Seaside Serenity: Malden House’s Beach Retreat

Residents at Hartford Care’s Malden House care home in Sidmouth, Devon, recently enjoyed a short retreat at a holiday park in Exmouth. Upon arrival, Sally, Maureen, Tabitha Donovan (care home manager) and Gabby Clee (deputy manager) were greeted with a disability-friendly caravan overlooking the coast.

After settling into their new home, the group visited the amusement arcade and joined in with the evening’s entertainment. On the second day, more residents from Malden House joined the group and they hired beach buggy wheelchairs to visit the sandy beach. The evening culminated in a picnic and ice cream.

On the third day, resident Ina, who has a passion for bowls, was in for a treat as they visited the local bowling centre. After some competitive games, with Ina and Len becoming Malden House champions, residents could enjoy a meal in the beachside fish restaurant and return to the caravan to play some games.

Tabitha Donovan, Home Manager at Malden House, said:

“Our holiday was truly amazing and one I will cherish forever. The support from all members of the team, residents and families made this trip wonderful. Our break truly encompassed Hartford Care’s values of creating communities that are friendly, kind and welcoming of everyone, caring for each other and celebrating individuality – everyone had a super time and was able to enjoy the things they liked the most.”

“We’re incredibly pleased that across the week, all but one resident was able to come and enjoy our caravan holiday – when we returned to Malden House, Gabby and I took our resident Anne for a walk along The Byes in Sidmouth instead.

“One of my favourite moments of the break was walking along the shore with our resident, Sally, a lady who has always lived for adventure and enjoyed travelling. Listening to her memories and stories of holidaying was a wonderful experience and is extremely special to me.”

 

A relative of a resident, Barry Cotgrave, said:

“The team at Malden House are always brilliant at keeping the residents busy with all kinds of activities and events but this time they surpassed themselves. The holiday to Exmouth was a wonderful idea. You only have to look at the faces of those in the photos (Malden team included) to see what a joyful experience it was. Mum loves the sea so it was wonderful for her to be beside the seaside and see the smile on her face. She also loves music so she will love all the evening entertainment. I am reliably informed that she was singing and tapping along to all the songs. Thank you so much for making this happen.”

Malden House is rated ‘outstanding’ by CQC and offers various types of care, including residential, daycare, dementia care, respite care and end-of-life care. The current 19 bedrooms have fully wheelchair-accessible grounds, including a sensory garden and summer house, where residents can relax and enjoy tranquil surroundings.

Malden House, dating back to 1820, is steeped in period charm. The home has recently had solar panels installed, along with the redecoration of communal areas and new artwork. Work is also well underway on a newly built extension, offering 11 new en-suite bedrooms. These rooms will be ready to move into in June and are currently available to reserve.

Hartford Care’s current care homes are in Bristol, Berkshire (Burnham and Maidenhead), Devon (Sidmouth), Dorset (Poole), Hampshire (Aldershot, Barton-on-Sea, Four Marks, Hythe, Portsmouth, Winchester and Woodlands), Isle of Wight (Bembridge, Ryde and Shanklin), Oxfordshire (Witney) and Wiltshire (Downton and Swindon).

If you’re interested in learning more about the new bedrooms at Malden House or any of Hartford Care’s other care homes, you can call 01395 512264 or email enquiries@hartfordcare.co.uk.

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