Ivy Lodge is a retirement home for those aged over 65. We support residents with all aspects of personal care such as dressing, washing and taking medicines.

Our long serving, warm and caring staff are very experienced in helping residents who may be suffering some short-term memory loss and or some mobility restrictions. Nurses and other health professional do visit our residents but we do not provide nursing care. Every resident who comes to live with us is assessed for the level and type of care they will need which forms a Personalised Care Plan, which is constantly updated to ensure changing care needs continue to be met.

We understand that moving into a retirement home can be an uncertain step and worrying for both the prospective resident and their family. We do offer trial periods which we have discovered need to be a minimum of a month in order to allow the resident enough time settle in and fully appreciate the benefits of assisted living.

No! Ivy lodge was established in 1984 and since then has always been an independent, family run home albeit by three different families over the years! With a maximum of 33 residents, we can devote all our time to ensuring Ivy Lodge is a fabulous place to live.

28 of the 33 rooms are en suite and just 10 are on the first floor which is accessed via a lift. We have 2 sitting rooms (one of them becoming the cinema for film afternoon) a TV room and dining room. We have a lovely garden that residents enjoy sitting in during the summer months.

Yes, all care homes must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and part of this means we are regularly and thoroughly inspected and rated so you have very reliable source of independent information all about us. You can read our last report here or go direct to the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

In our experience you will know when you are ready; you may be feeling anxious, having falls, or just finding looking after yourself becoming more and more tricky. You are by no means giving up your independence, far from it but you can rely on us for as much help as you want/need to make life easier for you. We understand it is a very big decision so you should discuss it with your family, your GP and of course us.

Before you come to Ivy Lodge, we commence your Care Plan. This gives us lots of personal as well as health information to help the staff get to know you quickly. It gives us information such as; the name you like to be called, your life so far, your interests and hobbies, things that worry or upset you and what routines you like to follow. This information will assist your designated carer and all the other carers and staff to help you settle in. You may want to see your family more when you first come to live here and we have no restrictions on visiting times so this should also be a big help.

As far as possible, we want you to feel that this is your home so, as long as we know where you are and have a little bit of notice (for kitchen and possibly medication reasons), you are free to come and go as you please.

As this is your home, we have no restrictions on visiting times (as long as we’re all up and awake!) although avoiding mealtimes is better for everyone. We encourage all of our residents to visit with friends and family as much and as often as they like. We also provide afternoon tea (for a small additional charge) to enjoy together in one of our sitting rooms.

Every other week we have a fellowship meeting which caters for most beliefs, we have a catholic service every month and communion is held weekly.  Many of our residents also go out to church with their friends and families.  We will do everything we can to cater for all religious beliefs.  

Our rooms are all already fully furnished but if you have a favourite armchair or bedspread for example you are welcome to bring them in with you. We would recommend you bring some pictures which we can hang on the walls to help you feel at home and most residents choose to have a TV in their room. Our Care Manager can discuss any other particular requests with you.

We provide a communal pay phone for residents to make calls but you are welcome to use a mobile telephone or to have a telephone installed in your room. Depending on the room it may already be installed and just need connecting. We do not encourage family to call on the main Ivy Lodge line in order to stay in touch as we need this for running the home and for emergencies.

We do all your washing and ironing in a modern, commercial laundry on the premises – all we ask of you is that you label or clearly initial each item of clothing so it does not get mixed up with other residents’ clothes.

Breakfast, which can be either hot or cold, is served from around 8am. Tea, coffee, cold drinks and biscuits are served mid-morning and a hearty lunch is served at 12.30pm. Tea, coffee and cold drinks are served again mid-afternoon and high tea is served about 4.30 pm. A light supper is available for those that wish later in the evening. The kitchen provides delicious fresh food with the emphasis on traditional cooking and home baking using the best seasonal produce available. There are 2 choices at lunch time including a vegetarian option and as you would expect all food intolerances, preferences or dislikes can be catered for.

We do encourage all our residents to eat in the communal dining room as this helps with socialising and mobility. Ultimately however it’s your choice and should you want breakfast in bed for example, you can! You can also have a meal with your family should you wish (for a small additional charge).

We are very keen to ensure that our residents are kept fit, active and entertained. To achieve this a varied programme of events has been produced. We have keep fit and chairobics classes, craft classes, cookery classes, sing-alongs, pet visits, flower arranging, film club, dominoes, bingo and scrabble. We also have sherry and socialising at the weekends and during the warmer months, theatre visits and excursions to local places of interest.

The GP visits every Wednesday afternoon and of course when needed. District nurses visit most days and the Chiropodist visits every 6 weeks. We arrange for; an Optician to visit twice a year, a nail technician comes every month and hairdressers are here every Tuesday.

A full assessment of your medication will be done before you come to live with us and then we can keep and administer any medications you have, as well as ordering and collecting any future prescriptions. On the other hand, you may feel able to look after your own medications and if we feel that this is safe then you can be in charge.

We expect you to experience some health issues, many of which we will be able to manage. However, if a particular complication arises that means for instance that you require nursing care, we will discuss this with you and your loved ones and help with the transition as much as we can.

Fees depend on many factors and vary for the different rooms, from a non en-suite room to our largest en-suite room with its own private patio!  On top of this you will need to pay for hairdressing, chiropody, opticians and you will want some pocket money for when you go out or for some toiletries.

It’s best if you contact us to find out which rooms we have available and for up to date fees.

The simple answer is no! All our staff are employed by us and the vast majority have been with us for a long time and therefore have a close relationship with all our residents. They all undergo continuous training to ensure the care you receive is of the very highest standard.

As we often have a waiting list it is a good idea to start looking around homes in good time and get your name on the waiting list of those you most like. We are happy for you to arrive unannounced at Ivy Lodge if you wish but you run the risk that we might not have anyone available for long enough to make it really worthwhile. It is normally better therefore if you telephone us on 01904 760629 to arrange an appointment and we can ensure you are given all the time you need to see the home and ask as many questions as you wish.