






Gillingreane, in Kendal, is a charming limestone building that has been lovingly converted to suit the challenges of professional care and a comfortable retirement.
In the valley of the river Kent, the accommodation is set against the background of Lakeland fells and attractive countryside, while also being the gateway of the Lake District National Park.
Care workers and the chef discuss residents preferences with them, in order to support a lifestyle and diet that offers full satisfaction, while hobbies and numerous activities are also encouraged.
Care Provided by Gillingreane
Primary Care Categories
- Older Person Care
- Dementia
- Learning Disability / Autism
- Mental Health Condition
- Physical Disability
Length of Stay
- Permanent Care
Care Types Provided
- Residential Care
- Dementia Residential Care
- For a maximum of 33 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
- Moderate Dementia
- Advanced/Complex Dementia
Other Care Provided
- Parkinson's Disease
- Stroke
- Palliative / End of Life Care
- COPD/Pulmonary Disease
- Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)
Facilities
- Own Furniture if required
- Pet Friendly (or by arrangement)
- Smoking not permitted
- Close to Local shops
- Near Public Transport
- Minibus or other transport
- Lift
- Wheelchair Access
- Gardens
- 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 Gillingreane for full pricing details and T&Cs.
Contact Gillingreane 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
- Pearlcare
- Private Owned
Person in charge
- Laura O'Brien (Manager)
Admission Information
- Ages 65+
Care Home Design/Build
- Purpose Built: No
- Last Refurbishment: 2024
- Number of floors: 2
Room Information
- Single Rooms (31)
- Couples/Companion Rooms (1)
Visiting
- Protected meal times
Parking
- Onsite parking
Gillingreane Reviews (23)
Gillingreane has a Review Score of 8.2 (8.211) out of 10, based on 2 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Gillingreane has 23 reviews.
My husband stayed at Gilling Reane from September 2023 to November 2024 when he passed away. The home has a real community atmosphere and he was always glad to be in the common room with other people during the day. The staff were very caring. It was always a pleasure for me to visit him there.
Gillingreane is a gem of a care home situated in Kendal. It was the only home to offer my husband a permanent place in view of his advanced Alzheimer's. The building is historically old but my husband's care is exemplary and he is so well cared for. Always clean and well dressed and the staff are all fully dementia trained, giving compassionate, expert and friendly care, not only to my husband but to us all as his family. My husband is happy, settled and safe.
Thank you, it is a true honour to be a part of your family's lives.
Gillingreane has a lively, homely atmosphere and does not feel clinical or institutional. The staff are cheerful and friendly and appear to take pride in their work. Entertainment and activities are well organised - Mum loves the singers who perform regularly, and the staff often take time to dance and sing with her. On my parent's wedding anniversary, the staff made a beautiful cake to celebrate. Videos and photos are often posted to a relative's Messenger group.
Knowing Mum is being well looked after gives us peace of mind, and we are very happy with this care home.
My wife, who has advanced Alzheimer's, entered Gillingreane in August 2023. She was welcomed with care and understanding by the management team and all staff and has settled remarkably well. It comes across very much as a home and not an institution, and family are always welcomed and kept up to date with progress and any problems.
Mum was warmly welcomed into the home at towards the end of last year and the staff quickly put in place an individual care plan for her. On visits, the staff would often update me about any changes and from these it was apparent that they had got to know her well. As Mum’s health deteriorated, they ensured that relevant outside services were involved and her care was adjusted to meet her new needs. Extra equipment was brought in to help with mobility and pressure care needs. Both myself and brother were kept up to date with any changes. We observed staff to be patient and caring with her. Gillingreane is an old building and as such probably not easy to maintain and this does show in a few areas and some of the furniture has seen better days. The home is, however, 'homely' rather than clinical and some items of personal furniture can be accommodated. Food, snacks and drinks seemed plentiful.
I observe that my mother who has advanced dementia is well cared for. She is shown warmth and affection and is treated with understanding and patience when her behaviour becomes difficult.
Staff very friendly and helpful. Homely feeling.
When I visit Mum, all staff are very friendly, helpful and welcoming. Mum is made to feel at home. The atmosphere is nice and relaxed. There's always a good smell coming from the kitchen and the food looks delicious. Mum loves the entertainment, especially the singers. The staff are very good at informing us about Mum or ringing if needed. Excellent care.
Gillingreane are a pleasure to deal with. Professional, courteous, caring and compassionate with a top-rank well managing team and home environment that care superbly for all Mum's needs.
Genuinely caring staff who go the extra mile. I feel happy knowing my family member is being well cared for and looked after by people who care. Staff are always smiling and take the time to talk to residents and visitors.
Mum likes to dance and this often brings her out of her down days.
I would highly recommend Gillingreane to anyone who was looking for a 5-star place for their loved one to reside!
Thank you to each and every staff member for caring for Mum so well, it puts our minds at rest (all the family).
I felt motivated to leave this review on account of the compassionate friendly care that I witness every time I visit.
The premises are clean and well situated in town via a private road. It is a non-clinical residence with personalised features such as photos, pictures and nice decor. The staff are very helpful and even involve, where reasonable, the residents. The staff also appear knowledgeable and professional. The home also features friendly dogs which are a benefit to some of the residents.
I feel my mother is well cared for.
Accommodation is dated and somewhat worn, but adequate.
My experience when I first arrived was one of great uncertainty and worry. But I soon found out within the days and weeks that followed my worries and uncertainty had turned to happiness, love and a feeling of security. The staff were so caring and kind towards me, sometimes I cried with happiness. The place did not seem like a care home, it seemed like a big family home and I had been accepted with open hands of kindness and love and help with all my tablets.
From being anxious and very nervous when I first arrived I now feel happy and safe. The staff are most helpful and very caring towards me and the handling my medication is excellent through the day and night. The meals I am served with are good homemade meals, excellent. If I have any worries there is always a staff member on hand to listen and reassure me. Nothing is too small. I am so lucky to live here.
It was a very good review, staff are very good with my Husband. I am very pleased with him being there and feel he is safe and well, looked after at all times.
In general, I feel the staff do a good job. Most are good with my mother ensuring she involves herself.
I would like, if possible, for more help taking mum out occasionally if only for an hour now and then.
My only complaint is her clothes going missing, despite labelling but again the staff are great and track them down.
Overall, a nice atmosphere with lots of laughing. Great.
As a family, we have been helped to prepare her room for this transition.
But the activities seem erratically organised and don't always happen which is a shame because my mum is bored at times. Also, areas of Gillingreane need updating re-decorating or cleaning.
The building is old and some areas are not very light - but the residents are old and, I think, feel more 'at home' in surroundings more familiar than a modern sterile square box. Staff are really really good. I can't stress this enough!
Regulatory Rating
Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating
Date: 15 May 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 (0) & Events (0)
There are no news items for Gillingreane.
There are no upcoming events for Gillingreane.
Awards / Recognitions (0)
There are currently no awards/recognitions posted yet for Gillingreane.
Accreditations
There are no accreditations posted yet for Gillingreane.
Meet the Team (2)

