Blakelands Lodge

Mum put on weight and started using her walker during her 'holiday' (respite care) at Blakelands Lodge. Blakelands was more like a luxury hotel rather than a care home and my siblings and I would have been delighted if she had wanted to stay permanently. The staff were caring and wonderful with her; hoping she will be back!

Blakelands Lodge was, by far, the favourite with its open and airy surroundings, and fantastic facilities - as well as staff who made her feel at home.

Blakelands Lodge is a clean and modern environment which provides homely and comfortable facilities. The staff are second to none - genuinely appear happy and content in their work, are friendly, approachable and hardworking. All the same, they are able to join in with residents activities and nothing ever seems too much for them. I can only assume this is down to high standards of recruitment, management and a positive and supportive work environment.

The staff have a lot to deal with and give great attention both on the care and admin side and we are grateful for them.

Excellent care home in every way. The staff are both professional and friendly. The place is always spotlessly clean and welcoming. Lots of activities are put on for the residents to enjoy and the food is wonderful. All in all, a great place for my loved one.

Nothing is too much trouble for the carers who are always cheerful and friendly. The management team are always available to discuss any queries service users or families may have.

I love the community inclusion and all of the activities for the residents. I am looking forward to the better weather when Mum can get out and about or just in the garden.

Dad joined Mum at Blakelands in August and the staff deal with him with amazingly good humour!

My father has Alzheimer's and has been living at Blakeland's since September. My sister and I could not be more happy with his care to date at the home. The facilities are second to none, we often say it is like a 5-star hotel! Most of all, however, it is the staff who should have the most credit, as they are all amazing and the kindest most caring people we could wish for. The activities are frequent and appropriate for all, and the food is superb. Thank you so much for everything!

I have total peace of mind that my mum is being well cared for - thank you Blakelands Lodge.

It is hard to write a review that adequately praises Blakelands and its staff enough. The building itself is a pleasure to walk into, with accommodation much superior to many hotels, but it is the staff that make the home a home! The caring nature of the staff is the thing that stands out far above many such homes. When my aunt was dying, the sensitive, gentle care shown to her was beyond the care of duty. The whole ethos of Blakelands makes it much more than a run-of-the-mill care home. Daily activities suitable for the older generation have been carefully thought out, and the involvement of the whole community in the area is outstanding. It is part of the community and not just in it. It is obvious that bringing “mums and tots” in is a great help to those who are missing their own grandchildren and having a Saturday morning cinema for the young people fulfils a real need in the area. The regular input on the Blakelands Lodge Facebook site reveals the reality of what is written above.

My 2 week respite stay was ideal - I received all the care and help that I needed and asked for. Did not feel that my husband received the close monitoring that I expected in view of his dementia. If he said he had had a wash or was dressed, it was accepted without checking. He wore the same shirt for his final 3 days at Blakelands!

My husband has just spent 15 days in Blakelands Lodge. He has Alzheimer's and I needed a break. He has come home and although he cannot remember all the things he has done, he says everyone was very kind. He's had a lovely time, the food was good and he wants to go there again. All his clothes came back nicely laundered so I haven't got any post holiday washing to catch up with. We will definitely use this home again so I can have a holiday.

My sister and I were very thankful to find such a good care home as Blakelands Lodge Care Home for our 93-year-old mother. As Mum needs 24-hour care, we needed somewhere we could leave Mum for two weeks respite care so we could have a break. We had complete peace of mind knowing that she was in a comfortable, safe and secure place in our absence. We have no hesitation in recommending Blakelands Lodge to others who might have the same anxieties and worries in finding the best care for their loved ones. Mum has been in twice this summer and we will come back here again.

They also arranged some photos and a radio interview on the day. Absolutely fantastic. Thank you Blakelands. You made her very, very happy.

Ten months on, and things are still going well. Today, my brother and I tagged along to a day trip organised by Blakelands. It was a once-in-a-lifetime trip for our mum to feed Elephants at Whipsnade Zoo. She looked forward to it for weeks and was over the moon today. She thoroughly enjoyed it, and the staff from Blakelands were superb.

My mother stayed at Blakelands Lodge for a 4-week respite and she could not have been so comfortable and relaxed. When we dropped her off, she looked so nervous but when we picked her up at the end of her stay, she was in tears and so sad to leave. The staff at Blakelands Lodge made her feel so welcome, accommodated her needs and she simply loved everything about her stay. The flexibility in visiting hours meant my siblings could visit her too and also spoke so well about Blakelands Lodge and its facilities. This has now become her ‘go-to’ respite home and she will be visiting for another stay in a few months. Thank you so much to all the care home staff. Her medication was handled also so well. Thank you all again.

Overall if you need to go into a care home either temporarily or permanently I couldn't recommend Blakelands Lodge more highly.

Mum has been at Blakelands Lodge since August 2022 and we couldn't have wished for a more caring place for her to reside. The home itself is beautifully decorated, facilities are fantastic including cinema, library, games room, bar etc. The staff are caring and considerate and the atmosphere is of a happy, friendly home. The activities team go all out to facilitate appropriate, fun things from crafts of all kinds to entertainers coming in regularly, individual time with residents and many more things, they also liaise with the local community to make the residents and the home part of this. Management and the front of house manager are always patient and polite with my queries or requests despite being very busy. I and the family are always made to feel welcome. Mum now has a key worker so we can, as a team, give her the best care possible. The food seems lovely and homemade cakes always on offer to visitors too. Mum is very settled there.

After Mum was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's my brother arranged a viewing of the home initially as some respite. From the first visit of the home and then with the decision to make this a more permanent move for Mum's best interests we were instantly supported by the staff in the home with this being a very tough decision to make. The home itself is beautiful with outstanding facilities that can be accessed by both Mum, myself, siblings and other family when visiting. Mum has now settled so well in the home and understands this is now where she lives and is very content in her new way of life and routines. She has also made friends with other residents and always talks about how good the food is and always talks about her favourite staff with glowing reports. Not only have the home supported Mum massively with this transition and meeting her daily needs they also support us as family, taking the time to check in on how we are and have a chat with us when we visit.