bdht's Gilbert Court still going strong

Published by Zoe Guest for Gough Bailey Wright in Care and Support and also in Communities, Housing

Four years on and an extra care housing scheme designed to enable its residents to keep their independence is still going strong in Charford, Bromsgrove.

bdht, Bromsgrove’s largest provider of affordable housing, opened its doors to Gilbert Court four years ago and since then it has gone from strength to strength. The development of apartments and bungalows, just off Gilbert Road, has been designed to give elderly people the care and support they need to live independently, but have the use of extra facilities, should they want or need to use them. 

The Extra Care scheme allows residents to have the use of an on-site restaurant, a community room and kitchen, a hobbies room, a hairdressing salon and beauty room, two assisted bathing rooms, a laundry and two guest rooms. 

There is also a 24 hour on-site care team for residents who need help with personal care like washing and dressing. Gilbert Court tailors its services to every resident’s needs, with anything from a call in the morning to check that people are okay right through to 20 hours of personal care per week. 

Marie Jenkins, head of communities, support and care at bdht, said: “We understand the needs of our residents and many are very capable of living on their own but are at the stage in life where they appreciate a little help and like to have extra services on hand.” 

Marie added: “In no way are we a care home. At Gilbert Court all of the residents live together and are responsible for their own needs. In fact, they run their own social committee and have a quality improvement group, where they discuss how Gilbert Court could be improved, so they have a hand in how the development is run on a daily basis.” 

Hazel Cooke, whose husband Dennis has been attending Bliss Day Care, both Tuesday and Friday for the last 12 months, said: “Dennis has Alzheimer’s but he comes home from Gilbert Court with his feedback card, detailing what activities he has been doing, who he has been talking to and what he has had to eat. 

“He enjoys looking over old car magazines with his friend Barry and it makes me happy to see Dennis come home with a smile on his face. 

“It is so reassuring to know that he is enjoying himself in a safe and stimulating environment and because he attends for a full day it gives me time to relax.” 

The facilities are not only used by people who live on-site but also by its neighbours, who qualify to use the Extra Care scheme at Gilbert Court. 

In addition, Bliss, a floating support and care service is also on hand for people requiring extra support with day-to-day life activities, whether that is household tasks or managing money.

Bliss offers two different services - a Care service and a Support service. Both packages are designed based around the needs of the person and to help the individual remain independent. 

Bliss Care is domiciliary care, with the service being delivered to the individual in their own home. This could be anything from help getting dressed, to help with personal hygiene and cleaning the home, to a night time call to get ready for bed. As part of this service, a support plan is developed with the individual or family relatives to help decide what focus of care is required and how often. 

Bliss Support can offer people floating support to help them remain independent, helping with everyday activities, such as, keeping fit and healthy, managing finances, applying for benefits, producing a CV or help with online shopping. For daily contact and someone to talk to on a regular basis, Bliss Support can also provide well-being calls to individuals. Day Plus social group, at Shenstone Court, is another benefit of the Bliss Support service, enabling an individual to make friends and become part of the local community.  

Bliss Day Care service is also available, suitable for older customers and those with low to medium dementia offering a personalised service. Bliss Day Care offers a full or half day care service in the warm setting of Gilbert Court, in Charford, Bromsgrove, and it is an opportunity to get involved with the many fun and social activities, spend time chatting to old and new friends enjoying the freshly prepared lunch, or simply just relax.

Bromsgrove has a shortage of extra care facilities that cater to the needs of the elderly and bdht recognises that there is a high demand for these types of properties.

For more information about bdht, please visit www.bdht.co.uk or call freephone 0800 0850 160.