History

JW Care Group (formally Southside Care Group) was founded 28 years ago, by Janet Wyatt – a mental health nurse who was at the time working for the NHS. Janet started the business when she noticed a lack of specialist care homes for younger people suffering from Dementia and other mental illnesses. She started by accepting residents into her family home, and the business has now grown to include 4 homes. Janet continues to be supported by the rest of her family.

Homes

Our homes are small (8-17 bed) units where we try to promote a comfortable, family environment. They are all furnished and maintained to a high standard, with a range of facilities for residents to take advantage of. All the homes have received a ‘Good’ rating from the CQC, and our staff are frequently praised by visiting professionals for their outstanding dedication to our residents. Find out more about our homes.

In order to meet their changing needs, we occasionally move residents between our 4 homes if medical professionals and their family agree that this would be in their best interest. We find this is always a positive transition as residents are already familiar with the home and the staff.

Clients and Care

Our main client group is those with working age dementia. When providing care for those in the later stages of dementia, we focus on safe and comfortable surroundings, and maintaining residents’ dignity. We can also provide care for residents who present with perceived challenging behaviour. Each resident is assessed prior to admission and a plan of care agreed with their family or carer, the care-coordinator and other health professionals involved.

Younger people with dementia have very complex needs which require specialist care. This includes a flexible service to cater for individual requirements. Whilst this group of people may require help or supervision with some daily living tasks, they can be physically fit and active. A long term care provision must be able to provide an environment to meet these needs.

The client group referred to our services is a diverse multi-cultural community. It is essential that we can meet specific cultural, social and psychological needs which may vary quite considerably between each resident. This why we believe such specialist services should be small ‘family’ centres.

We do not wish to categorise residents by stating very prescriptive admission criteria. Our service is not about fitting residents into a specific box or ideal of what we think their care should be. We expect needs to be complex and with each individual we endeavour to meet all identified needs. It is recognised that younger people with dementia have high levels of psychiatric and behavioural problems which requires specialist knowledge and expertise to manage them.  We provide individualised assessment and care that puts the person at the heart of the decision making process. We recognise them as unique individuals with unique needs and wants. Care is provided from the perspective of the person who is ill and is delivered in a supportive social environment.

Daily Life

The care we provide is centred around giving people the opportunity to live life to the fullest. Residents are encouraged to have full and independent lifestyles for as long as possible. They go out daily, and are encouraged to do the activities that they would have done before falling ill. As well as activities within the home, our day services team utilise our nearby activity centres, and provide frequent day trips, as well as a fully supported holiday each year. We offer a range of therapeutic activities including alternative therapies such as reflexology and aromatherapy, plus services such as hairdressing and chiropody. Even keeping and caring for pets is encouraged.

Individual recreational programs are developed which take into account individual preferences and abilities and promotes a genuine feeling of well-being and empowerment for residents. For example, residents are enrolled in the local gym or swimming centre and are taken regularly with support staff.

There is often a rehabilitation element to our care, and where possible we aim to re-integrate our residents into the community. This has been done successfully with a number of our clients in the past.