Gardens to sit out in, food worth coming to the table for, and company all day long.
Days have a gentle rhythm rather than a rota. Meals, medicines and any care somebody needs happen when they should, and around that there is usually something on.
Three years of work turned Edgecumbe's large garden into a sensory beach for the people here living with dementia: sand underfoot, a water feature, beach umbrellas, planting chosen for scent and the sound of water in the background. It is somewhere to sit, somewhere to walk, and somewhere that starts conversations about places people used to go.
Edgecumbe holds a garden party in the summer, and families, neighbours and staff all come. It is one of the days people talk about afterwards.
Singing, gentle exercise, cards, or just the company of a room with people in it. Nobody is made to join in, and the door is never far away.
Ziggy the tortoise has lived at Edgecumbe for a year. Residents stroke his shell and walk with him round the garden, and he has a gentle way of bringing back memories of pets people kept years ago.
Gnoll has a minibus, and Gnoll Park is a short way up the road. When the weather is kind, people go out.
Meals are cooked in the home and eaten together. There is a choice, and there is more of it if you want more. Families tell us the food is one of the first things they notice, and appetites that had gone missing at home often come back.
If somebody would rather eat in their room, that is fine. If a visitor turns up at lunchtime, we will find them a cup of tea and usually a plate.
Inside and out, at both homes. You are very welcome to come and see the real thing.
The introduction of garden parties during the summer is a valuable addition for the residents; as it gives opportunities for families to mix and see the care and kindness being shown to all.
She enjoyed the home cooked food, the activities in the common room, and the good company of all the staff.
Ring whichever home is nearer to you and ask for a visit. Come at a time that suits you, meet the people who would be looking after your relative, and take as long as you need to decide.
Bristol on 0117 956 8856, Neath on 01639 637988.