Care HomesDementiaNews

Maidstone Care Home Opens Innovative Resident Facilities

Ashley Gardens Care Centre in Maidstone has proudly opened a range of new facilities for residents, specifically designed to support people living with dementia.

The home, which supports up to 89 residents, is a leader in dementia care and offers a range of activities, events and facilities for people who live with the challenges the condition poses.

The latest additions to the home include ‘Violets Bakery’ and a gentlemen’s lounge and library, which includes a variety of board games and a giant Scrabble board.

Violets Bakery has been officially opened with a special celebratory event.  It is designed as a patisserie and supermarket for residents and their relatives to enjoy.  Featuring a new seating area on the ground floor, people can enjoy a hot drink and cakes or savouries every Tuesday and Thursday.  Residents can also do their shopping at the bakery, buying toiletries, cards, sweets, drinks and magazines.

The Bakery overlooks the garden, with double doors opening to allow the residents to enjoy the outside space.  It also has a juke box so that residents can choose their favourite music from yesteryear.

Upstairs at the home, residents now have use of a library and gentlemen’s lounge, which have been created following feedback on what people would most like to see introduced.

Home Manager Jo Mazza explains, “These additions to the home have been really well received and seem to be making a positive difference to our residents and their visitors.

“We base everything at Ashley Gardens around the needs of our residents, so we continually ask for feedback from them or their loved ones, about what would make their lives even better, or would provide happiness and stimulation.

“The bakery has been a real hit as a friendly, sociable place to spend time having a drink and a chat, but also as somewhere that residents can carry out activities they always used to do in the past.  Simple tasks such as ‘going shopping’ mean a lot to them and can help them with a sense of normality and routine which can make a real difference when living with dementia.

“The gents asked for a gentlemen’s lounge, which our female residents also occasionally use!  And our library is stocked with books on topics we know mean something to the people that live here.

“I’m delighted to be able to offer these fantastic facilities to our residents and hope that they’ll be much-loved features of our home for years to come.”

 

Nestle