State-of-the-art dementia care home opens in Greenwich

Dementia specialists Avante Care and Support have opened Puddingstone Grange care home in Plumstead, Greenwich, offering specialist dementia care and support.

The new care centre has been designed around a central core, which aims to make the living environment more communal. Within the home are 62 en-suite bedrooms, each room is fitted to a high standard and including a 24-hour carer call system.

There is also a walk-in chair assisted shower room, a relaxation therapy room, hair and beauty salon and landscaped gardens. Qualified catering staff will prepare freshly cooked food in a professional kitchen, using locally-sourced fresh produce to produce nutritionally balanced, delicious meals.

At the heart of all Avante Care and Support’s work is an expert understanding of dementia and much experience of providing support, in particular encouraging social interaction and engagement to help eradicate feelings of loneliness, helplessness and boredom.

Puddingstone Grange staff will ensure that residents get the care and support they need to develop interests and hobbies within the care home and also provide opportunities to meet and make new friends.

Mark Lloyd, chief operating officer, Avante Partnership said: “Avante Care and Support understands the importance of a good environment for residents living with dementia, that a good care home should be vibrant, fun and busy just like the lives we would all choose for ourselves when living in our own homes. We know that a great building is an added luxury but it is what goes on inside that matters and the new care centre in Greenwich is no exception.”

Barclays Bank PLC, which has a long-standing business relationship with Avante, put up the investment for the new home. Glenn Sargent, a relationship director in Barclays Specialist Healthcare Team, said: “First and foremost Barclays looks at the quality of care provided when deciding whether to lend to a healthcare operator. Since inception with Avante, the management has had a clearly defined growth strategy driven by a desire to deliver much needed, first-class dementia care in communities such as Plumstead.

“We continue to support them in fulfilling their ambitions – this latest financing package provided flexibility to the management team, allowing the business to draw down on its loan as the development progressed.”