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Moving into a care home doesn't mean compromising on healthcare and wellbeing services. In fact, many residents find they have better access to coordinated care and wellness options than they did living independently.
At Ashberry Care Homes, we take a holistic approach to health, offering a comprehensive range of services designed to support physical wellbeing, mental health, and quality of life.
Medical Care and Support
The foundation of our health services is strong clinical care, ensuring residents' medical needs are met promptly and effectively. We work closely with local healthcare professionals to provide seamless, person-centred medical support.
GP Services and Regular Health Checks
Continuity of medical care is essential when moving into a care home. We facilitate regular GP visits and ensure residents can either maintain relationships with their existing doctors where practical or register with our visiting GPs who specialise in geriatric medicine.
These arrangements mean residents benefit from:
- Regular health reviews tailored to individual needs
- Prompt attention when health concerns arise
- Consistent monitoring of chronic conditions
- Comprehensive medication management
- Preventative healthcare approaches
Our staff build close working relationships with local medical teams, ensuring effective communication about residents' changing health needs.
Specialist Healthcare Professionals
Beyond GP services, we coordinate visits from a wide range of healthcare specialists, bringing expert care directly to residents within the familiar environment of the home. This approach minimises the stress and disruption of hospital visits while ensuring specialised care remains accessible.
Regular visiting professionals include:
- District nurses for wound care and specialised nursing procedures
- Dietitians who assess nutritional needs and recommend personalised dietary plans
- Speech and language therapists supporting those with swallowing difficulties or communication challenges
- Opticians providing eye care and vision assessments
- Dentists and dental hygienists maintaining oral health
- Audiologists supporting hearing needs and hearing aid maintenance
This multidisciplinary approach ensures all aspects of health are addressed in a coordinated way.
Therapeutic Services for Physical Wellbeing
Physical therapy plays a crucial role in maintaining mobility, managing pain, and supporting independence. Our homes offer various therapeutic interventions designed to enhance physical wellbeing and quality of life.
Physiotherapy and Movement
Regular physiotherapy can make a significant difference to mobility, balance, and strength, particularly after illness or hospital stays. Our physiotherapy services focus not just on recovery but on maintaining abilities and preventing decline.
The physiotherapists who visit our homes develop individualised programmes that:
- Address specific mobility challenges
- Help manage chronic pain conditions
- Support recovery following falls or surgery
- Maintain joint flexibility and muscle strength
- Teach safe movement techniques
Many of these exercises are then incorporated into daily routines, supported by our care staff who receive training in promoting mobility and independence.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy focuses on enabling residents to maintain independence in daily activities despite physical challenges. Our visiting occupational therapists assess individual needs and recommend adaptations and techniques to support continued independence.
This vital service includes:
- Assessment of abilities and challenges in everyday tasks
- Recommendations for adaptive equipment and techniques
- Environmental adaptations to enhance independence
- Training for staff in supporting residents' independence
- Regular reviews as needs change
The practical, solution-focused approach of occupational therapy helps residents maintain dignity and autonomy in daily life.
Mental Wellbeing Support
Mental health is as important as physical health, particularly during significant life transitions such as moving into care. Our homes offer several approaches to supporting emotional and cognitive wellbeing.
Cognitive Stimulation Therapy
For residents living with dementia or cognitive impairment, structured cognitive stimulation can help maintain abilities and enhance quality of life. Our homes offer both group and individual cognitive therapy sessions delivered by trained professionals.
These sessions typically involve:
- Themed activities that gently exercise different cognitive skills
- Multisensory approaches that engage different parts of the brain
- Reminiscence work that strengthens identity and connection
- Reality orientation where appropriate
- Validation therapy that acknowledges emotions and experiences
The emphasis is always on creating positive experiences rather than testing or challenging residents.
Counselling and Emotional Support
Adjusting to life in a care home, coping with health changes, or processing grief are significant emotional challenges. We recognise the importance of professional emotional support and facilitate access to counselling services for residents who would benefit.
