In achieving this award, Goodson Lodge attained an assessment score of 98% for its dementia friendly design, setting a new benchmark as the highest scoring residential aged care setting on record world-wide.

The Dementia Design Gold Accreditation Award, which is only offered to environments that achieve the highest standards of design, is administered by the University of Stirling’s Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC), an international centre of knowledge and expertise dedicated to improving the lives of people with dementia.

The accreditation scheme independently assesses both hospital and residential care settings through a detailed and extensive audit process that rates the design of the building against research-evidenced dementia design principles.

Client Development Manager for The Orders of St John Care Trust, Dr Timothy Plant, says:

“I am delighted that Goodson Lodge has achieved this remarkable score from the University of Stirling. It’s a testament to the work of the Trust in prioritising the needs and wellbeing of people with dementia that we support. We are proud that the design of the building around our ‘household’ model raises the bar for dementia design and has been recognised not only for providing an excellent environment for people with dementia to live, but also for care colleagues to work.”

Goodson Lodge Care Centre was completed in spring 2017 and accommodates 64 residents. Split over two floors, the state-of-the-art home offers compassionate care in an environment that has been sensitively designed with residents’ well-being in mind.

Every resident has access to a homely household living area, including a lounge, sitting room, open plan kitchen and dining room. The centre also includes a ‘high street’ featuring cinema, hairdressing salon, café and shop where residents can buy supplies, toiletries and greetings cards.

Martin Quirke, DSDC Architect at the University of Stirling says: “As research evidence has developed over the years, best practice in design of care home environments has changed dramatically. Goodson Lodge incorporates some of the latest thinking in this area. The building and its gardens have been sensitively designed, with an attention to detail that promotes comfort and wellbeing, whilst unobtrusively designed safety features help to optimise independence amongst residents as they live a life filled with meaningful and enjoyable activities. The Orders of St John Care Trust are recognised for their compassionate and committed approach to dementia care, and the outcome at Goodson Lodge is testament to this.”

Goodson Lodge Home Manager, Annette Ayles, says: “It is a privilege to work in such a special environment. Spaces are cosy and on a domestic scale and keep our residents independent, stimulated and active. They are able to use the space like they would their own homes. Our residents are proof that this new type of home has a massive impact on the way we live.”

In achieving this award, Goodson Lodge attained an assessment score of 98% for its dementia friendly design, setting a new benchmark as the highest scoring residential aged care setting on record world-wide.

The Dementia Design Gold Accreditation Award, which is only offered to environments that achieve the highest standards of design, is administered by the University of Stirling’s Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC), an international centre of knowledge and expertise dedicated to improving the lives of people with dementia.

The accreditation scheme independently assesses both hospital and residential care settings through a detailed and extensive audit process that rates the design of the building against research-evidenced dementia design principles.

Client Development Manager for The Orders of St John Care Trust, Dr Timothy Plant, says:

“I am delighted that Goodson Lodge has achieved this remarkable score from the University of Stirling. It’s a testament to the work of the Trust in prioritising the needs and wellbeing of people with dementia that we support. We are proud that the design of the building around our ‘household’ model raises the bar for dementia design and has been recognised not only for providing an excellent environment for people with dementia to live, but also for care colleagues to work.”

Goodson Lodge Care Centre was completed in spring 2017 and accommodates 64 residents. Split over two floors, the state-of-the-art home offers compassionate care in an environment that has been sensitively designed with residents’ well-being in mind.

Every resident has access to a homely household living area, including a lounge, sitting room, open plan kitchen and dining room. The centre also includes a ‘high street’ featuring cinema, hairdressing salon, café and shop where residents can buy supplies, toiletries and greetings cards.

Martin Quirke, DSDC Architect at the University of Stirling says: “As research evidence has developed over the years, best practice in design of care home environments has changed dramatically. Goodson Lodge incorporates some of the latest thinking in this area. The building and its gardens have been sensitively designed, with an attention to detail that promotes comfort and wellbeing, whilst unobtrusively designed safety features help to optimise independence amongst residents as they live a life filled with meaningful and enjoyable activities. The Orders of St John Care Trust are recognised for their compassionate and committed approach to dementia care, and the outcome at Goodson Lodge is testament to this.”

Goodson Lodge Home Manager, Annette Ayles, says: “It is a privilege to work in such a special environment. Spaces are cosy and on a domestic scale and keep our residents independent, stimulated and active. They are able to use the space like they would their own homes. Our residents are proof that this new type of home has a massive impact on the way we live.”

In preparation for the big day decorations of bunting and baubles were carefully hung. Holly was wrapped around railings and reindeer were placed thoughtfully throughout the home. As the doors opened at 2pm the sound of Christmas songs filled the air and flashing lights illuminated the entrance.

The home enjoyed the company of some creative crafters and stallholders of various forms including assorted toiletries from the body shop and lots of wonderful handmade Christmas decorations from The Crafty Den.

