Brand new care home for younger people

[Chris]

I just found this ! Dont know anymore - does anyone live nearby - Southampton / Fareham ?

Opening in February 2005

The White House has over the last 22 years, developed an excellent reputation for care of Older People with Dementia & other forms of mental illness.
Due to increasing demand for placements 3 new units are planned for completion in February 2005.
The White House will then have its current 17 beds in the original house, plus eight en suite shower bedrooms in each of the three new units.

Two lounge diners per unit give more flexibilty to the small group living facilities.
Each unit will have variations on a colour throughout, with pictures & memorabilia themed around three local villages Hedge End, Botley & Bishops Waltham.

Each unit will have its own care manager who will organise the day to day running of the unit.

Botley Unit will be dedicated to caring for younger people with dementia.

A seperate information leaflet is available for Botley Unit

Also available in 2005, in the main house a dedicated respite room, offering short stay breaks for people being cared for in their own homes, enabling their carers a well earned rest.

A Day Centre which will function 7 days a week, also with dedicated days for younger people with dementia, transport available if required.



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The White House ( Curdridge ) Ltd. Vicarage Lane, Curdridge, SO32 2DP

 

[Chris]

A little more info on the home for younger people at http://www.dementia-voice.org.uk/White_House.doc

 

[Sheila]

Dear Chris, well done you for the info, lets hope it can help our members, love She. XX

 

[Chris]

What size of care homes do we want?

I'm constantly being told by care home providers in the independent sector that new care homes are not viable unless 80 bedrooms are provided - so how come the White House can manage it ? I read (see above posts) that brand new units for 8 persons are being opened - other providers have said this cannot be viable due to the high staffing ratio needed.

If this is a model that really works - financially as well as beign a good place to live - lets hold it up & get more like this !! or maybe it is heavily subsisded by some benefactor ????

Wonder if anyone can inform us about this - it is really crucial to know - I'm not happy with the care homes that are beign built today (the big 80 bed ones - these are here for the next 30 years & the ones I may have to live in !!!!!!

 

[bjthink]

I'm constantly being told by care home providers in the independent sector that new care homes are not viable unless 80 bedrooms are provided - so how come the White House can manage it ? I read (see above posts) that brand new units for 8 persons are being opened - other providers have said this cannot be viable due to the high staffing ratio needed.

Is it because the units are on the same site and can therefore share resources and staffing with the main facility and other specialist units like the Day Respite Centre?
There seem to be several care homes which have this kind of set-up.

 

[Chris]

Hi BJ

No - sadly not - the Provider I spoke said that even on the same site, where there are clusters , say of 8 bedrooms , even witin one buidling it stilll isnt viable as hae to have staff on hand - therefore x staff per 8 people.

Youre right thought - you would think it would be possible - maybe another discussion is needed.

I was told that a home with clusters was built in the SE somewhere & ahd to close as not financially viable. Teh big question is - what is viable - how much profit do they want to make - I know it is a tough business - after all you cant guarantee to be full all the time & the profit is only on the lsat few rooms occupied.

Love to know the truth about all this.

Do yo know where else there are dementia care homes split up into small units please? Thanks

 

[bjthink]

Hi BJ

No - sadly not - the Provider I spoke said that even on the same site, where there are clusters , say of 8 bedrooms , even witin one buidling it stilll isnt viable as hae to have staff on hand - therefore x staff per 8 people.

Youre right thought - you would think it would be possible - maybe another discussion is needed.

I was told that a home with clusters was built in the SE somewhere & ahd to close as not financially viable. Teh big question is - what is viable - how much profit do they want to make - I know it is a tough business - after all you cant guarantee to be full all the time & the profit is only on the lsat few rooms occupied.

Love to know the truth about all this.

