Wisteria House Dementia Care

Accommodation and facilities

We encourage relatives to bring in items with a familiar feel to them that may have sentimental memories for each individual. These items may come in many different forms, such as a favourite chair, a blanket, or some furniture. Old photographs are particularly important (please no new photographs as these can increase anxiety), and postcards from favourite holidays also work well. The condition of these items does not matter, as it is the personal memories from these items that encourage the comforting feeling. These items are fantastic to have when it comes time to settle down for sleep each night.

When each individual has changed into their nightwear, the night staff have time to sit and talk with each person, and these items are fantastic for starting conversations. For a person living with dementia, trying to sleep and struggling to recognise your bedroom brings all sorts of unsettling feelings, so having familiar items around the room really helps. For people living with advanced stages, silky or satin material gently stroked down the cheek or the brushing of hair with a soft brush helps a person relax before drifting off to sleep. 

Communal rooms

We have 5 lounges, of which 4 are on the ground floor. These rooms are designed environmentally to match each stage of dementia (early, middle, and later stages). 

These rooms are always changing and adapting to the needs of the people living in them. They also fluctuate in number depending on the number of people at each stage and the social characteristics within the home. Each of these rooms has tables and chairs to eat meals for people relevant to each stage. Some people choose to orient themselves to different rooms to sit with their friends, or maybe because they prefer to have a quick nap in a room in which therapeutic music is being played, they may choose to join in with the activities that are going on. 

When visiting the home for the first time, these rooms can seem particularly busy in comparison to other homes. This is because most of the people who live in the home do not spend very much of their time in their bedrooms or upper-floor lounges, preferring to be amongst the people they live with and the staff team.

Garden

In good weather, we sometimes have morning tea in the front garden and engage with any passersby with a hello and good morning to ensure the people living in the home feel very much part of the neighbourhood and community.  We have easy access to our front garden, which has a large table and plenty of chairs. This area has special netting above, which allows some shade, although we always have plenty of sun cream available. There are also several other benches along the garden for a quieter moment. There is also a storage box full of garden activity stuff, from blowing bubbles to various bats, balls, skipping ropes, hula hoops, etc.

We have a small back garden with modern seating set just outside the conservatory, which a few people enjoy in good weather.

The lovely Devonport Park is a very short distance away, and we often enjoy a stroll there.

We are also a short walk from a small local corner shop that some enjoy going to for a bar of chocolate or a magazine.

We are about a 5-minute walk to the Stoke shops, although it is uphill all the way. Those who can enjoy the challenge of being able to walk this a few times a week, usually going to the post office or supermarket,.

Specialisms and services

• Accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care
• Caring for adults over 65 years old
• Dementia

Wisteria House has undertaken the St. Luke's Six Steps programme and is an accredited end-of-life care provider.

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