Daughter Angela shares how moving to Luff House in Walton-on-the-Naze helped her mum Gillian to get her confidence back
“We knew Mum would have to move into a care home when before Christmas she fell at home and ended up in hospital. After she was discharged, I moved in with her for six weeks to look after her, with carers also coming in, but it was too much for me to
manage.
“The first care home we looked around didn’t feel right at all. It seemed very cramped. Then a member of staff from Luff House came to visit me and Mum. She was so friendly and kind. A friend of my eldest son’s wife works at Luff and I’d heard good things from friends too – they all said it was lovely. We decided to go for it, it just felt right.
“When Mum first moved to Luff, she was very withdrawn. It wasn’t just the experience of being in hospital that had affected her. She’d been diagnosed with dementia a few months before and had really lost her confidence. Having to give up driving was something she’d found especially hard. At that stage, she’s also moved into sheltered accommodation where she spent a lot of time on her own. I’d go and visit as much as I could but the rest of time she spent sitting on her own staring at the four walls.
From the start, the staff at Luff put her at her ease. The Hummingbirds were always coming round to check she was okay. They also took the time to record Mum’s life history, finding out all about her sisters and her past – she’s lived in Walton all her life.
“I didn’t want Mum to be left in her room, and that wasn’t the case at all. They made a point of ensuring she came to be with other people and be a part of whatever was going on.
“Over the coming days and weeks I saw a big change in Mum. Each time I visited she seemed brighter and more ready to engage in conversation. It just got better and better. I follow Luff House on Facebook and it’s a joy to see all the activities she gets up to, one day baking, another day visiting the local church for a coffee morning, another day peeling the spuds...
I’ve worked in care homes myself and even I’ve been amazed by what they manage to achieve with people who can be quite far along the dementia journey.
“On one occasion I visited and Mum was excited to tell me about going to a big room and having lots of delicious things to eat. I discovered she’d been to a Women’s Breakfast with ladies from local churches.
“One day I got a wonderful surprise when I looked at the Facebook page and saw Mum doing some knitting. She’s loved knitting all her life, creating outfits for her grandchildren. Before Christmas, we’d reached a real low point when my brother suggested she do some knitting and she said she didn’t know how to do it anymore. To see her sitting as part of a little group of ladies with knitting needles in her hand and a big smile on her face was incredible.
“Mum’s definitely got her confidence back. Sometimes I call her up and she says she can’t talk for long because a fun activity is about to take place and she doesn’t want to miss it. I can honestly say, this is the best she’s been in years.”