The care home teams are offering flexible, temporary respite care when it is needed most, which may benefit older people following a hospital admission, or families who have arranged for a summer break and need reliable, tailored care for their loved one to cover this period from two to six weeks. It could also offer an older person the chance to try out living in a care home before they decide if full-time, residential care is the next step for them. 

Encore Care Homes is currently running a promotion for older people to stay for four weeks but only pay for three, enabling them the opportunity to try out the facilities, benefit from round-the-clock care and support, enjoy a range of home-cooked meals, and participate in a host of organised on-site activities. 

There are four care homes across Dorset and Hampshire providing residential, nursing and dementia-dedicated care at Great Oaks in Bournemouth, Oakdale in Poole, Fairmile Grange in Christchurch and Hamble Heights in Fareham. 

Kim Butters, Wellbeing Manager at Fairmile Grange, said: “We have had quite a few residents who have really improved since they’ve come to our care home. We had a gentleman who walked through the door and straight away said, ‘This is where I want to be’. We enabled him to keep his same routine as he had at home, apart from he had his meals prepared for him, and could benefit from the care we provide. He still had his morning newspaper delivered at the time that he requested, and he still had his glass of wine with his meals. 

“He lived happily here until he was 96 and he always said, ‘I made the right decision and it was at the right time’, so that was lovely for us and his family to know.”

Every Encore Care Home has been designed to provide residents with a comfortable and relaxing stay, whether this is on a short-term basis or as a permanent resident. The modern, purpose-built care homes have been specifically designed with caregiving in mind and each older person will receive a personalised care plan during their stay, however long or short.

The Encore team is now able to welcome family members and their loved ones to have a covid-safe viewing of the purpose-built facilities available within the care homes. Full PPE and rapid flow testing are in place for the safety of the care home residents, the team, and visitors. 

For more information about respite care, go to encorecarehomes.co.uk/respite