Taunton Care Home Wins National Prize for Best Presented Home

Oake Meadows Care Home in Taunton is celebrating for receiving an award for Best Presented Care Home.

As part of the 1st place prize, the home received £5000 for its resident’s fund and a £500 staff reward.

The care home, on Wyvern Road, will use the money to purchase an aviary. Animals are very popular with the residents, and the care home currently has chickens, running ducks and rabbits.

Other features of the facility include a sensory garden and sensory room, which have proven to be stimulating for adults living with dementia. It dedicated celebration room, which is used for birthday and anniversary events.

The award was presented to the care home by Paula Oltean, Regional Manager for Larchwood Care, the company which operates Oake Meadows. As part of the celebrations, the care home enjoyed a visit from an ice cream van and rides in a classic Zodiac and an A40 Austin Somerset, courtesy of MGJ Classic Cars.

Katrina Ball, Home Manager at Oake Meadows Care Home, said: “We are thrilled to be named as the Best Presented Care Home. We ensure that our residents live the best lives possible, and do all we can to improve their health and well-being.

“The aviary will be a welcome addition to the house. The residents love taking care of our animals, and birds were the most popular choice when it came to deciding which pets we should welcome next. I would like to thank all of our staff for their hard work, and we will enjoy working towards another 1st place prize next year.”

Paula Oltean added: “It is extremely important to recognise the hard work and dedication shown by our care staff on a regular basis. It has been a pleasure to see the creativity and pride shown by my colleagues and the fantastic ways in which these features benefit the residents.

“Animals can bring a sense of routine to a person’s life and have been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, so I think that introducing an aviary into the home is a fantastic idea.”