Winners at the East of England Care Awards 2018

Alderwood wins the Putting People First/Personalisation Award at the East of England Care Awards.

The team received their award at a ceremony at the Holiday Inn in Peterborough on November 15^th. The awards form part of the Great British Care Awards and the home will now progress to the National Finals in March 2019.

The purpose of the awards is to pay tribute to those individuals and teams who have demonstrated outstanding excellence in their field of work.

The Colchester home’s innovative approach to care was recognised for empowering residents’ to have more control over their lives. This includes a group of residents, mostly living with dementia, who are regularly taken swimming – including one lady who has never swum before. Another resident wanted to fly in a plane, so a trip was recently organised in a light aircraft. One resident, a keen photographer, is being supported to showcase his photos of the care home’s garden at a local studio and to submit them to a magazine. And those that wish to engage with social media are helped to access it, with wifi upgraded throughout the home. Voice controlled ‘smart speakers’ have been purchased and residents, including those living with dementia, are enjoying the choice and freedom this gives them.

Home manager Nikki Leaney said:

“The team tirelessly support our residents to feel truly cared for and safe and happy. They give them confidence and empower them to participate and make decisions and choices regarding their care and encourage them to try experiences they never thought they could achieve. I am so proud of them all. They richly deserve this award”.

Alderwood Care Home received similar accolades in their recent ‘Outstanding’ rated Care Quality Commission report. Health professionals highlighted that “this home is very good at enabling people to be independent, it treats everyone as an individual.”