SPECIALIST FACILITIES
timber cladding on one will be green, and the other purple. He said: “Residents will thus easily be able to orientate themselves to the ‘right’ building. The differentiation is reflected in the feature walls on entry. The L-shaped configuration of the adjacent two buildings, and the fact that each has just six bedrooms, contribute a domestic feel.”
Accessibility strategy
He added: “Our accessibility strategy also included relocating the main entrance doors to each building, which already had level access, but lacked adequate turning space for wheelchair users. The paved area at the front will be for parking, while there are very attractive gardens at the rear, which we anticipate users and staff enjoying – again via level access paving. We will also be looking to incorporate a sensory garden, with a choice for users – a paved area for activities, an area for potting and growing plants, one for just sitting and contemplating, and another with sounds, such as of water.”
With the two buildings set in the heart of the countryside, the bedrooms, located three at the front and three at the back, have good views over the gardens and adjoining fields. Mary-Jane Hoyle said: “It’s actually quite rare to have this type of facility in such an attractive rural environment.”
Alex Caruso concluded: “As a practice
Pictured, left to right, are Mary-Jane Hoyle, Craig Ellis (Tokenspire Construction), Lindsey Bratton, and Carl Ellis (Tokenspire Construction).
we have been involved with a number of acquired brain injury facilities, which are very interesting, and indeed very satisfying, to work on. Unfortunately there seems to be a real shortage of such facilities, and not a great deal of public funding for them. However, I think there is now increasing private sector interest in establishing and running them, which one would hope will benefit the community of people with PMLD and their families and carers. The project to redesign and reconfigure these two buildings for Westwood Care had been extremely satisfying, and we hope Fossdale House and Langdale House will provide a really comfortable, well-equipped home
for members, and a great working environment for staff, for years to come.”
Fulfilling lives
Mary-Jane Hoyle added: “Our aim in our PMLD facilities is to ensure that those we look after have as meaningful and fulfilling a life as we can give them, in a domestic, ‘home from home’ environment, rather than one that feels clinical or institutional in nature. We will also – as we always do – be looking to forge strong links with the local community. For instance through links we already have we can access hydrotherapy pools for swimming at special needs schools, or take our residents bowling, or to the cinema. Some local charities put on activities such as pottery and crafts which we can access, our members have given poetry recitals, and some play wheelchair football. There are also adapted special needs bikes at local parks. The key is to find out about available local activities we can access which aren’t prohibitively expensive, because often when people go into residential care most of their benefits go towards paying for that care. “We are extremely pleased with the refurbishment of Fossdale and Langdale House, which shows a really meticulous approach from the architects to meeting the needs of this unique set of users, and making the units a great place to live and spend time in for them.”
hej
May 2019 Health Estate Journal 51
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76