Stuart’s story: “Mum wouldn’t receive this level of care elsewhere.”

When Heather’s husband died two years ago, she was reluctant to leave her family home in Howick. However, she wasn’t coping and, more importantly, her dementia was getting worse, says her son, Stuart. “My wife and I went through a thorough evaluation process of villages to help Mum find the right one. We reviewed 17 villages and visited many of these with Mum, but she was adamant she wasn’t leaving Howick and favoured HBH, which wasn’t even on our list.”

As a smaller, charitable organisation, Stuart says they initially thought HBH was a lesser choice than some of the bigger corporate villages, which they assumed would have a better infrastructure and more social activities. They soon changed their minds.

“We had a preconception that the newer villages were better, and we were completely wrong!” says Stuart. “HBH has been a wonderful choice for Mum, and it all comes down to their philosophy of enabling older people to make the most of life. It’s not just the excellent standard of care, but also their flexibility in providing this care.” Stuart says HBH took the time to understand Heather’s needs and to tailor their care to ensure she is not only well supported, but also as independent as possible.

“Without a doubt HBH are experts in aged care,” he says. “They understand each individual’s specific needs, and they go beyond to ensure their residents can live as full a life as possible within any limitations they may have.”

Our Day Club: giving Heather more ‘good days’

In Heather’s case, her care plan includes having meals delivered to her room, her medication managed, and her days spent at HBH’s Day Club, so she is stimulated socially and mentally. “It would have been hard for Mum to make new friends at this stage of her life, but the Day Club makes that possible,” says Stuart. “Cognitively, she is so much better when she attends regularly, because keeps her busy and socially engaged,” he explains.

Stuart says that having an onsite Day Club among HBH’s other wraparound services has provided the best possible set up for Heather. “All of the services are extremely well managed, and the staff are very responsive,” he enthuses. Importantly, it means his mother is living in a safe and secure environment with the right type of care. She no longer has the worry of maintaining a large family home and feels much safer now that she has support on hand. 

‘We’ve learnt a lot through this process,” explains Stuart. “Mum’s apartment is opposite the lift which initially we weren’t keen on. In fact, it’s been fantastic, as it has made things easier for her.”

Stuart says that, despite being considerably cheaper than most of the other places they looked at, the quality of the room and the fit-out at HBH was just as nice as in more expensive properties. It also suits Heather to be living in a smaller community.  “We also can see now that in a larger village with 300 to 400 other residents, Mum would have been lost.” 

“She is receiving the very best level of care at HBH,” enthuses Stuart. “And we have peace of mind that she’s okay. She certainly made the right choice!”