April seems to have gone by in a flash with lots of visitors to the Estate. We have been delighted to welcome lots of visitors to Huntington House and Langham Court this month, as well as a few unusual guests waddling along the corridors!
Seeing the delight of those living in Huntington House, was a great reminder of the power of animal therapy....
Animal assisted therapy sessions are a regular event at Huntington House and Langham Court, proving to be a great mood lifter and conversation topic.
Getting up close to the animals and being able to cuddle, stroke and feed them gives a feeling of calm, stimulate the senses and has medical benefits such as lowering blood pressure.
Read more about our recommended therapeutic activities that can nurture your mental health.
The crafting continues at The Huntington & Langham Estate after moving seamlessly from making greetings cards for Valentine’s Day to painting pots for Spring bulbs.
The residents at Huntington House have been busy again with a visit from Dolly Pots who run mobile ceramics painting sessions. We spent a lovely morning decorating the plant pots, Easter bunnies and baskets before they then went off to be fired, before being returned in time for planting up and displaying around Huntington House over the Easter weekend.
The painting brought people together and prompted plenty of conversation about the changes of the season and all things Spring, and also offered a sense of purpose for people wanting to continue their love of gardening.
Moving into a care home is often prompted by the daunting prospect of continuing to look after a whole house and garden independently. However, it doesn’t have to spell the end of a love of gardening.
In fact, many of the bedrooms at The Huntington & Langham Estate have their own manageable garden areas or direct access to an area of patio you can personalise. Indeed, there is also 30 acres of grounds to enjoy as well, with blossom trees in full bloom at this beautiful time of year.
The residents at Huntington House have been busy again this month with a visit from Dolly Pots, who run mobile ceramics painting sessions, painting and generally enjoying their hobbies.
Around the Estate whilst the signs of Spring are slowly appearing, earlier in the month we had a blanket of snow, and captured some stunning photos all available in this months newsletter:
When the family of one our ladies living in Huntington House, came to take her out for lunch last week, she wasn’t ready, and her family weren’t in the least bit surprised or upset.
That’s because she is a fan of having a boiled egg for her breakfast, and, having carefully taken the top off her egg, it wasn’t quite cooked to her liking, so she had requested another one which was a little runnier. We obliged with pleasure, so she could savour the breakfast she wanted before getting up and dressed.
This story is just one example of how residents enjoy our personalised, loving, caring approach. Our ethos is that every one of our residents has a meaningful day, choosing what they do and when they do it based on how they feel. From the moment they wake up, our residents’ emotional health, care, dignity and desires are always at least as important as their physical needs. This is the gold standard of personalised care we work to 24/7/365.
Huntington House is family owned and run, and residents are treated like family. Residents and our team are free to be themselves in the warm, welcoming, homely and friendly environment we’ve created over the years – a quintessentially English country house suffused with love.
At Huntington House, we always go above and beyond to meet residents’ needs, and they get the nurturing support needed to be independent and live a full life. Residents can do all the things they enjoyed before moving in – walking, painting, singing, talking, debating, creating and more – and can participate in all the activities and socialising they want and need, with the reassurance of round-the-clock care.
Walk into the house, and you’ll see residents’ art on the walls and their interests and desires reflected in what’s happening at each given moment. Bedrooms are comfortable and welcoming but are just one of the areas where residents can spend time and enjoy themselves.
Residents and their families are encouraged to explore our 30 acres of beautiful grounds, help with our garden or wander through the woods to see the sheep, chickens and horses who share our space. This is very popular with our younger visitors!
Less mobile residents are accompanied by a team member whenever they want to go outside, whether for a gentle walk or a chance to sit and get some fresh air.
Unusually for our industry, our staff are positively encouraged to connect with residents, love them and care for them as if they were family.
We have higher than average staffing ratios to facilitate the levels of care we provide. That’s why, much like visiting a family home, when you explore the house and grounds, you’ll hear impromptu debates and conversations, see residents going on outings, laughing and chatting as they do crafts and hobbies or suggesting to the care team how seasonal decorations should be arranged. A contented hubbub fills the air, and that’s all down to our excellent team.
