Why we do this?

In response to my mother\'s wishes for increased care as she became older, I decided to buy, live in and run a care home to accommodate her needs and offer all other residents a standard of care measured by what I would want for my mother.

Residential care by the sea, with the fresh air and buzz of a bustling historic town on the Jurassic coast felt like the right combination. I found Clarondene in the heart of Lyme Regis and instantly fell in love with its homely atmosphere. My mother has a little flat up one staircase and I live up the other stair so I am always on the premises and at hand if needed.

It\'s a very small home where the needs and dignity of the individual underpins all we do, with a real community feeling and the comfort and safety of being looked after.

The essence of Clarondene is that the residents have chosen to make it their home so the staff, families and friends support them to live out this phase of their lives in peace, feeling valued and among friends.

Care work divides into 3 distinct areas.

1. Personal care. We take pride in the attention we give each person to enable them to feel comfortable, clean and look attractive. For example, we have a weekly hairdresser and five-weekly chiropodist visit.

2. Care of the environment. The home is clean, sweet smelling and fresh, as any house should be.

3. The emotional, spiritual and intellectual welfare of all who live here is the aspect of care where Clarondene is different from most other care homes. It is not possible to come into Clarondene and feel there is no-one around. The ÔMartha and MaryÕ story of how easy it is to be taken up with chores and not spend the time just being together comes to mind.

So, most of all, carers are encouraged to sit and talk, to follow the interests of the individual and spend time with them as needed rather than as the timetable dictates.