Colten Care, International Nurses' Day and Dementia Action Week

Colten Care homes in the New Forest take part in Dementia UK's biggest annual fundraising drive and celebrate nurses everywhere.

Time for a Cuppa as Colten Care brews up for Dementia UK

The kettles were on, the cakes were tasty and the chat was lively as all 21 Colten Care homes took part in Dementia UK’s biggest annual fundraising drive. Residents and staff found a host of Covid-safe ways to get together and enjoy Time for a Cuppa, helping families affected by dementia in the process.

Many of the homes hosted their own events and activities including to accompany their cuppas, including an Audrey Hepburn-themed afternoon tea party including a quiz about her life and career giving an opportunity to reminisce, cakes baked in the green and red shades of the Dementia UK logo, and a chance to watch and discuss a documentary about how the charity has been supportin those living with dementia during the Covid pandemic.

On show at Linden House, Colten’s Outstanding-rated dementia care home in Lymington, was a giant papier mache teapot covered in a tea cosy sewn together by residents in arts and crafts sessions. Pictured with the giant tea pot are Chef Steve Gates and Companionship Team Member Val Greenfield. Seated at the table with them are residents Betty Whitehead and Frances Styles.

Funds raised from Time for a Cuppa contribute to the provision of specialist Admiral Nurses who work alongside families in communities across the country.

Dementia UK’s national helpline, which offers practical advice and support from Admiral Nurses, has seen a heightened demand for help during the pandemic.

Colten Care Admiral Nurse Kay Gibson said: “It continues to be the most challenging and isolating of times for families with loved ones who need dementia care. It’s brilliant that Colten Care residents and staff are doing their bit to help.”

As well as providing an Admiral Nurse service, Colten Care’s own dementia care strategy includes support for Dementia Action Alliances in the communities served by all its 21 homes in Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex and Wiltshire.

Four of these - Linden House, The Aldbury, St Catherines View, and Fernhill in Longham near Bournemouth - are dedicated dementia care homes. Both Fernhill and Linden House are rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission. 

For more information about living with dementia, visit Colten Care’s ‘Ask-an-Admiral Nurse’ website - www.coltencare.co.uk/admiral-nurse.

And, the Dementia UK helpline is 0800 888 6678.

Superhero theme lights up Nurses Day celebrations 

Meanwhile and hailing the vital importance of ‘nursing superheroes’ on International Nurses Day, residents and staff at all 21 care homes took part in the annual celebration, presenting their nurses with cakes, cards and flowers.    

Superhero-themed poster and card designs featured the strapline ‘Recognising Your Brilliance’ with the ‘S’ on ‘Superman’ imagery replaced with ‘N’ for ‘Nurse’.

Inspired by recent Banksy street art championing nurses, Colten’s artwork also showed graffiti-style hearts and messages of love with a spray-painted look.  

An opportunity for Colten residents who were nurses in their own careers, to reflect on what it means to be a nurse 

The day was an opportunity for those Colten residents who were nurses themselves to reflect on what it means to be a nurse.

Dorothy Sage, who lives at Outstanding-rated Kingfishers in New Milton, said: “Nursing is a noble profession. The dedication to your duties always has to be outstanding. If I could choose my career all over again it would still be nursing.”

Dorothy was joined by fellow residents and former nurses Yvonne Harris and Wendy Golding for afternoon tea with members of the home’s current nursing team.

Care home nursing is a privilege

There was a similar get-together at Outstanding-rated Amberwood House in Ferndown. Nurses there brought along their graduation photos for a discussion about nursing with residents. There Home Manager Diane Nicholls, who qualified as a nurse in 1992, said: “Care home nursing is a privilege. You are sharing someone’s life as they are reaching old age. It’s lovely to share that journey with them.” 

Another experienced nurse, Priya Joseph has gained successive promotions within Colten Care and has recently been appointed Home Manager at Outstanding-rated Woodpeckers in Brockenhurst. This is the same home she joined as a Healthcare Assistant nearly 20 years ago in 2002.  

Priya said: “It’s vital to recognise the role nurses play. At Colten Care we are encouraged and complimented by residents, families and the management team. We’re proud to work here. In a hospital you focus on patients who come in, have their treatment and are then gone. At a care home you are caring for residents where they live, looking after them holistically and making sure they are happy and able to live as normally as they can.”

At Bourne View in Poole, colleagues receiving gifts included Care Coordinator Vicky Acott, one of seven Colten graduates from a two-year Nursing Associate foundation degree course at Solent University.

A second group of Colten colleagues are set to complete their first year on the course and a further eight have just begun.

Colten Care supports its nurses to take on leadership and complex clinical roles

Elaine Farrer, Colten Care Operations Director and a registered nurse herself, said: “Supporting colleagues to become Nursing Associates is just one way we invest in our nursing superheroes.

“Further into their careers, we enable our nurses to take on more leadership and complex clinical roles supported by reflective learning, team conferences and best practice sharing.

“The fact that all 21 of our homes are registered to provide nursing care gives residents huge reassurance that if their needs change over time they can continue to be cared for in familiar surroundings by the superheroes they know.”

Nurses Day is organised annually by the International Council of Nurses and coincides with the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the famous nurse and social reformer seen by many as the founder of modern nursing.

Each year in the UK, as well as events across the country, there is a special commemoration at Westminster Abbey co-ordinated by the Royal College of Nursing.   

The picture celebrating Nurses Day at Colten Care’s Outstanding-rated Kingfishers in New Milton includes seated far left resident and former nurse Dorothy Sage who said: “If I could choose my career all over again it would still be nursing.”   

Two weeks free in a New Forest Colten Care home 

Try care home living for yourself or your loved one, at Colten Care's expense. All Colten Care homes are currently offering a 2 weeks free stay, so why not see for yourself what sets them apart - once you experience their comfort, care and companionship it's highly likely you'll want to stay longer!

Three of Colten's New Forest homes are rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission: Linden House specialist dementia care home in Lymington, Woodpeckers residential home in Brockenhurst and Kingfishers in New Milton.

Find out more about Colten Care

With more than 30 years’ experience, Colten Care is an award-winning family-owned care home company. It has 21 quality care homes covering Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and Sussex and offers a range of services spanning residential, nursing and dementia care. Seven of the homes are rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission and Colten Care earns a consistently high group score, currently 9.9 out of ten, on the public review site Carehome.co.uk. Based on such third-party advocacy, Colten Care is the UK’s highest-rated care home group for its size.

All Colten Care homes are registered for nursing care

All homes are registered for nursing care and four are dedicated dementia care homes with Admiral Nurse support. Unlike people who receive domiciliary care in their own homes, residents in Colten Care homes have the reassurance that 24/7 nurse-led care with companionship is on hand whenever they need it. Residents live in the highest standards of accommodation, enjoying homecooked food, fresh laundry and housekeeping services, and safe, peaceful and inspiring gardens. Colten Care also supports residents to raise thousands of pounds for charities of their choice every year. Founded more than 35 years ago, Colten Care has won multiple awards for the quality of its care and remains an independent, family-owned care home provider. For more information, visit www.ColtenCare.co.uk

Three Colten Care homes in the New Forest are rated outstanding

Colten Care operates six residential nursing and care homes in the New Forest, three of which are rated Outstanding and three of which are in Lymington: Belmore Lodge, Court Lodge and dementia specialist Linden House (Outstanding). There are also homes in Brockenhurst -Woodpeckers (Outstanding), New Milton - Kingfishers (Outstanding) and Mudeford - Avon Reach. Click on the links to find out more about each home...