Abbeyfield’s Winnersh Dementia Home Wins Pinder Healthcare Design Award

Abbeyfield’s Winnersh dementia care home has won a coveted Pinder Healthcare Design Award.

The 60-bed development fought off staunch competition to top its category and take home the trophy for the Best New Elderly Care Home.

The judging panel took into account the home’s architectural standards, overall design and, more importantly, the degree to which it has recognised the needs and desires of its residents and incorporated these into the final product.

From the start, the ambitious project was wholly driven by the welfare and requirements of future residents without consideration for operational needs or construction priorities.

For example, the building’s unique circular structure was a result of Abbeyfield’s years of expertise in dementia care and their want to provide residents with no dead ends.

People living with dementia can often ‘wander’ and halting this can cause agitation and anxiety. Although the design was difficult to build, Abbeyfield worked closely with care sector development and construction specialists Castleoak to bring it to fruition.

The core objectives for the building were for residents to be comfortable, secure, barrier free and, most importantly, to retain their identity and independence in their new home. Abbeyfield wanted the development to create a greater sense of well-being and happiness for the individual with the aim of reducing anti-psychotic medication.

Abbeyfield’s Head of Development for the East and Winnersh project manager, James Parkhurst, said: “We were delighted to win the Pinder award and have our Winnersh development recognised in such a way.

“Whilst it is a great achievement for us to win an award that looks closely at our design, we are even prouder that the panel saw how our development will impact so positively upon the lives of our residents with dementia; our key aim right from the beginning.”