A smooth transition to life at Guild Care’s Haviland House

The transition to living in a care home involves an adjustment, both for the residents and their families, as they get used to a new way of life. At Guild Care, we aim to make the experience as positive and smooth as possible across all three of our homes - Haviland House, Caer Gwent and Linfield House.

In this article, we share some of the ways that we help people adjust to the change when moving to our dedicated dementia care home, Haviland House.

Respite care

Despite the many positive aspects of life in a care home, some families may feel guilty or overwhelmed at the prospect of making a permanent change for their loved one. Where this is the case, respite stays can offer an opportunity to try the move on a temporary basis, allowing families time to explore their options and make sure they make the right decision for them. It also gives family members a break from their 24/7 caring responsibilities.

Cat Walsh, our Customer Relationship Manager, has worked at Guild Care for more than 17 years and has a wealth of experience in guiding people through this period of change. Cat explains that respite care can lead to a huge improvement in quality of life - particularly in homes like Haviland House - where there are specially trained nurses and a purpose-built environment for people living with dementia.

She says: “It also gives everyone some breathing space and families can visit at any time. Then towards the end of the respite stay, they can reassess to see how they would like to move forward.”

A dedicated nursing team

Our in-house clinical team also helps to make the transition as easy as possible, with familiar faces who work directly for Guild Care, rather than relying on district nurses. Not only does our approach provide consistency of care, it also helps to reduce feelings of confusion and means we can react quickly to any changes in circumstances, with nurses available on-site 24/7.

Steve is a Registered Nurse at Haviland House and handles all levels of care, from administering medication to working with care staff to ensure residents’ needs are being met. “We’ve got a lot of people who are at the start of their journey with dementia, and others who have lived with dementia for a long time. Each person’s needs are completely different, and we get to know them all, so we can spot changes immediately and adapt our care accordingly,” he says.

Dementia-friendly surroundings

Haviland House was purpose-built for dementia care. It helps to make the journey into a care home as seamless as possible by ensuring the surroundings promote familiarity and independence. We have a unique household structure, with five options that are tailored to different stages of dementia, each with homely bedrooms, landscaped gardens and communal spaces where residents can welcome friends and family.

The daughter of one of our Haviland House residents concludes: “The whole environment is excellent, from mum’s room to the common areas and the many activities that take place. I feel that mum could not be in better hands, or in a better place.”

Guild Care are hosting a FREE Planning and Funding Care Event from 11am–1pm on 25th April. Call 01903 327327 or email enquiry@guildcare.org to register or to find out more about our care homes.

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