96 | LIFESTYLE Summerset Group Holdings Setting a higher standard of living from page 94 Summerset is accredited as a Dementia-Friendly Organisation. Phone: 03 983 5500 waterfordpress.co.nz Your Business, Your Industry, Your News. DO OUR READERS KNOW YOU EXIST? 27C Dragon Street, Grenada North, Wellington T: 04 232 7003 E: wellington@hcf.co.nz www.hcf.co.nz Hills Commercial Floors. Proud to have our customers walk all over us. Grandchildren come to stay, and Summerset also allows dogs. “For us it’s really important that our residents feel as though they are at home. The villages are communities that are very nice, comfortable places to live and play in. Each village has several beautifully landscaped areas where residents can relax, walk around or have a picnic. Part of our core values are keeping on top of our product and being the leader in the sector, always looking to continually improve by listening to our residents.” One of the key values held by Summerset is delivering a ‘best of life community’ which stems right back to John O’Sullivan’s vision — a place that he would be happy for his grandmother to enjoy the ‘best of her life’. “All our homes are designed for accessibility with extra wide hallways, slip resistant flooring and conveniently located power switches and door handles. And the focus on accessibility flows into the design of our villages, ensuring residents can move through the village freely no matter their level of mobility.” In addition to the diverse range of amenities and services on offer to Summerset residents, popular wellness centres offer ‘use it or lose it’ classes including exercise, pilates and yoga with trainers coaching the residents More recently, Summerset has introduced Memory Care Centres that provide modern apartment style living with innovative design to create a world-class environment for people living with dementia. “Coupled with our resident centric philosophy to improve the lives of people living with dementia, our residents enjoy a welcoming atmosphere designed specifically for them,” says Dean. “There are over one hundred different types of dementia and we have sent staff to the University of Edinburgh’s dementia research centre to study and understand more about the disease. “We want to understand what our ‘memory care’ residents might be going through, so we can talk to their families about that as well. We are accredited as a Dementia-Friendly Organisation, which requires us to provide the physical environment and social activities and there must be staff awareness around living with dementia. “We invest a lot of time into our staff and all operational staff have that sense of care if and when our residents need it.” The villages are also designed so that, as the residents’ needs change, subject to availability, different levels or support and care are available within the village. “We call this our continuum of care. Health services are available in the villages and can be tailored to meet the needs of individual residents. Last year we made a change in our Rototuna regional main building, introducing what we call ‘Homely Design’ with lots of soft furnishings, plenty of seating for when people come to visit and nice bathroom facilities. That has been really well received.” Reflecting on the ‘best of life’ that we would all like to see our mothers, fathers and grandaparents enjoy, Summerset has embraced the key ingredients of luxury, diversity of amenity and security – but most importantly care and friendship. Cottage Restoration - page 100
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