Lear House Residential Care Home

My mum and dad's wish many years ago was that they would reside in Abbeyfield in their latter years. Dad died 20 years ago and mum had been a resident for the last 4 years. As a family, we have been extremely pleased with the care, patience and support given to mum. It was a real home from home for her. Always smelt lovely and the staff could not do enough for her and us as a family. In my Eulogy at her funeral in February I said the following, "We cannot really express our feelings on how grateful we are for the care mum received during the 4 years particularly over the final weeks and the last weekend. As I have said to many people Lear House came into its own in its care of Mum, allowing me to stay and the rest of the family free access to be with her. The staff were wonderful with her and were able to reach her in ways we could not or found difficult to do.

My mother has lived at Lear House for just over a year and from the out set the care and welcome given to her and our family by all the staff has been excellent. We are delighted and comforted to have found somewhere our mother can have independence, with the knowledge that she is well cared for and safe. The staff are experienced, cheerful, patient and kind. They take pride in getting to know their residents and quickly spot any changes in their demeanour and are always on hand to discuss problems or any queries we may have and medical issues are quickly dealt with by a good relationship with the local Doctors practice. There are plenty of optional activities e.g. Musical concerts, dominoes, crosswords and craft sessions.
Lear House is home from home with a happy atmosphere and light, airy and comfortable rooms. There is plenty of outdoor space for sitting in the sun and a lovely garden. Our family feel very fortunate to have found Lear House and our mother is very happy.

When it became evident that our elderly long-term friend could no longer cope with living in her ‘Independent Living’ accommodation, we began the search for a suitable Residential Home in the Wirral area. This proved to be an exhaustive and eye-watering educative exercise for us, as part of our brief as Lasting Powers of Attorney for her was to ensure that any new accommodation should be to the highest level of quality her budget would allow. We embarked on several months of unannounced visiting and inspection of some fifteen local Homes which all fell into a similar price-range, (a single exception was where the weekly price was similar to the monthly price for the others and was thus excluded). Eventually, and with some relief, we found the Abbeyfield Trust’s joint premises of Lear House and its Elliot House annexe, in West Kirby. Here, we noticed an aura of happiness and laughter amongst Staff and Residents, highest levels of cleanliness and tidiness throughout the buildings and grounds, a generous and visible presence of care staff, and a sense of business professionalism: a combination of factors we had not seen at the other homes. There was no pervading smell of urine or cheap disinfectant, no shabbiness of décor, the Staff members were wearing identification uniforms, people were smiling and approachable, and the ambience was one of sincere welcome. Initially, our friend entered the smaller community of Elliot House, where she had been offered the opportunity of staying for a week’s Respite care, which she enjoyed so much that she wanted to take up residence immediately. Within 6 months she had moved into the larger Lear House, where she now has a room which, as part of the ongoing redecoration programme, has been colour-code painted to help her cope with her increasing dementia. We are confident that Lear House deals more than adequately with matters of medication, Doctor visits, matters of intimate washing and hygiene, her laundry, ensuring our friend’s daily dignity and pride in the clothes she wears, her weekly hairdressing events, chiropody, the extensive range of entertainment, and social events which include Burns’ Afternoons (complete with a Piping-in of the Haggis), Christmas Parties, Summer Fetes, and occasional Outings. She is particularly pleased with the high quality of the ‘home-cooked’ food and daily menus, and the pleasant staff who prepare it. Every time we visit our friend she thanks us for finding her this wonderful place to live. Additionally, each visit to our friend in Lear House is a joy for us, knowing she is being cared for so well.

Over the past three and a half years, we have found Lear House the perfect place for our mother to reside. From living a fairly miserable and lonely existence at home, she now feels content and safe with all her needs catered for by a dedicated staff.
The personal care is second to none. In emergencies where intimate care is required, the staff deal with the situation with haste and good humour. Any concerns that may be raised eg. Is she remembering to clean her teeth? These are prioritised and attended to.
My mother, who suffers from dementia, has a new lease of life. The activities programme is varied and provides her with the company that she had previously missed at home. A beautiful Labrador (a therapy pet) visits weekly and it was an unforgettable moment to witness the mutual recognition between mum and this wonderful animal when I first saw them together. There have been occasional outings for those who are able, which mum particularly enjoyed, and I hope these will be repeated.

Mum moved into Lear House 16 months ago.
From the start I have felt that Mum is treated with respect, dignity, with kindness and also good humour.
I have always found the manager and all staff very approachable.
Mum's bedroom, with ensuite facilities, is well decorated and furnished and is kept clean and tidy. The large airy sitting room has a terrace where Mum enjoys sitting on a sunny day.
Mum enjoys her meals.
The activities coordinator ensures throughout the week that there is a varied programme of activities for the residents. She actively encourages the residents to join in with these. I'm really pleased Mum takes part in these activities and on my last visit was impressed with how many crossword questions she was able to answer!
I am very happy with Mum's care at Lear House. It's a great comfort to me to know that Mum feels safe.

My mother moved into Lear House in 1984 and she was very happy enjoying 30 years until her sad death. I was extremely pleased with all aspects of the house and care my mother received and I would have no hesitation in recommending the home to anybody.

My association with Lear House was over a five year period while they cared for a close family friend.Their care during this time was faultless both physically and emotionally with great compassion and total commitment to the resident's needs.
I was confident at all times with the comfort and safety of my friend and shall never forget the staff who became like a second family to us both. I cannot recommend Lear House, the manager and her wonderful staff enough.