About Fordingbridge Care Home

Designed in conjunction with a leading UK authority in dementia care, an acknowledged authority at the forefront of dementia care, Fordingbridge Care Home was purpose-built to provide first class care for residents with dementia, Alzheimer’s and Behaviours that Challenge.

The home has 60 bedrooms, five lounges and three dining rooms over three secure and independently operated floors, each with its own nurse station, kitchenette, varied seating and reminiscence areas.

From the secure, glass screened balcony on the upper ground floor, residents can enjoy tranquil views across the beautifully manicured grounds. The gardens themselves are also entirely secure, and designed to enable safe, free and wheelchair-friendly movement, with walkways, a gazebo, well, water fountain and boules court.

An exceptional staff team

Just as the facilities at Fordingbridge Care Home are ideally suited to exceptional dementia care, so too are the staff. All care assistants, nurses and auxiliary staff have been carefully profiled and selected to ensure they possess all of the characteristics ideally suited to dementia care. Patience, empathy, kindness and an ability to establish a rapport with each of our residents are prerequisites for all staff and we’re justifiably proud of our wonderful team. The workforce are further assisted by ongoing training and continuous professional development, ensuring that all of the latest proven practices and thinking in dementia care are applied, thereby enhancing and supporting improved lifestyles for all of our residents.

Designed for living with dementia

Along with the hugely beneficial and effective reminiscence areas at the ends of corridors on each of the three floors, further amenities are on hand to nurture residents’ wellbeing. Three lounges plus an additional quiet lounge on the ground floor provide areas for socialising or peaceful reflection, whilst informal seating zones around the home enable impromptu chats with staff or fellow residents. Activity areas provide focal points for a varied range of individual and group activities, and the hairdressing, chiropody and beauty salon offers some quality me-time and spot of self-indulgent pampering. Life at Fordingbridge Care Home is further enhanced by regular visiting dental, optical, physiotherapy and library services.

A balanced diet of activities

A varied daily activities programme is essential to keep minds active and build rapport - both between residents and with staff. Our activities team work tirelessly to ensure that all residents enjoy the optimum balance between occupation and rest time. Regular excursions are arranged in our own wheelchair-friendly minibus, with visits to nearby towns, countryside and coast a highlight of most residents’ weeks. Closer to home, the raised planting areas (some of which are at wheelchair height) in the secure gardens offer an ideal opportunity for green-fingered residents to get their hands dirty and enjoy growing produce, which can then be used in our kitchen.

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The main kitchen itself is fabulously equipped and specified - another advantage of operating a purpose-built home. Fresh seasonal produce, including fruit and vegetables grown by our residents, is sourced locally whenever possible. This enables the chefs to prepare a nutritious and delicious daily menu, with choices to cater for different tastes. As part of each resident’s person-centred care plan, dietary requirements and any intolerances are carefully noted and observed when preparing food choices. Meals are served in the bright, spacious and airy dining rooms located on each floor, where residents can dine in company or alone if they prefer.

Comfort and calm

All 60 bedrooms have been designed to facilitate outstanding dementia care. Lights activate automatically upon entry to a bedroom or bathroom, and lighting systems throughout the building have been designed to reduce shadows and glare, which could otherwise cause distress or confusion. Rooms are neutrally but cheerfully decorated, and colour is used intelligently to assist with familiarity and recognition of location. Whilst rooms are all tastefully furnished, residents are welcome to bring in their own furniture, personal effects and pictures, all of which can help minimise disorientation and anxiety.

Each bedroom benefits from its own en-suite wetroom, with grab rails and fixtures to assist mobility and contrasting coloured sanitary ware to assist identification. There are also assisted bathrooms on each floor, with special baths, furnishings and hoists for enhanced accessibility.

Prioritising safety and security

Every aspect of the interior design of the home has been meticulously considered to optimise the environment for living with dementia. Corridors across all three floors are wide and equipped with handrails to enable ease of movement. Colour coded walls and pictorial signs help residents orientate themselves, helping to minimise confusion as they move around, whilst each of the three secure, independently operated floors is accessed by a security coded entry system, providing additional peace of mind and safeguarding for residents. Emergency pull cords in all bedrooms and bathrooms, along with a 24 hour nurse call system, ensure that rapid assistance is at hand around the clock.

Care, comfort, environment, aesthetics, security and stimulation... all of these factors play pivotal roles in class-leading dementia care - and all of them have helped shape and define the design and operational aspects that set Fordingbridge Care Home apart.