Lymington Care Home To Give ‘New Lease Of Life’ To People With Dementia

An £8.5 million care home purpose-built by Colten Care has opened in the heart of Lymington offering dedicated support for people living with dementia and memory loss.

The town’s Mayor, Councillor Anna Rostand, officially declared Linden House open as more than 150 invited guests enjoyed a lunch reception and tour.

The home, in New Street, offers the highest standards of care and the latest therapeutic facilities, all within an elegant, beautifully designed building.

Up to 60 residents will live in one of four small ‘house groups’, each with a friendly atmosphere of safety, security and togetherness.

In a speech to guests, Home Manager Jackie Hampton said: “We hope that Linden House will help to dispel any myths around dementia care. It will be a home where an individual can really thrive and experience a new lease of life. It will give relatives peace of mind that their loved ones are being taken care of and it will become a family community like our other homes.”

Every physical detail of the 4,250-square-metre home has been designed with dementia care in mind including themed rooms, colour schemes, corridor and room features, and navigational aids.

There is a café, retreat, hairdressing salon, cinema and even a ‘Linden Square’ complete with ‘shop fronts’ evoking the Georgian grandeur of Lymington. Themed gardens include a gazebo, beach huts and putting green.

References to Lymington and the local area throughout the home will help the overall aim of prompting both interactivity and reminiscence.

The opening of Linden House will create around 100 direct jobs including posts for nurses, healthcare assistants, activity organisers, social carers and other ancillary staff.

Each team member, irrespective of their job role, undergoes dementia care training through a programme developed in partnership with, and accredited by, Bournemouth University’s School of Health and Social Care.

Ian Hudson, Executive Chairman of Colten Care, which is based in Lymington, said: “Linden House will provide much needed specialist dementia care for Lymington and the surrounding area. We have more than 30 years’ experience in elderly care, giving us a huge body of knowledge about the different dementia journeys people can take. Our approach is based on helping people to maintain practical life skills and a spirit of independence for as long as possible.”

The opening of the home comes as figures from the Alzheimer’s Society show there are around 800,000 people living with dementia in the UK. The number of people in Hampshire with dementia is around 18,000 and is expected to rise by 30 per cent to 24,000 within just seven years.

The need to help people live well with dementia has led to a national challenge to improve research, care quality and public understanding.

In response, local dementia action alliances are being set up around the country with input from healthcare providers, charities and volunteers.

Linden House will play an active role in the work of the Lymington Dementia Action Group and support the wider range of dementia friendly care services in the local area.

TV health presenter and author Dr Hilary Jones is the special guest at a public open day being held at Linden House from 12 noon on Wednesday 9th April, 2014. For more information, visit www.LindenHouseCare.co.uk.

Linden House facts and figures

• The flooring extends to 2,560 square metres of carpet and 1,600 square metres of vinyl. That’s big enough to cover three fifths of a football pitch.

• 40 different colours of paint have been used to decorate the home. The quantity extends to 1,600 litres, all water-based and weighing around 2.5 tons in total.

• The pipework involves 4.8 kilometres of copper, 814 metres of carbon steel, 102 metres of steel and 925 metres of plastic waste pipe. That’s 6.6 kilometres altogether.