
My sister's end of life care was treated with kindness and dignityJ R(Sister of Resident/Service User)



My sister's end of life care was treated with kindness and dignityJ R(Sister of Resident/Service User)



Larchwood Care Home, tucked away in a quiet, rural location just outside Braintree in Essex, provides personalised residential dementia care to older people.
Offering a welcoming setting, the purpose-built home boasts a variety of places to relax, dine and spend time with loved ones or fellow residents. Residents also benefit from a hairdressing salon, memory room and a sunny conservatory, while the attractive garden at Larchwood includes a delightful sensory...
Care Provided by Larchwood Care Home
Primary Care Categories
- Older Person Care
- Dementia
- Visual / Hearing Impairment
Length of Stay
- Permanent Care
- Respite Care
Care Types Provided
- Residential Care
- Dementia Residential Care
- For a maximum of 64 Service Users
Dementia Care TypesMild Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "mild dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Memory problems such as misplacing items and not be able to recall recent events (however, in some forms of dementia a person's memory may be unchanged)
- Difficulties thinking through problems and planning, making decisions
- Language and communication issues such as finding it difficult to recall the appropriate word in a conversation or following a conversation
- Poor orientation, getting lost in areas previously familiar to them
- Difficulty judging distances (more falls than usual)
- Changes in their normal mood including anxiety and depression
- In certain types of dementia, personality and behaviour changes may be present alongside or instead of issues with memory or concentration.
Moderate Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "moderate dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Worsened memory problems. Not always recognising own family members and friends. Repeating the same questions over and over again
- Worsened language and communication issues, forgetting what they are saying mid-sentence. Not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- More frequent confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Advanced Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "severe dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Severe memory problems. Not recognising family members and friends. Not being able to recall their own name
- Severe language and communication issues, not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- Severe confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Verbally or physically aggressive behaviour
If your loved one displays this type of behaviour you may need a care home that has specially trained staff. Verbal/physical aggression is often defined:
- Consistent shouting and screaming
- Verbal abuse
- Physical abuse
How we define Dementia Care Types
Mild Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "mild dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Memory problems such as misplacing items and not be able to recall recent events (however, in some forms of dementia a person's memory may be unchanged)
- Difficulties thinking through problems and planning, making decisions
- Language and communication issues such as finding it difficult to recall the appropriate word in a conversation or following a conversation
- Poor orientation, getting lost in areas previously familiar to them
- Difficulty judging distances (more falls than usual)
- Changes in their normal mood including anxiety and depression
- In certain types of dementia, personality and behaviour changes may be present alongside or instead of issues with memory or concentration.
Moderate Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "moderate dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Worsened memory problems. Not always recognising own family members and friends. Repeating the same questions over and over again
- Worsened language and communication issues, forgetting what they are saying mid-sentence. Not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- More frequent confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Advanced Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "severe dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Severe memory problems. Not recognising family members and friends. Not being able to recall their own name
- Severe language and communication issues, not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- Severe confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Verbally or physically aggressive behaviour
If your loved one displays this type of behaviour you may need a care home that has specially trained staff. Verbal/physical aggression is often defined:
- Consistent shouting and screaming
- Verbal abuse
- Physical abuse
How we define Dementia Care Types
- Mild Dementia
Other Care Provided
- Parkinson's Disease
- Stroke
Facilities
- Own Furniture if required
- Pet Friendly (or by arrangement)
- Near Public Transport
- Minibus or other transport
- Lift
- Stairlift
- Wheelchair Access
- Gardens
- Bar/Café
- Residents Kitchenette
- Phone Point in own room
- Television point in own room
- Residents Internet Access
Funding & Fees
Weekly Charges per Person
The price(s) shown are provided by the care home. Contact Larchwood Care Home for full pricing details and T&Cs.
Contact Larchwood Care Home to confirm what's included and get a personalised quote:
Funding Types Accepted
- Self-Funding (Private)
- Local Authority with Top-up
- Local Authority
- NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC)
Good to Know
Group / Owner
- HC-One
- Private Owned
Person in charge
- Stacey Scotland(Home Manager)
Local Authority / Social Services
Admission Information
- Mixed (no single-gender units)
- Ages 65+
Care Home Design/Build
- Purpose Built: Yes
- Number of floors: 2
Room Information
- Single Rooms (64)
Larchwood Care Home Reviews (111)
Larchwood Care Home has a Review Score of 9.8 (9.768) out of 10, based on 30 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Larchwood Care Home has 111 reviews.
