Life at Grace House

Grace House provides residential care in a warm and supportive Christian environment. Our aim is to support residents in a way that respects their dignity, independence and individual needs. Being a small residential home allows us to provide genuinely personal care and build close relationships with each resident.

Admission

It can be very hard for all when the recommendation is for someone to live away from home and in full time care. As Christians, we understand these emotions and will help support the client and their family to build their Christian faith and ensure that they can transition into our care smoothly and happily.

Each resident is assessed by our manager, in liaison with family or friends, to document their personal needs and put together a comprehensive care plan. This is regularly reviewed and any alterations are made as needs change.

We maintain a close relationship with the families and friends of our residents to ensure they are well supported and happy with us.

Meals

Meal times are especially important to us at Grace House. Our chefs prepare all our meals and snacks on the premises fresh each day and understand the nutritional needs and appetites of all our residents. A choice of breakfast options starts the day and the resident’s choices of drink and snack are served in the mid-morning. We serve a three course lunch at 1pm, then afternoon tea (homemade cakes or biscuits and drink) later in the afternoon, with a two course supper at 6pm.

Every meal is served in the dining room with the tables set, as most people have been used to in their own home, with tablecloth, condiments, napkins, glassware, cutlery and crockery. Grace is said before lunch and supper. Our chef also bakes fresh bread, cakes and biscuits as well as other goodies such as marmalade and jams which are enjoyed by all the residents (and our visitors) during the meals or snacks. We love welcoming visitors to come and enjoy lunch with us as this stimulates lunchtime conversations.

Daily life

Daily life at Grace House is designed to provide a balance of companionship, activity and peaceful time for rest and reflection. We aim to offer an atmosphere of everyday family life. We pride ourselves on keeping Grace House as “your home”, not simply “a home”. Newspapers are available each day and, depending on circumstances or abilities, residents may be taken out by family and friends. They may also wish to visit their own church or attend groups or other social events.

Visitors are made welcome at any time and given privacy with the person they are visiting. They are offered refreshments and are welcome to stay for lunch if they wish.

Our sitting room is a calm room where there are several comfortable chairs, including relaxer chairs. There is a large television and we have a range of videos and DVDs available.

On Sunday mornings, residents enjoy the online service from a local church, or where appropriate, go out with their family or friends to their regular place of worship.

Exercise

We encourage our residents to participate in activities that are arranged in the home, in line with their own needs and preferences. We also encourage residents to take exercise, for example a walk around the garden when the weather permits. We regularly have a sessions of keep-fit with an expert therapist who specialises in exercise for older people. There are many activities for our residents to join in if they wish, including craft, puzzles, colouring, quizzes, singing, music recitals and more. Often for these they are joined by some of our volunteers.

Birthdays & Celebrations

We enjoy celebrations at Grace House. Birthdays are celebrated with cakes and singing, and we encourage relatives to join us in person or by video link.

We also mark events or days of national importance.

Outdoor Facilities

During the summer we use our large garden, patio areas and pavilion as much as possible for walking, eating outside, or simply sitting in the fresh air and relaxing. Patio doors lead into the garden from the sitting room and the dining room so during the summer people can sit with the doors open and feel as though they are in the garden.

Our pavilion is a beautiful outhouse that was opened and named by the Bishop of Edmonton in 2015. In the summer it opens up to give views of the garden and provide shade from the sun, but it also has underfloor heating so it can be used for gatherings, events and activities all year round.