Our Home Makers and Carers are handpicked for their ability to effortlessly initiate stimulating activities and conversations. Every day, they take the time to create memorable moments for residents based on each person’s personality and needs.
Recently, a quiz question led to a conversation between a carer and a lady living in Huntington House, where they discussed the resident’s female partner and looked at photos together, with her beaming as she recalled a long-ago day out and had the time to reflect on her memories and talk about her love.
At Huntington House, no two people are the same, and no two days are the same. That’s why we say no to rotas, schedules and timetables and why informality, flexibility and spontaneity are so important to us all.
Visit or live with us, and you’ll never hear someone say, “I’m off to do 32”. You or your loved one will remain a person, not a number, a human being deserving of dignity and respect who is positively encouraged to continue living a full and enjoyable life with our loving support.
“The home has been exemplary in its care for my father. On his recent death, the staff members seemed just as upset as I was! The management is caring and hands-on; its supervision instils a caring attitude, which is so much the ethos of Huntington House from every member of staff. We have seen the kindness and willingness to do anything they can. I would not hesitate to recommend Huntington House.” – Janet S
At the Huntington & Langham Estate, we provide luxury care across our two specialist care homes. Family-owned and run, we offer dignified, compassionate and personalised care to our residents, giving them the nurturing support they need to continue living full, independent and meaningful lives.
We are Butterfly and Dragonfly accredited and both homes have a Care Quality commission Good rating.
To arrange a visit to the Estate and tour our homes and grounds, please call 01428 604 600 or complete this form.
As with many traditions, there are several theories about the origin of Valentine’s Day. One version claims that Saint Valentine restored the sight of his jailer’s blind daughter and gave her a letter signed ‘Your Valentine’.
The team at the Huntington & Langham Estate may not be able to restore people’s eyesight, but they regularly give similar gifts of independence, hope and love to people who need support in various aspects of their lives.
Giving people the freedom of feeling independent is a key part of the Butterfly approach to caring for people living with dementia in Langham Court where care works both ways. Care is not something that should be done to people, but rather an act of kindness that gives everyone a sense of purpose.
Crafting cards and arranging flowers to give as gifts is more than just a fun activity for Valentine’s Day, but an act of kindness that enables people living at Langham Court to care for others even when they need care themselves.
With the Christmas decorations taken down and Christmas cake all but crumbs in the tin, what better way to beat the winter blues than some craft making and baking.
Christopher had a great morning decorating some freshly made buns, whilst Graham and Sue wrapped up for a lovely walk around the estate in the warm winter sun.
Our colouful winter window display had the perfect backdrop of a snowy lawn outside of Huntington House, for residents using the lounge to enjoy a chat whilst continuing with their hobbies. Michael particularly enjoyed some colouring.
For more ideas to help relieve the winter blues take a look at our Art therapy activities ideas
We have had a wonderful build up to the festive season with our resident musicians coming into Huntington House to entertain all our residents.
Tracey gave a great rendition of Rudolph the red nose reindeer which can been seen via this link – Christmas Music At Huntington House
Whilst Kevin took to the Piano in the restaurant and surrounded by all the wonderful decorations played Have a Merry Little Christmas, also available to watch here – Christmas Music At Huntington House2
Yuri our tenor completed the afternoon with festive carols, delighting the residents.
At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month – we remembered them.
In preparation for remembrance Maggie created a beautiful poppy field on the lawn in front of Huntington House, with more poppies added each day in the run up to Sundays service.
The residents decorated the window in the main lounge looking out onto the grounds with their stunning autumnal colours. The staff created some beautiful knitted poppies from the red Huntington House wool, which were on display at reception to welcome visitors, with new smart plaques on the front door too.
A big thank you to Haslemere Educational Museum for visiting us again at Huntington House. This time we had a fascinating session all about mummies and Egyptian artefacts.
It’s always a wonderful day when we have a visit from the museum as the residents have so much to talk about afterwards, especially reminiscing about travelling to Egypt and discovering the Pyramids and wonderful history in person.
Huntington House
Langham Court