When the effects of the Alzheimer's really started to take hold, and Mom had to move into care, she fought the disease with such noble resolve and dignity. She never stopped being appreciative of even the smallest thing anyone ever did for her, and remained kind and sincere throughout. I would like to take this opportunity to most sincerely thank all the amazing and wonderful members of the Larchwood Care Home team that, over the last four years gave my Mother the most loving and peaceful environment she knew as home. Their sincere fondness and affection was always so evident to see and, on behalf of my Mother and all my family, I would like to thank them from the bottom of my heart for making Mom as comfortable as anyone could ever do.
The process of finding the right place for my mother's needs was supported by the knowledge and care shown at Larchwood. They took the time to listen to our many questions and showed care and interest in my mother's needs and the family too, as it was an anxious time for all of us. The home is spotless and all the staff are professional whilst displaying care, along with that all-important sense of humour.
Staff are very caring, however, there needs to be more in numbers. If one staff member is on break/lunch/dealing with a fall it leaves one person to look after approx 20 people. Not enough entertainment. People on my mother's floor often miss out and entertainment on that floor often does not happen. However, I understand that the entertainment person is often told to cook/care which does show a lack of staff.
Thank you for your comments. We understand that getting out and about is very important for our Residents and we have been on outings. Unfortunately, only one or two Residents, that require a wheelchair, can be taken at any one time, this means that it takes a while for us to be able to get around...
We liked the home from the time of the visit. We have encountered some issues whilst my sister was setting in, but as everything has been dealt with so swiftly and efficently we are able to say that we are even happier now. The staff are very good and it's clear they work as a team.
Mum is well looked after. Staff are all lovely and helpful. Great activities for residents. A very friendly place!
Because my husband and lots of residents cannot walk, I think the stimulation of an outing again would be very helpful.
Have found all staff and management very caring and polite to residents and family. The whole place is clean and comfortable and consider my wife to be in a very good care home.
Care for my sister is good. Staff welcoming can ask anything about my sister.
My mother has now been in Larchwood for four months and seems to have settled reasonably well. The staff have always seemed very kind and have been helpful if I have needed to ask for any assistance or advice. Mum's care plan is very thorough and covers all her various health needs.
They carefully plan appropriate activities for residents throughout each day, and encourage all residents to engage to the best of their ability and desire.
The Home ensures all medical needs ( e.g medications) are well monitored and dispensed without fuss. As a family, we are kept informed at all stages of any change in routine which might affect mum.
The staff take time to reassure my mother on days when she is particularly confused, and are able to help mum deflect when her dementia is especially distressing to her.
As a family we have been invited to, and enjoyed, a number of events ( e.g the recent Easter event), and I am always made welcome, and invited to participate in any activities going on when I visit mum each week.
I am completely confident that they have mum's well being in mind at all times.
I have been extremely impressed with Larchwood Care Home. They took my father in at very short notice and have sorted out his issues in both a kind and professional manner. The Larchwood team has been excellent. Good to deal with both in person and on the phone. They have put my father's needs and requirements as a priority. The manager, deputy manager and whole team are both extremely professional and very friendly. Larchwood has a great atmosphere and is somewhere I would recommend without hesitation.
My mother is very happy in the care home.
The food and accommodation were both excellent and the security to ensure resident's safety was exceptional. Although there are many residents to take care of at Larchwood, they still manage to provide person-centred care, tailored as much as possible to the individual.
I was also very impressed to see that management and staff take their responsibilities very seriously, regarding adherence to the required policies and regulations for residential care homes; in particular their responsibilities regarding Duty of Candour, which in my view were managed very well and very much in accordance with national guidance/regulations.
The quality and standard of care at Larchwood was always very good and I would certainly recommend this care home to others.
