Editorial:
Fremington Homes celebrate their fourth anniversary in May 2009. In this time, Shane Stevens, Director of Fremington Homes has expanded from having one lodge to seven lodges, with even more expansion planned for the future, including a specially designed lodge for tenants who fall ill to dementia.
Shane Stevens is a local lady, having lived, worked and grown successful businesses in North Devon for the past twelve years. Previous to this, Shane was a local Community Nurse and worked at North Devon District Hospital for ten years.
Having focused her business (elderly care) in the middle of a difficult economic climate and to have managed to grow her company at the same time as keeping it as local as possible with an ethos of making a difference to elderly people’s lives is something to celebrate.
Shane now has lodges in Landkey, Fremington, Yelland and Berrynarbor and provides supportive living accommodation to 42 happy tenants ranging from the youngest 59 year old to an amazing 102 year old. In fact, Shane only has 1 room now available, which is in one of her two lodges in Yelland.
Each lodge has up to six en-suite bedrooms, which are beautifully furnished and enable the tenants to bring their own personal belongings with them enabling them to have a real home from home feeling. As well as their own bedrooms, the tenants also have use of a communal lounge, dining room, kitchen, utility room and beautiful outside spaces. In addition to this, some lodges have lovely conservatories attached, making sure that the tenants can be in the company of the other residents or have some quiet time by themselves.
Because of the small, family feeling of the lodges, the tenants are given lots of choice. They choose when to go to bed and when to get up, what meals they would like cooked and visitors are welcome at any time. This really is a feeling of living in your own home but care is to hand when needed by CSCI registered Hadley Care or a carer of the Tenant’s choice.
There is a wide variety of activities organised for the lodges from pension and library clubs, bingo, pianists on a regular basis to have a sing-song as well as having a hairdresser, chiropodist etc visiting the lodges on a regular basis.
All of the lodges also have close links with the churches where the vicar will attend the lodges to hold services for Easter, Christmas etc and very close links with the local community.
Lots of fetes and activities are also organised by staff and tenant’s families in order to raise money both for local charities and also to help fund trips and outings for the tenants.
‘Lee Lodge’ at Berrynarbor even has it’s own resident cat, from the Cats Protection Centre and fundraising events are held to donate money back to the Cats Protection.
After having the opportunity to visit ‘Fremington Lodge’ and meet with Shane personally, I have no qualms at all about when the time arrives for myself to go into supported living accommodation.
For further information on any of the Fremington Home lodges, contact Mrs Shane Stevens on 01271 889152 or 0776 9653477 or visit www.fremingtonhomes.co.uk.
