and their carers, who can come and enjoy themselves in an environment where they will feel safe”

“As well as having a light and airy, modern decor, sensory garden and themed lounges, the home also has a retro room that features telephones, ornaments and fittings residents may remember from their homes years ago. Care UK research has revealed that seeing familiar items not only calms residents and increases their sense of well-being, it also encourages them to reminisce and share stories with staff and relatives.

The team behind Heather View will travel to London on 21 October for a face-to-face interview with a panel of judges chosen by the organisers, the Journal of Dementia Care, to explain how Heather View helps people with dementia to live a life that is as full, rewarding and safe as possible. The award winner will be announced on Wednesday 2 November at the 2011 UK Dementia Congress in Liverpool.