I am Laura and I enthusiastically stepped into the role of manager at Gilling Reane in September 2024.
With over 20 years of experience within social care NVQ grade 7 in health and social care, theequivalent of NVQ Grade 4 learning disabilities and Grade 4 End-of-life care.
I see the importance of recognizing and respecting each resident, and together as a team to make each day special, friendly, and safe. Encouraging an open and fun environment through excellent service and support.

I’m Rob and I am the Regional Manager for Pearlcare in the North West. I have been working in health and social care now for over 15 years. I started as a care assistant and worked my way up. I joined Pearlcare back in 2019 as a deputy manager and then home manager of Wellfield in 2020.
Frequently Asked Questions about Gillingreane
What types of Care is Gillingreane registered for?
Older Person Care, Dementia, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health Condition, Physical Disability are the registered (by the Care Quality Commission) categories of Care.
How many Rooms does Gillingreane have?
There are 31 Single Rooms and 1 Couples/Companion Room.
What are the Facilities & Services at Gillingreane?
Own Furniture if required, Pet Friendly (or by arrangement), Smoking not permitted, Close to Local shops, Near Public Transport, Minibus or other transport, Lift, Wheelchair Access, Gardens, Phone Point in own room, Television point in own room, Residents Internet Access are some of the Facilities & Services.
How far is Gillingreane to the centre of Kendal?
0.3 mile(s) as the crow flies, distance by road may be significantly further.
Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of carehome.co.uk. Please contact Gillingreane to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Gillingreane has an Enhanced Service -more info.