We see that my mother is cared for in a lovely environment by caring and knowledgeable staff which is very important to me as I was her carer at my home for two years.
Always available at the end of the phone or to chat to in person and great support to us all.
Many thanks.
The care my mum received from the moment she arrived was excellent.
From the time we requested Larchwood, the assistance we received from management to the carers was outstanding.
She was treated to the utmost dignity and respect.
Thank you.
My mother has been a resident for 12 months. During that time she has been treated well and with respect. All the staff are very kind and helpful, both to my mother and the family. The home is well kept and the grounds are delightful.
Staff (carers and office) take an interest in the residents whilst we are about but not sure how things are when we are not present. My mother doesn't understand how to eat with knife and fork so fingers are often used when we stay at lunchtime. She has a good appetite when we sit with her and feed her. She can manage once she gets the hang of it, holding her becker cup on her own, once shown how to do it. She needs one on one at mealtimes, some residents get this but not enough staff in attendance for everyone.
Thank you for your feedback which helps us to continually improve our service. Keeping clear and accurate records is so important for us to ensure the quality of care that is being provided is effectively managed and monitored within our Home. We pride ourselves on providing kind care at all times...
The accommodation is well maintained, staff extremely helpful and friendly.
He was very happy here.
Regulatory Rating
Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating
Date: 28 February 2025Good
- CaringGood
- EffectiveGood
- ResponsiveGood
- SafeGood
- Well-ledGood
Inspection ratings
We rate most services according to how safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led they are, using four levels:
- Outstanding - The service is performing exceptionally well.
- Good - The service is performing well and meeting our expectations.
- Requires Improvement - The service isn't performing as well as it should and we have told the service how it must improve.
- Inadequate - The service is performing badly and we've taken action against the person or organisation that runs it.
- Not rated - we have not yet rated this area of the service, this is normally because the assessments we have carried out have been focused on other key questions.
Bed Vacancies
Please contact us for latest vacancies.
News (19) & Events (0)
- 04 Sep 2025
Residents and colleagues at HC-One’s Larchwood Care Home in Braintree, Essex, have been busy nurturing their green spaces in a bid to win this year’s HC-One Gardens in Bloom competition....
- 22 Jun 2025
Residents and childminders from across Essex including HC-One’s Larchwood Care Home in Braintree, Essex, came together to celebrate the first anniversary of the FaNs Network’s Grandfriends scheme with a delightful...
- 20 Jun 2025
Larchwood Care Home, run by HC-One and located in Braintree, Essex, welcomed visitors, guests, and members of the local community to take part in this year’s Care Home Open Week...
There are no upcoming events for Larchwood Care Home.
Accreditations
There are no accreditations posted yet for Larchwood Care Home.
Meet the Team (1)

Home Manager at Larchwood
What does ‘kindness’ mean to you?“Kind care means putting the person at the centre of everything we do. It involves treating people with compassion, dignity, and respect, while ensuring they feel heard, valued, and supported in their daily lives.”
As a dedicated healthcare professional, Stacey has gained a wealth of experience in providing care and support to elderly people, to enrich their lives. She is a knowledgeable and dedicated leader who is passionate about delivering the highest standards in care and quality of life for residents.
Having worked in the care sector for many years, Stacey closely shares HC-One’s vision in aiming to provide the kindest care for each and every resident. She extends this caring approach to her colleagues and works closely with them to deliver care and support to residents in a way that they gain the most benefit, in a warm and welcoming home.
When asked what she enjoys most about her role, Stacey remarked:
“I enjoy working as a Home Manager because I build meaningful relationships with residents, families, and staff while ensuring everyone receives the support they need.”
Stacey’s proudest achievement is working her way up through various roles in the care sector. Through dedication and experience, she completed her Level 5 Diploma in Health and Social Care and progressed to the role of Home Manager, which she is very proud of.
Outside of work, Stacey enjoys spending quality time with her family and taking walks in the countryside, where she can enjoy nature and unwind.
If you would like to find out more about Larchwood, Stacey would be delighted to have an informal discussion with you to answer any questions and provide further information.
Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of carehome.co.uk. Please contact Larchwood Care Home to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Larchwood Care Home has an Enhanced Service -more info.