Do yo know where else there are dementia care homes split up into small units please? Thanks

Chris, when I was investigating possible care homes for my mother ( something I've abandoned now) I was looking at care/nursing homes which combined EMI and other care/residential/nursing facilities on the same site, because I thought she needed to be with a range of people. I think this is essential for my mother, and may be important to others, too.
What I discovered, in this neck of the woods (Merseyside) is that there are several care homes which now combine EMI and other care, usually in separate units, sometimes on different 'floors'. One I looked at had EMI on the second floor with younger people suffering from psychiatric problems on the first floor.
Another, which was originally a residential home for the elderly, had just had an EMI unit, for 16 patients, built in its grounds.
Another, much larger facility had a central building for about 80 patients, and radiating off this several smaller units, including one EMI unit for up to 60. I rejected this as a possiblity, particularly after looking at the Inspection Report.
I wondered if there may be government grants to encourage care homes to build specialised units within their grounds, and this may be why specialisation, within smaller units but on the same site, may be springing up?

B
x

 

[Chris]

I wondered if there may be government grants to encourage care homes to build specialised units within their grounds, and this may be why specialisation, within smaller units but on the same site, may be springing up?

B
x[/QUOTE]

GOVERNMENT GRANTS FOR CARE HOMES !!! I wish !!!!

Oh! what a lovely idea ! In this area (North Somerset) care homes are now all in the independent sector - either in private ownership (often large chains) or charitable /not for profit organisations with the exception of 1 or 2 still run by local authority but they will probably soon be closed as uneconomic in their hands (we wont go there just now !!)

There must be another reason I think why some can provide the small family units & others cant.

One reason I'd like to see care facilities with several smal units is that I reckon people like to be with others who are in the same boat (ie in the same stage of their dementia) . We hear people who have dementia say this - in the early years, at day care centres "We're all the same here - its a kind of recluse - like a family - we support each other - we're all friends - we can relax when we are here". Then in the middle years of dementia - (7 years ago) my Mum would spend all day walking round the home with the other ladies - hand in hand - chattering away to each other (no one else knew what they were saying but they responded to each other ) - BUT they didnt enter the lounge where there were residents who had learning difficulties & dementia , Downs , and other mental health illness - the agitation & need for activity aomongst those with dementia annoyed the others who eg liked the furniture left in precise places - like the chairs 2" out from the wall - all hell was let loose if you let a chair touch the wall ! many of those who have dementia like to move things around - Mum had a passion for collecting up the cushions.

Down here there is a trend towards having dementia units - we have 2 new care homes being built & they both have one floor devoted to dementia care. the trend is also for dual registratio so that nursing can be given to those that need it without the need to move homes. This is good for those that need it - but i'm not sure its good for those who only need personal care - I cant help feeing I'd be a bit depressed surrounded by nursing equipment & very poorly people - like being in hospital if you werent ill.

I thnk the term EMI has gone now too - although it is still used a lot. As I understand it there are Care Homes - and each of them has a registration according to the type of care they are giving. DE being the dementia category and MD for mental disorder - for all mental health care - residents here may have a dual diagnosis - dementia and some other form of mental ilness too. Then they can give either personal care or nursing care .

Although we have a number of dementia care homes now about 2/3 of residents living in non specialist residential care homes have some form of dementia.

We area also seeing more and more Extra Care sheltered housing schemes geared for people with dementia = either living on thier own or with a partner. These have been specially designed & come complete with assistive technology to help people live as independently for as long as possible. The need for residential care in those early years may be less as time goes on for those prepared to make the move into one of these flats/houses. They are either for rent or to buy or a combination of the two sometimes. THIS IS WHERE THE GOVERNMENT HAVE PUT SOME MONEY - is this what you have seen perhaps - sheltered accommodations?????

At least we are starting to get more choice but its only in a few areas at the moment.

 

[bjthink]

I couldn't agree with you more, Chris. Smaller units are perfect, and 'stage' units would be a great idea. My mother couldn't go in a care home in the state she's in now, as she has such delusional grandiosity that she can't bear to be with other people with dementia, and she has a deep lifelong hatred of other women which is becoming more pronounced . Her former Social Worker made the mistake of taking her to day respite once about eighteen months ago, and my mother was so noisily appalled by the presence of so many elderly women 'wetting themselves and dribbling' - which is how she saw it, that she had to be hastily removed from the centre. When she does eventually have to go into full-time residential care it will have to be on a Section.
I'm very taken with the idea of USA-style retirement villages with sheltered accommodation and care and nursing homes also on the same site, so that you can move along the system when/if the times comes. That would suit me, I think. I'm already starting to plan ahead so that my son never has to go through what I'm going through now.