Provided for Cumbria County Council The Gables in Hensingham, Whitehaven and Burnrigg Court in Carlisle are two state of the art 60 bed residential home’s for older adults living with Dementia, sensory impairment and physical disabilities. Each is a “Centre of Excellence” in the care of those with dementia, physical impairment, sensory loss and those who are frail and highly dependent.
OUR APPROACH
The home is divided into five separate areas, each having 12 bedrooms, a dining area and two separate communal lounges. All bedrooms are en-suite and the ground floor bedrooms and lounges all have their own access to secure garden and patio areas. The first floor lounges all have access to balconies. In addition to the residential facilities, the scheme also includes communal spaces such as a centralised dining room, activity room, catering facilities, hair salon, laundry, café area and on-site shop. The building form is heavily influenced by the operational requirements and the design standards for dementia care. Natural ventilation and day lighting within the building are incorporated with good views out on to the adjacent garden areas. The design provides the residents with a high quality homely living environment.
WHAT WE DID
There are landscaped accessible gardens which residents and families can use and adapt as they wish, which include a number of informal seating areas and quiet zones, together with allotments and a wildflower meadow, allowing residents the freedom and confidence to use their abilities to the fullest extent. The Gables has been developed with a focus on positive outcomes for people living with dementia, their families and carers. It provides an integral part of the support offered across the health and social care network in Cumbria, which combined with other support enables people to ‘live well with dementia’.
THE IMPACT
Councillor Patricia Bell Cabinet Member for Health and Care Services said:
“Burnrigg Court provides a wonderful home for residents to live and incorporates beautiful spaces into the building design to meet their needs. Residents in ground-floor bedrooms can access the gardens, landscaped paths and planting areas safely and easily direct from their rooms, whilst first floor residents have access to an external balcony and communal lounge, with views over the local area, as well as lift access to downstairs. The facility is dementia-friendly, spacious, light and airy, with modern standards, high-spec technology and state-of-the-art equipment. Burnrigg Court has been a great example of excellent team work between Cumbria County Council’s Capital Programme Team, Cumbria Care Team and the contractors Eric Wright Construction Ltd. They have created a setting to meet the needs of the residents, the staff and the demands of the service area to create a fantastic facility for the local community.”
