From a residents' family - Garden House

"It is obvious that the care Alastair is receiving at Garden House is fantastic." - Marion Majoribanks

hen Marion Majoribanks' husband Alastair was diagnosed with dementia and had to go in a care home she made three simple requests of staff – that he was encouraged to play his beloved piano, encouraged to walk and taken out on regular outings.

Unfortunately, none of these things happened at the care home Marion had originally chosen and she was also critical of the attitude of staff and the overall state of the home.

Then, Marion discovered Garden House in Berwick, which is owned by Wellburn Care Homes.

After hearing good feedback from people she knew and visiting the home herself, Marion arranged for 80-year-old Alastair to be moved into Garden House in May 2010. The difference, she says, between the two homes is striking.

"After just over a month in Garden House, Alastair is a different man," she explains.

"From day one the staff have been absolutely wonderful and they encourage Alastair to all the things that he enjoys, including playing the piano, which he has done since he was seven-years-old.

"I am a trained nurse and midwife so I know a lot about care, and it is obvious that the care Alastair is receiving at Garden House is fantastic.

"Putting Alastair in a home was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made but it was something I had to do because caring from him in our home had become a 24-hour-a-day job for me.

"Whilst I regretted my decision when he was in the first home, now he is in Garden House I know he is in the best hands possible."

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