This was accompanied by Goodson’s very own stall selling a selection of loaf cakes and reindeer dust; sprinkled in the garden on Christmas Eve this is intended to make the lawn shimmer to help guide Santa’s sleigh safely to a child’s home. There was also a selection of hand prepared hot chocolate mixes as well as some lovely bags and baskets, lovingly crafted by Trudy, a good friend of the Home Manager, Annette.

Tea, coffee and cake was served by relatives of Leanne, an Activity Coordinator who kept the pot warm throughout the day. Money raised from both the Goodson stall and the tea, coffee and cake went towards the residents’ amenities fund. The grand total was a whopping £185.00!

The day was well supported, particularly by residents’ family and friends and some team members who were not on shift popped in to sample the wares. It is hoped that this can now become an annual event and one which will be supported by the community for many years to come.

Les and Deidre met in the 1950’s when skiffle, a genre of Jazz, blues and American folk music, influenced what was listened to at the time. Les was part of a 3-man skiffle band where he played the base. His friend Burt knew Deidre’s parents and was asked by Deidre’s parents to play at her 21st birthday, they had arranged a small party to celebrate the occasion.

The party is where Deidre and Les first met, in December of 1957 Les asked Deidre on their first date. They later went on to get engaged in the April of 1958 and then married during the summer of the same year and have been married ever since.

Les is a resident of Chestnut Court and his wife Deidre lives in Cirencester. She has always visited Les but due to her ill health she has not been able to visit Les in 8 months.

To mark this significant occasion for the couple, the team at Chestnut Court decided to organise a surprise 60th anniversary for Les and Deidre.

The day began with the mini bus from Chestnut Court arriving at Deidre’s home to chauffeur her to Chestnut Court where a romantic dinner was set up for them both. The meal was made by the homes Chef, which accommodated both Deidre’s and Les’s dietary requirements.

Activity Coordinator, Mandie Merrett, and Dementia Lead, Anthony Haigh became waiters for the day to imitate a restaurant style dinner. A personalised cake was also given to the couple, baked by one of the homes volunteers.

When asked how she felt about the surprise Deidre said, “I am just so gob smacked, I am ever so grateful, and this has by far been the best wedding anniversary”.

Deidre also added “Everyone at Chestnut Court has been so kind to us and even though the location of Chestnut Court is far from where I live, I would never move Les to a home closer to me as I am so happy with the care given here at Chestnut Court. Thank you to every one of you. You all are very special to me”.

Corporal Jelley was part of the Red Arrows Circus team of engineers, flying in Red 4 throughout the 2017 season. Circus engineers fly in the passenger seat of the Red Arrows Hawk to and from display airfields and service the aircraft before and after every display.

Louis is one 14 Red Arrows Avionic Technicians who are responsible for all the electrical and avionics systems on the aircraft. They maintain equipment ranging from emergency compasses to complex engine control circuits, as well as introducing upgrades such as new radio systems and engine performance monitoring equipment.

After spending time talking to residents about his experiences and giving a presentation about the Red Arrows, Corporal Jelley also surprised Home Manager Donella Savage with a cake to celebrate her birthday.

Donella said; “It was a wonderful experience for our residents to meet Corporal Jelley and they all thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the Red Arrows and the team behind the pilots”.

Corporal Jelley was part of the Red Arrows Circus team of engineers, flying in Red 4 throughout the 2017 season. Circus engineers fly in the passenger seat of the Red Arrows Hawk to and from display airfields and service the aircraft before and after every display.

Louis is one 14 Red Arrows Avionic Technicians who are responsible for all the electrical and avionics systems on the aircraft. They maintain equipment ranging from emergency compasses to complex engine control circuits, as well as introducing upgrades such as new radio systems and engine performance monitoring equipment.

After spending time talking to residents about his experiences and giving a presentation about the Red Arrows, Corporal Jelley also surprised Home Manager Donella Savage with a cake to celebrate her birthday.

Donella said; “It was a wonderful experience for our residents to meet Corporal Jelley and they all thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the Red Arrows and the team behind the pilots”.

Following the lunch, guests were all treated to a visit from some lovely local dogs. The club saw a fantastic turn out with 16 members joining on the day. All the guests were treated to a freshly cooked battered fish and chips which was appreciated by all, judging by the empty plates left over!

Alongside the lunch, it was a lovely afternoon seeing the residents really engage with dogs. There were smiles across lots of faces and the interaction between the residents and the animals is amazing. Pets bring great benefits such as companionship, unconditional love, and fun, just their very presence can help reduce stress, anxiety, agitation, depression and loneliness.

 We very much look forward to the next visit! Everyone is welcome to join; the next meet is on the 31st of August at 12:30pm.

If you would like to get involved with Grace Care Centre Fish & Chips Lunch Club please call – 01454 549400 to reserve your Fish!

The sun was shining, the BBQ was getting started as guests, friends and relatives began rolling in around 2pm. The home had a fun-filled day with games, entertainment and dancing, whilst the food and drink flowed. Children were running around in the garden as the residents looked on with huge smiles!

