New opening “Everything we’ve done, we’ve kept it as


dignified as possible,” she continues. “So, you might not be able to have a cup because you could break it, or if you’ve got really arthritic hands [a glass might be] too heavy, so rather than have a plastic drinking cup, which again is not very dignified, we’ve got clear acrylic latté glasses. If you were sat with your mum who had dementia, and you’ve got a latté, she can look like she’s got a latté glass. “We’ve done everything to maintain as much dignity as possible,” Annie says. “We went through everything to make sure it’s dementia friendly, but if you haven’t got dementia, you wouldn’t know any different.”


This approach to dining at Norden House really does sum up the home’s overall ethos. “The whole theme is about maintaining independence and being very dignified, because I think a lot of people, when they come into a [care] home, they feel that they’ll lose their independence and autonomy. So we call our service a resident- led service,” Annie says. Part of this ‘resident-led’ approach is that the chef will discuss menu options with residents.


“The menu will be written by the


residents with the chef – not the other way round,” Annie explains. “It will be the same with activities. It’s all about resident choice. We’re empowering people – we’re not taking their independence away.” This extends to each resident’s individual routine – when they decide to get up in the morning, or have a bath, for example – which can, should they desire, stay the same as when they were at home. “We like to follow normal life as much


as we can,” says Annie. “That’s the whole concept of the home.”


Community links


Norden House’s role in the local community is something that Annie and her team value greatly. Indeed, the name of the house was inspired by the cartographer John Norden, who created maps of the local area (along with much of West Sussex, and other parts of the country) in the early 1600s. Linking Norden House to the surrounding area and its inhabitants was key, as Annie explains: “The used to be, on the edge of Climping, another small village called Atherington, but half of that village – with the sea erosion – is under the sea now,” she tells me. “The home was originally going to be called Atherington Norden House, because the home was named by the pupils of the local senior school.


“I did a presentation on dementia [at the school] ... then we had a competition to name the home and all the areas within the home. So, for example, the tea shop is the Honeybee Tea Shop, the hairdressers is


Blossom and Bloom.” The reason, Annie tells me, that the home


was going to be called Atherington Norden House, was that one of the schoolchildren suggested that being half-submerged under the waves was a good analogy for what it might feel like to live with dementia. Sadly, the ‘Atherington’ name was already being used by a property nearby, precluding its use by HMT. However, this setback did not deter


Annie and her team from continuing to build strong community relationships. “We have loads of community


involvement,” she says. “We have really strong links with the senior school and primary school. We’re very much part of the community. The senior school – as part of their curriculum when they ‘do’ social care – they’re going to hold a tea party here. This month [April] we’re starting what’s called a ‘companionship café’, so people who are lonely or bereaved – or it might be a married couple and one has dementia, but they can’t go to [a local coffee shop] because of their behaviours or whatever – can come here. “We’re opening our doors to the community – and because of the household model, they can come here but it doesn’t interfere with the households.”


Sustainability and technology As one might expect, sustainability played its part in the project.While the project does not have a BREEAM rating, it closely followed the guidance necessary for a registered scheme to achieve an Excellent rating. Norden House is, however, rated EPC ‘A’. The roof is lined with 120m2


of PV panels, and


the building is all-electric – no gas is used anywhere on-site. Air source heat pumps


June 2024 www.thecarehomeenvironment.com 25


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