Lilac Lodge Care Home

Mum had excellent care and support from everyone involved at Lilac Lodge. Thank you to all staff and management.

At times there seem to be fewer staff on a shift, which puts everyone under added pressure. The recent departure of some experienced staff is a concern, but hopefully, this is being addressed.

The standard of care seems good and all the staff seem very caring and friendly. The activities lady is very good and does her very best to get all the residents involved in games and quizzes etc.

Some staff make a point of telling family when mum has had a good day and smiled and tried to talk.

Mum enjoys the meals and would like to see fresh fruit available during the day as a snack.

During the last couple of months, my dad's health has deteriorated, also he does not show any interest in food or drink. The staff have been so caring and helpful in trying to encourage him to eat, drink and keep going, walking etc. Most of the time he is very unappreciative and let this be known, but the staff are brilliant at dealing with this and we as a family, are so pleased and grateful that he is Lilac Lodge.

My mother has been at Lilac Lodge for nearly three months now and when I visit I usually find her happy, clean and well fed. She likes the staff and has settled well. She has moments when she gets upset but then she is treated very sensitiviely by the staff. I'm pleased I chose Lilac Lodge.

My father resided in the home for 7 months. During his time there, and on the days when we visited him, we could see that he was being well cared for, and his health needs were being met. There were often different activities going on, which the residents seemed to enjoy, and various outings which took place at different times of the year. They also had days where families could be involved in their events. The great-grandchildren enjoyed some of these, especially the Christmas Fayre, where they all got to see Santa. We were always made to feel welcome when we went to the Home, with the staff willing to listen to any concerns/requests we may have had.

I cannot write too highly of the carers who do a job somewhere between difficult and impossible with enormous compassion, care and good humour. I realise that I am writing about a private company, but I do feel that the nation, in general, is guilty of indifference and fails to realise just how important carers are. Personally, I would like to see an integrated service between government and care homes, and an increase in pay for carers.

I enjoy living here and all the entertainment they provide is very good. The meals are very good.

The area of concern is the handling of the finances. Whilst the care fees are paid by direct debit, I receive invoices to pay for chiropody and hairdressing costs which I always pay immediately. On numerous occasions, I have written cheques and handed them to a member of staff only to receive further invoices with overdue written on them weeks later as the cheques have not been banked even after 2 months. There seems to be something inherently wrong with the way payments are processed. Before setting up the direct debit facility this originally happened with the main care fees - I would write a cheque for several thousand pounds to cover one month's fees, only to receive a reminder well over a month after it had been paid simply because it had not been banked. I also do not receive responses to e-mailed queries.

Staff are happy, friendly and professional. Residents seem well cared for.

Hopefully, my wife will stay at Lilac Lodge for as long as she lives and carry on receiving the same standard of care throughout this period no matter how long it happens to be. Many thanks to the management and all members of staff for their efforts in a very demanding field of work.

My mum was in Lavender Cottage for 3 weeks respite. It was a lovely, homely place, the staff were always friendly and offered drinks whenever you arrived. The care my mum received was excellent and the home was always spotlessly clean and smelt fresh. When I visited I spent a lot of time in the well-kept gardens. On two afternoons we had people entertaining - it was brilliant and it was lovely to see everyone having a sing song.

Overall first impressions are good and residents appear well cared for and content. The food is of a good standard and plentiful. Rooms are comfortable, if on the small side. Most carers appear considerate and helpful. Any problems are dealt with in relatively short space of time. However, for a home which has dementia care as one of its core attributes too many residents are left to their own devices and activities occur in an arbitrary manner. Few if any stimuli around the home, sensory, wall, memory, corners etc. Often arrive to see residents sitting in circle with television on in the background.

My mother has been in Lilac Lodge 3 1/2 years and has been happy there and if she is happy then I am happy. If there are any problems then I sort them out at the time as I go and see her nearly every day and go to the meetings once a month.

On the whole, we are satisfied with the care Dad receives at Lilac Lodge. Understandably there are times when they are very understaffed and possibly personal hygiene isn't attended to as quick as we would like. Dad is now on medication for his violent outbursts and the staff, in particular, the Manager, have been brilliant. He now requires help with feeding and again we cannot fault them.

My mother has been living at Lilac Lodge & Lavender Cottage for 6 months and I am very pleased with the care that she receives. She has Vascular Dementia and is very confused most of the time. The staff are very patient, caring and very kind to Mum. They always seem to know just what she wants or needs. The manager is very helpful and always keep me informed of all the current events. I feel very relieved that Mum is being looked after by such wonderful staff.