£10.5m Kenilworth care home opens show apartments

Show apartments at a state-of-the-art care home in Kenilworth for people with dementia have been officially opened, as the £10.5m development nears completion.

Run by Warwickshire-based charity WCS Care, one of only two care home groups in England to have four homes recognised as ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, Castle Brook on Common Lane will be home to 84 people when it welcomes the first residents in December 2016.

Castle Brook will include ensuite rooms throughout and will be one of only a small number of care homes in the county to offer double apartments for residents wanting to live together, or to provide extra space for relatives who are visiting.

There will be vibrant community facilities including an on-site shop to pick up groceries, a coffee shop serving drinks and cakes, a hair salon, relaxing spa, traditional laundrette and in-house cinema, all created to help residents confidently carry on doing the things they’ve always done.

For residents who enjoy being active, there will be a full and varied activities and exercise programme seven days a week.

Castle Brook will include state-of-the-art technology, such as fingerprint recognition for visitors and staff, intelligent lifts that appear when someone stands in front of them, and advanced night-time monitoring software that contributes to a better night’s sleep.

In addition, there will be an internet-based care system which includes a gateway for relatives to check their loved one’s care at any time, from anywhere with an internet connection.

Christine Asbury, WCS Care’s Chief Executive, said, ‘Castle Brook will challenge many people’s ideas about what a care home is and the quality of life they can expect.

‘We believe in creating vibrant, bustling environments led by the residents who live there – it’s about independence and ensuring people continue to do the things they enjoy doing and have always done, as well as providing new opportunities they hadn’t considered; Castle Brook will be no different.’