A warm welcome to our home
Longlands Care Home is situated a quiet residential location in Blackbird Leys in Oxford. The home offers compassionate dementia and residential care and is short distance of the town centre, shops and local amenities.
- Dementia Respite
- Long Term Residential
- Residential Respite
There are quiet sitting areas for relaxation, perhaps with a cup of tea and the newspaper or a good book. Equally, our large dining room and bar provides a great space for activities and entertainment.
Residents can enjoy the daily social activities going on in the central communal areas with the hairdressing salon open during the week. Our cosy lounges give more privacy for socialising with friends and family or watching TV.
Set in peaceful and beautifully tendered gardens, residents can take a seat on one of the homes patios or stroll among the colourful flower beds. Our lovely landscaped gardens are there to enjoy throughout the year.
Our care homes remain open to new admissions and we can promise a warm welcome and the highest level of professional care to anyone moving into an OSJCT home.
We understand there may be a lot of questions and concerns at this time and to provide guidance to those looking to move into a care home, we have created a dedicated admissions page to try and answer all of your questions.
View OSJCT’s admissions page.
Services & Facilities
The team
Food
Activities
Events
Pricing and Key Facts
About the team
Our friendly, professionally trained team are on hand around the clock to support our residents, ensuring they spend their day how they wish and enabling them to enjoy a fulfilling and independent lifestyle.
The attentive care team focus on the individual needs of the residents, with a tailored care plan for each person. Their aim is to improve the quality of life for our residents by creating lovely, comfortable, homely surroundings and by providing care, activities and other services designed around each resident’s needs and wishes.
Meet the team
Food
The talented chef and kitchen team prepare tasty, home-cooked meals on site daily from our own kitchens. We source quality produce for our excellent breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. All-day dining is available for lighter meals and snacks and all dishes are carefully balanced to get the best nutritional value and cater for individual dietary requirements and preferences.
Seasonal produce is chosen whenever possible and of course, relatives and friends are always welcome to join us. The menus change daily and the kettle is always on. Our chef bakes every day so there is always a fresh cake for residents and visitors to enjoy.
Residents are also encouraged to help prepare their own food and to make snacks whenever they choose.
Activities
Whether it’s wet or dry outside, we at OSJCT feel that activities are essential in providing the best caring environment to live in.
Hobbies don’t simply stop when living with us at Longlands. We have a dedicated Activities Co-ordinator who works closely with our residents to create a programme of fulfilling activities and events, tailored around each resident’s requests, hobbies and interests. The programme of events and activities provide a source of fun and laughter, to help each resident live their life to the full and make new friendships.
We are also fortunate to have the support of many volunteers of all ages from the local community, strengthening our links to this thriving market town.
Here is a sample of activities on offer:
- Trips to garden centres, cafés, pubs, sporting events, National Trust parks, wildlife parks, aquariums and museums.
- Visit from Pets as Therapy Dogs
- Exercise and wellness activities, for example Seated Yoga, Zumba
- Fun activities with the local toddler and nursery group
- Board game competitions and quizzes
- Music therapy sessions
- Gardening
- Arts and crafts
- Communal Church services
Download sample activities schedule
With so many well-being activities for body and mind on offer, we also recognise that everyone needs some personal space for relaxation and mindfulness for personal reflection. The cosy lounges offer an opportunity for some quiet time or to host family and friends.
And that’s not all:
We’ve had silent discos, hoe downs, Chinese banquets, Oscar parties and so much more.
Many of the activities feature Reminiscence Therapy to aid those living with Dementia to remember events, people and places using sight, touch, taste, smell and sound.
Events
Located in the bustling town of Wallingford, there's never a dull moment. We run regular activities for all to join in:
- Coffee mornings
- Care Home Open Day
- Summer and Autumn fetes
- Christmas parties
View our full events calendar below to see more upcoming events taking place at Longlands.
Pricing
Care fees vary depending on the level of care required and this will be confirmed upon completion of a care assessment prior to moving into the home.
Below is indicative pricing per week for self-funded residents.
| Care Type | Fees From | Fees To |
|---|---|---|
| Residential long term | £935 | £995 |
| Residential respite | £1035 | £1095 |
Our home charges self-funder rates for the services we provide. We accept third party top ups for individuals funded by the Local Authority up to the self-funder rate.
We understand that paying for long-term care can often be a complex subject, and with several options available to you it can be confusing. You will find helpful guidance on our Paying For Care page.
Key Facts
The Key Facts document contains information regarding this care home which can be used in comparison with other care homes or can be printed for reference and brought with you when you visit the home.
Meet the team
Our homes' professional services are provided by the Management team, Carers, Nurses and Dementia support teams (where required), Admiral Nurses, Support Workers, Activities Co-ordinators, Housekeeping, Handy Person, Administrators and the home's Chef and Catering team. We also have health professional support from Doctors, Nurses and personal services who will regularly come into the home.
Vilma Collaku
Donna Shirley
Home Manager
Vilma Collaku is the Home Manager at Longlands Care Home, Oxford. She joined the The Orders of St John’s Care Trust in 2010 and has worked in the care industry for nine years. Vilma started as a Carer at Longlands and her hard work and determination has led her to become Home Manager.
Vilma has a BSc in Nursing, a Level 3 in Health and Social Care and Children and Young Peoples’ Services Adult Management.
The most rewarding part of Vilma’s role is being able to make a difference in her residents’ lives and allowing them to maintain their independence whilst they continue to take part in the daily activities they enjoyed before moving into the home.
The reason Vilma chose to enter the care industry was to utilise her nursing degree: helping others has always been second nature to her.
Vilma has two especially fond memories from her years at Longlands. The first was when Longlands took part in an Oxford University trial for a therapeutic robotic seal called ‘Paro’ which has proven to have positive effects on the lives of residents living with dementia. This was covered in the local press and now the Trust has purchased two Paro seals thanks to the success of the trial. The second fond memory is when Vilma took some of her residents to watch staff members take part in a skydive to raise money for a minibus for the home.
For fun, Vilma enjoys gardening, going out for coffees, travelling and spending time with family. She also enjoys a fast sports car!
Activity Coodinator
Donna Shirley is the Activity Co-Ordinator at Longlands. Donna started as a Volunteer for OSJCT in 2014 and in those four years, she progressed to Activities Co-Ordinator, due to her passion for care.
Donna has a Level 3 in Dementia and a Level 2 in Health and Social Care. The most rewarding part of Donna’s job is being able to do activities with residents, taking them on outings and spending time with them one-to-one. Donna also values being able to listen to what the residents at Longlands have to say and getting to know them on a personal level.
Donna’s fondest memory at Longlands was parachuting for the home in order to raise money for their minibus.
In Donna’s spare time she enjoys spending time with her children and family. She is also a huge adrenaline junkie and has been bungee jumping, skydiving and zip-wiring!
Latest News
May 2020
Tea and coffee retailer Whittard of Chelsea is helping to raise the spirits of our residents who are missing visits from family and friends.
Feb 2020
Jack FM DJs Trev and Rich took to the decks to help residents from Trust care homes in Oxfordshire beat the January blues.
Dec 2019
Residents, volunteers and employees from Oxfordshire care homes run by The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT) celebrated Christmas with an afternoon of good food, even better company and plenty of dancing.
Come and visit us
The best way to find out all that we can offer is to come along for a chat, look around and meet our team and residents. Contact us to make an appointment - we'll be delighted to welcome you.
Call: 01865 779224Balfour Road
Blackbird Leys
OX4 6AJ
United Kingdom
