Visitors given ‘virtual’ insight into what it is like to live with dementia at opening of new luxury care home in Seal
THE Mayor of Sevenoaks, Cllr Roderick Hogarth, performed the official opening of Lavender Fields in Seal on Friday, 16 November. The new luxury care home is part of the award winning charity Greensleeves Care and will provide specialist residential care and dementia care to the local community in the Sevenoaks area.
CURTAIN RAISER. Town Mayor Roderick Hogarth officially open the new home.
Mr Hogarth said: “Lavender Fields is a very welcome addition to the broader Sevenoaks community. I encourage residents to join in all the activities that go on nearby. It will be a comfortable, safe, state of the art home for many, especially those who need extra care. The staff and management have set a very high standard and have already contributed much to life in Sevenoaks. I am looking forward to seeing how this develops for the benefit of everyone.”
During the launch event, the home offered Virtual Dementia Tours for the guests giving them an insight and understanding of how people living with dementia perceive the world around them. By gaining this understanding, people are able to improve the way they communicate and support people living with dementia. Following the tours, the guests had a chance to speak about their experiences with Steve Mason, an Admiral Nurse at Greensleeves Care, who is located in Kent and who provides support to the local community on issues relating to dementia.
HEALTH & BEAUTY: One of the treatment rooms at Lavender Fields which are also open to the public.
Bob Carpenter, Information and Advice Officer at Age UK Sevenoaks and Tonbridge, said: “We found the virtual dementia tour experience interesting and if there is any opportunity for more of our staff or volunteers to try it, we definitely have people who would be interested.”
The guests also enjoyed a game or two of ‘Tovertafel’ (Magic Table in Dutch), which is an innovative and award-winning dementia technology. The technology has been designed to help those at a later stage of their dementia journey and encourages people to be more active and create moments of happiness.
As part of the local community, Lavender Fields sourced all of the supplies for the Grand Opening from local suppliers, including Wagamama restaurant from Sevenoaks which provided top quality catering and Stretto Ensembles String Quartet from Sevenoaks which entertained the residents and guests with a beautiful classical music.
Karen Cooper, Home Manager at Lavender Fields, said: “We are delighted to be part of the Seal and Sevenoaks community and look forward to welcoming you to our new purpose built home.”
For more information on Lavender Fields CLICK HERE
WELCOME: Pictured (l-r) are: Paul Newman, Chief Executive of Greensleeves; Janet, one of the residents at Lavender Fields; Chris Shaw, Chairman of Trustees for Greensleeves; Karen Cooper, Home Manager of Lavender Fields; and Roderick Hogarth, Sevenoaks Town Mayor.
