The main aim for 2011/12 is to build on the achievements of 2010, by further developing the physical and social environment at Rose Lodge and by further embedding the person-centred model into our care processes and practices. Through this, and through effective communication of our progress and of life at Rose Lodge, we will consolidate our position as a ‘first choice’ home for dementia care in East Devon and so secure our long-term sustainable future.

 

While we have planning permission to construct an additional  22-bed nursing home in the grounds of Rose Lodge, we feel that we want to first complete the development of the current home, so we have a clear model to follow in our nursing home. The earliest start date for building the nursing home is spring of 2012, though spring of 2013 is more likely.

 

Service Development

 

Our main focus for 2011/12 will be to continue to invest and further develop the long term residential care service that we offer.

 

In the latter part of 2010 we started to offer a day care service to people with dementia who do not yet require long term residential care, or who are on our waiting list for long term care. Our extensive activities programme and having our own wheelchair-adapted minibus has made this an attractive service. We believe that this is a good way for people to familiarise themselves with the environment at Rose Lodge, and enable them to make a considered decision about living at Rose Lodge long term. In 2011/12 we will develop this service and we feel that we can offer day care to 2 people within our current facilities, though we are planning to add to our facilities by creating a beauty and therapy room, and by making the kitchen terrace available to residents. We will also explore the creation of a conservatory over the current terrace, which would significantly increase our day care capacity.

 

Subject to progress on our day care service, in the latter half of the financial year we will explore how we can provide home care for people with dementia (‘Rose Lodge at home’). We feel that staff supervision is the fundamental challenge in relation to dementia home care and so we will offer home care to those people where we already provide day care service, and to people that are not alone at home. We consider home care for people with dementia who are alone at home to be an undesirable option, as it is impossible to provide  adequate staff supervision without intrusive surveillance technology.