Life at Grace House

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 the 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 chef prepares all our meals and snacks on the premises fresh each day and understands the nutrition needs and appetites of all our residents. A wide choice of breakfast starts the day and the resident’s choice 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 to welcoming visitors to come and enjoy lunch with us as this stimulates lunchtime conversations.

Daily life

We aim to offer an environment of everyday family life. We pride ourselves on keeping our house as “your home”, not “a home”. Newspapers are available each day and, depending on their circumstances or abilities, residents may be taken out by their 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 our home made refreshments and can 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 an 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 encourage all our residents to try and do some exercises, especially a walk in the garden when the weather permits. We often have a weekly session of keep fit with an expert therapist who specialises in exercise for the elderly. This is done online when not available within the home. There are many activities for our residents to join in, if they wish, including craft, puzzles, colouring, quizzes, singing, music recitals and more.

Birthdays & Celebrations

We enjoy celebrations at Grace House! We celebrate birthdays with cakes and singing, and encourage relatives to join us in person or by video link.

We also have enjoyable celebrations for events or days of national importance.

Outdoor Facilities

During the summer we use our large garden, patio areas and our pavilion building as much as we can for walking, eating outside, or just sitting in the fresh air to relax. 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 they are in the garden.

Our pavilion (know as the “Paviliann”) is a beautiful outhouse that was opened and named by the Bishop of Edmonton in 2015. It opens up in the summer to give a view of the garden and shade from the sunshine but also has underfloor heating so it can be used for gatherings, events and activities all year round.