Anchor Care Home Launches Pioneering Nutrition Initiative

Pioneering nutrition and hydration stations are to be installed at Buckingham Lodge, Anchor’s new residential care home in Aylesbury, which will welcome its first residents next week.

Anchor, England’s largest not-for-profit provider of housing and care to older people, is installing the stations at Buckingham Lodge as part of a nutrition and hydration initiative that will eventually see them fitted in all Anchor care homes.

The new nutrition and hydration stations will be stocked with a variety of snacks and soft drinks to enable residents to graze all day, ensuring everyone in the care home is hydrated and well fed at all times.

Wendy Luck, Home Manager at Buckingham Lodge care home, said: “Although we specialise in dementia care, the nutrition and hydration stations are for all our residents and will have a real positive impact on their day-to-day lives.

“Loss of weight is a real issue for older people nationwide, whether they are living in a care home or in their own homes. These new nutrition and hydration stations will encourage Buckingham Lodge residents to remain hydrated, especially on hot days.

“They’re also particularly beneficial for people living with dementia, many of whom like to wander; the stations provide easy access to food and drinks throughout the home so that residents can move around freely, maintaining their independence and receiving the nutrients they need.”

Buckingham Lodge will be the first Anchor care home to feature the nutrition and hydration stations when it opens on 27 April; the stations will then be standard in all of Anchor’s new care homes, such as Moore Place and Clayburn Court which are opening this year.

Richard Herne, Anchor’s Catering Manager, commented: “These nutrition and hydration stations are a fantastic development, which reflects Anchor’s ethos of giving residents as much control as possible over their day-to-day decisions.

“Buckingham Lodge residents will be free to choose from a mixture of high-calorie snacks and nibbles, as well as juices and other cold soft drinks to help keep them hydrated and provide them with vital vitamins and minerals.

“I’m really looking forward to demonstrating the stations to other Anchor care homes at the Home Managers Care Conference in Peterborough on 28 April, so colleagues can see the benefits for themselves and help us take the initiative nationwide.”