Care Interior Designer Appointed as ‘Dementia Friendly’ Champion

Access 21 Care Interiors who work exclusively for the care sector has been appointed to the growing network of champions of Dementia Friendly Surrey.  Created in support of the Prime Minister’s Dementia Challenge, the partnership project aims to develop dementia friendly communities where people with dementia, their families and carers are understood, valued and can enjoy life.

The project advocated by Surrey County Council and three of Surrey’s Clinical Commissioning Groups, focus on the main areas for action: driving improvements in health and care, creating dementia friendly communities and improving dementia research.  In England there are an estimated 670,000 people living with dementia and with an ageing population this is only going to rise

Surbiton-based Access Care 21 Interiors works with clients across the UK designing across a full range of care schemes including general/extra care, nursing, learning disabilities, supported living, palliative and dementia.  In their role as Champions, Access 21 Care Interiors are offering free telephone and email advice to individuals who want to make their own homes more dementia friendly.  

Eda Brooks Projects Director, Access 21 Care Interiors says: “We are pleased to be supporting Dementia Friendly Surrey as we believe in the ethos of improving standards for individuals with dementia.  We are delighted to be publicly recognised as local champions for this worthy cause and  with a specialist knowledge of dementia design and audits with many years’ of experience, we as a company understand the importance of creating a safe and stimulating environment whilst encouraging independence. This campaign is a great way to raise awareness of dementia and how local communities can gain a greater understanding and support.”

www.a21interiors.co.uk

Access 21 revive Elliscombe House

Access 21 care interiors have worked their magic on Somerset based care home Elliscombe House and revived the property creating a beautiful space for its residents to enjoy. Read their story about this transformation.

The Project:

Independent Care provider Aurora Care Group acquired Elliscombe House, a 40 bed nursing home based in Wincanton in April 2012. The character period property was built early 1900’s and the house converted to a care home in 1985. Over a number of years the house was extended by way of two purpose-built wings. Set in an idyllic rural location with 7 acres of beautiful grounds and well maintained gardens it boasts spectacular views of the surrounding countryside.

What we did:

The previous owner had not made a great deal of investment in terms of interior design. Virtually every wall had been painted lemon which was bland and not in keeping with the age and style of the house. We used heritage paints to reflect the character and solid wooden furniture in the Entrance Hall in true arts and crafts style; and the theme brought together with the striking William Morris 'Tree of Life' tapestry hung over the fireplace.

As the original corridors were all painted the same there was no sense of identity for each area which we needed to address whilst ensuring a natural 'flow' to the home. Traditional dado rails were fitted to all corridor walls. This enabled us to use the same colour above the dado to achieve a sense of flow, yet contrast colours below for each corridor and artwork was themed to encompass this.Working on a refurbishment rather than a new-build project, means that we had to make sure there was as little disruption as possible to the day to day running of the home. Also to ensure that health & safety requirements were put in place to safe-guard the residents and not cause anxiety. To achieve this we worked in tandem with the care team by ensuring external contractors visits and deliveries were arranged at times to suit with minimal down-time.

We wanted to incorporate the grand features of the home and in particular the picturesque gardens. In the communal lounge where there are large windows, it was important not to fit curtains with frills or fussy pelmets to detract from the stunning views. Added features such as the matching set of vintage luggage in one of the corridors was emphasised by using a travel theme with appropriate artwork. This was a darker part of the corridor and the end result created a bright, lively and stimulating thoroughfare.

What the client said:

“We have worked with Access 21 Care Interiors on a series of projects over a number of years. This includes the hugely successful renovation of Hurst Manor which won the 2008 Pinder National Care Home Design Awards. We find them proactive in proposal, enjoyable to work with and always willing to resolve dilemmas cheerfully and sensibly.” Michael Lawson ,Managing Director, Aurora Care Group