At Country Lodge, we aim to make the transition from living independently to living in our nursing home in Worthing as easy and stress-free as possible. Whether you are looking for yourself or a loved one, we want to make sure you are supported throughout the process of moving to our home.
We know that the best advocate for our actions is our residents. So, we caught up with Allan to hear about his experiences when he moved in with us.
How long have you been at Country Lodge?
“In just a few days it will be my one-year anniversary of moving in. I moved in on the 23rd of March last year.”
What was it that made you decide to start looking for a nursing home in Worthing?
“Soon after my wife died, I had a downturn in my health resulting in a brief spell in Worthing Hospital. After I was discharged from the hospital I started having hallucinations at night. It quickly became apparent that I needed assistance overnight for my own safety and my children’s peace of mind.
However, as I wasn’t able to get domiciliary care for overnights and I was no longer able to stay at home, which lead to us starting a search for a nursing home.”
How did you approach this choice? And what was your first step?
“I went through the process with my elder daughter, who lives locally. I believe that her first step was to search online for nursing homes in West Sussex. She then did a quick review of nursing homes in and around Worthing.
I had already stayed in 2 or 3 of the nursing homes in Worthing for respite when my late wife went off on holiday, after my 2015 stroke, so I was familiar with some of the results of her search.
She found Country Lodge in this process, at the time they had one small single room that was available immediately.”
Did you visit Country Lodge when looking for a nursing home?
“The plan was for me to do an initial stint here for a week of respite. A week or two before I came in for that, my daughter visited for a look around and to meet some of the staff.”
Do you remember any thoughts you had about the home when you arrived?
“I remember thinking that it was well organised. I also remember that all the staff were friendly and very helpful, even though it was clear they were busy at times. They always took the time to introduce themselves and get to know me a bit before moving on to their next task.
Even now, they are chatty, and compassionate and nothing is a problem; they are more than happy to give you help when you need it. They also like to hear about you and the life you have led. They want to hear about your memories and stories, and that makes you feel valued and important.”
Why did you choose Country Lodge?
“The access was easy and all corridors were level, unlike somewhere I’d been for previous respite breaks. Also, the countryside around the nursing home is unequaled in beauty. This was something that really appealed to my artistic appreciation of our Creator’s handiwork.
I have been lucky to move from one of the smaller rooms and into a bigger room that overlooks the garden and beyond, which I absolutely love.”
How quickly did you move into Country Lodge?
“I moved in one day, it only took a couple of hours with my bare essentials.
I’m a pretty organised fellow. As I was encouraged by Debs and Debbie to bring items with me to personalise my room, in the lead-up to the move, I had a think about what I wanted to bring with me and told my daughter what I wanted here and where to find it at my home.
I would say that it took about a week before I felt properly installed and settled in my new residence. The first room I was in felt quite small after coming from a large house. This is one of the reasons why I moved into one of the larger garden rooms.”
What was the process like moving rooms within the home?
“I have moved rooms a couple of times within the home, from a smaller room into the Luxury Garden room, and then from that room into one of the Lodge Garden rooms in the new wing.
Moving between rooms has been very easy as the whole process was incredibly organised.
I have a fair bit of experience of moving offices and premises whilst in business, as well as moving house 4 times in my married life with progressively more kit. In each experience, you learn to give away or chuck all but the essentials and keepsakes of sentimental value!
My experiences have taught me a good system; I list all the contents of every cupboard and drawer, noting their location. This means that as stuff was moved, I could ask staff to put it in the corresponding places or furniture in my new room as far as possible.
When it actually came to moving, I moved into the new room first, and then my belongings followed me on a trolley. In my most recent move, my new room was just across the garden, so while I took the internal passages of the house, my possessions took a shortcut and were wheeled across the garden along the perimeter path.
This was of course made easier by the fact that both rooms had direct access to the garden, so it was all very slick and completed in just over an hour thanks to the cooperative and well-directed staff.
The final thing to happen was having pictures hung, which staff did just 3 or 4 days later. That then made the room feel quite homely.”
How do we assist with the move-in process?
At Country Lodge, we will be on hand on move-in day. Our staff is there to help carry belongings in, set them up in the room, and bring refreshments when needed.
We will also make sure that our chef knows of any dietary requirements your loved one has… we wouldn’t want anything to get in the way of you all joining our 3 pm afternoon tea!
Interested in learning more about Country Lodge?
Country Lodge provides 24-hour nursing care for a range of health conditions such as Motor Neurone Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and Multiple Sclerosis. We are also able to offer post-stroke, and palliative care. You might have gathered from Allan’s story that we also offer respite care, which is perfect if you are looking for a short break from caring for your loved one.
Our care extends beyond the physical, as we know that emotional well-being is just as important as physical well-being. This is why we always have events and activities going on in our communal lounge. We often have performances from a jazz guitarist, pianist, and musical theatre group, as well as special guests in to give talks on a variety of subjects.
We love to celebrate, so will take any excuse to have a party. In summer we hold an annual grill which we invite residents’ family and friends to; and firework night, Easter, and Valentine’s Day never pass without some sort of celebration.
We encourage anyone thinking about moving a loved one to our home to visit us. This is a great way to get a true feeling of what life is like in our nursing home in Worthing. To book a visit, get in touch with our Registered Manager on 01903 830600, or email us at manager@countrylodgenursing.co.uk.
If you are wanting to learn a little more about us or to discuss your loved one’s needs and requirements, then complete the form on our contact us page to request a call back from Debbie, our Registered Manager.