We also had a wonderful array of cakes and cupcakes on our ‘Brilliant Bakes’ stand which was kindly run by two students from a local school. Everyone donated generously and enjoyed every bite. The home also raised money with a ‘guess the weight’ chimpanzee and sweets in a jar along with the fabulous raffle, which was well stocked with items donated by the local community.

The home was lovingly decorated with bunting and the gardens were in full bloom for a competition later in the month. Athelstan House thanks everyone for their support on the day and look forward to hosting another Summer event soon!

The whole home was shocked and saddened by the loss of Amy’s baby. Amy is a proud representative of Goodson Lodge alongside her twin sister Katie and her Mother Alison, who are also part of the team. Their loss rippled through the home. As the nature and circumstances of Mia’s untimely death unravelled, colleagues they confided in were shocked to learn that Strep B is common, testable and preventable with IV antibiotics, yet it is not routinely tested for. Many of us had never heard of Strep B despite so many of us being experienced mothers of multiple children.

The team at the home wanted to help but really didn’t know how. There is nothing of significance that can be said to a grieving mother that in any way serves as condolence; any attempt to do so felt clichéd and futile. Words could never bring baby Mia back and wouldn’t take away the pain of Amy and her family. However, the team discovered that there was something they could do. They could give Amy a focus and create a legacy for Mia. Even at a few hours old Mia could have a massive impact on the future of many other mothers and babies, and so the mission became clear. The home had a platform and they intended to use it for Amy.

In June, after some sensitive and thoughtful discussions, Amy bravely decided that she would go public about her trauma to let Mia’s story be known and the team at Goodson Lodge supported Amy in achieving this.

A plan was hatched to pedal 100 miles on static bikes over two days (19th and 20th June): the first leg at Goodson Lodge and the second leg at The Shires Shopping Centre, supported by team members, family and well-wishing residents. The team intended to raise money for GBSS (Group B Strep Support) and raise awareness with leaflets and flyers provided by the charity.  

Day one was hot and sunny, yet Amy’s friends, colleagues and family dutifully took to the bikes and pedalled like their lives depended on it. With precision timing they lined up, one after another taking 15-minute slots, or multiples thereof. Residents enjoyed pedalling along, flanked by carers donning brightly coloured sweat bands, brandishing the OSJCT logo: a symbol of solidarity in technicolour. By the end of the day the team realised that they had drastically underestimated themselves; having exceeded 300 miles they also had to reset their fundraising target from the original £350 to a much more ambitious £700. Supporters were kept updated though the home’s Facebook page: @GoodsonLodge, with hashtags #PedallingforMia and #Togetherwearestronger.

On day two the team arrived at the shopping centre with a secret weapon in tow. The firefighters of Trowbridge Fire Station. Leaving the team to hand out leaflets and shake buckets, the firefighters annihilated the morning session. The conversations  were overwhelming: meeting pregnant women with Strep B, new and more experienced mums who had never heard of Strep B and people who knew exactly what it was and were ready to drive their hands deep into their pockets. The day ended with a massive 765 miles on the clock and more than £600 in the buckets.

According to GBSS, £50 allows them to help a family in crisis and £100 allows them to train health care professionals. To date Goodson Lodge estimates that it has raised £1500, with sponsorship still coming in. A national newspaper has taken exclusivity of Amy’s story and the Just Giving page
(https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rebecca-jones162 ) will remain active until that piece hits the press in the next week or so. The charity has been following the team’s progress and is thrilled with the funds raised.

For Amy the support does not stop there. Amy’s family is now an awful lot bigger. #TeamGoodson is very proud to join hands to support each other. Amy’s colleagues and the people she has touched through her story will be richer for sharing a small part of her journey with her and Amy knows this. But more importantly for her, a legacy has been left for Mia. If teams in 15 hospitals can be reached from this fundraising, then many more tiny lives could be saved, all because of this very special little girl and her very brave family

The sun is forecast to be out, so take to the home’s beautiful garden to ease any afternoon hunger pangs by sampling the array of delicious barbeque food on offer. Follow this by a blast from the past as you choose some traditional confectionary from the old-time sweets trolley.

Try your luck at the tombola or perhaps you might fancy picking your favourite tune on the karaoke and impressing onlookers with a good old sing-along. If performing is not for you, you might prefer to pull up a chair and enjoy a cup of tea while watching others give it a try.

The huge number of prizes up for grabs in Langford View’s enormous raffle means you are not likely to go home empty handed. With luck, you might win posh toiletries, baking equipment, a bottle of bubbly, a meal for two or many other great prizes.

The team and residents at Langford View look forward to welcoming you on Saturday for an afternoon of fun in the sun. All ages are welcome so bring the family, or perhaps combine your visit with a trip to the famous Bicester Village which is just a stone’s throw away.

Location: Langford View Care Home, Coach House Mews, Bicester, OX26 6EW

Contact: 01869 252343

Times: Drop in at any time between 2pm and 4pm