Our approach to emotional wellbeing includes:
- Access to qualified counsellors experienced in working with older adults
- Regular emotional wellbeing checks by trained staff
- Support groups for common experiences such as bereavement
- Recognition and appropriate support for conditions such as depression and anxiety
- Close attention to the emotional impact of physical health changes
This emotional support complements the informal day-to-day support provided by our caring staff team.
Salon and Beauty Services
Looking good often contributes significantly to feeling good. Our salon services help residents maintain their appearance and enjoy the psychological boost that comes from personal grooming and pampering.
Hairdressing and Barbering
Regular hairdressing appointments help maintain not just appearance but also dignity and personal identity. Our in-home salons like the one at Blaenos House Nursing Home, provide a full range of services in a setting specifically designed for older adults' comfort and needs.
Our professional hairdressers understand:
- The importance of maintaining familiar hairstyles that are part of personal identity
- How to adapt techniques for those with mobility challenges
- The need for sensitivity when working with residents with dementia
- The social and psychological benefits of the salon experience
Many residents find their regular salon appointment becomes a highlight of their week, combining practical care with social interaction and pampering.
Manicures and Hand Therapy
Our hands are constantly visible to ourselves and others, making hand care an important aspect of wellbeing. Regular manicures and hand treatments provide both aesthetic benefits and important skin care, particularly valuable for those with conditions like arthritis.
These sessions include:
- Gentle nail care maintaining healthy, manageable nails
- Hand massage improving circulation and easing joint pain
- Moisturising treatments preventing dry, cracked skin
- The sensory pleasure of touch and human connection
- The visual pleasure of well-groomed hands
For many residents, these treatments provide valuable one-to-one time and gentle therapeutic touch.
Holistic and Complementary Therapies
Beyond conventional medical care, we recognise the benefits of holistic approaches that address the whole person. Various complementary therapies are offered in our homes, always alongside rather than replacing medical treatment.
Massage and Touch Therapies
Therapeutic touch has been shown to reduce stress, ease pain, and provide emotional comfort. Our homes offer various forms of massage therapy adapted to the needs and preferences of older adults.
Residents can benefit from:
- Gentle hand and foot massage
- Seated massage for those who cannot lie comfortably
- Aromatherapy massage using carefully selected essential oils
- The emotional benefits of respectful, therapeutic touch
- Relief from muscle tension and joint discomfort
These therapies are particularly valuable for residents who experience chronic pain or those who miss the human contact of regular touch.
Sensory Stimulation
Sensory experiences can be powerfully therapeutic, particularly for those with advanced dementia or those experiencing sensory deprivation due to declining sight or hearing. Our sensory therapy options provide carefully calibrated stimulation designed to soothe or engage as needed.
Sensory therapy might include:
- Aromatherapy using scents that evoke positive memories or emotions
- Music therapy harnessing the profound effects of familiar music
- Tactile experiences with different textures and materials
- Visual stimulation through light, colour, and movement
- Guided relaxation combining multiple sensory elements
These approaches are particularly effective for residents who find verbal communication challenging, offering alternative ways to connect and engage.
Coordinated Care Planning
What makes our health services truly effective is the coordinated approach to care planning. Each resident has a personalised care plan that brings together all aspects of their health and wellbeing needs, regularly reviewed and updated as circumstances change.
This integrated approach ensures:
- All health professionals involved in a resident's care are working together
- Changes in one area of health are considered for their impact on other areas
- Residents' preferences and priorities remain central to all healthcare decisions
- Preventative approaches are emphasised alongside treatment
- Families are kept informed and involved as appropriate
This holistic view of health recognises that wellbeing encompasses far more than just the absence of illness.
At Ashberry Care Homes, we're committed to providing comprehensive health services that support not just physical health but overall wellbeing and quality of life. Our approach recognises that good health in later life means different things to different people, and we tailor our services to meet individual needs and preferences.
