REVIEWS
Emily is a resident at Baycroft since 28th January 2020.
She will happily say:
''This was the right decision for me coming to Baycroft”.
In her early years, she worked in a hospital as a social worker. It was a job she loved, and she still enjoys chatting about those years, and still uses her natural ability to connect and help new residents settle in.
Emily says she is very happy now in Baycroft. She loves the staff and the effort they all put into helping her deal with her anxiety and the issues thrown at her in a daily basis. She loves the activities, especially because she is given the opportunity to socialise and experience new things that she would miss if she lived at her home alone. Emily also enjoys the company within the home, being extremely grateful that she was not stranded alone in her home during lockdown and had support through this time.
Emily feels safe and cared for and says she couldn’t be happier. She has a close relationship with one of her sons, Chris, and his wife and enjoys spending time with them or chatting via the video calls. Her relationship with her other son is more strained due to him struggling with depression. In these moments, Emily finds solace and support with our staff that help her discuss her feelings and worries about him.
I asked Emily whether she would go back home if she could.
Emily said: ‘’No, no, not now.’’
Baycroft is her new home now and she is happy where she is.
Patsy had a wonderful life as a Professional Singer and Dancer and travelled all around the world, Patsy met her second husband on a cruise ship where they were both were working and fell in love together.
Patsy lived with her husband for over 26 years until sadly he died, Patsy then came back to England to be with her children, sadly later in life Patsy was diagnosed with early dementia.
After much consideration Patsy came to live at Baycroft in February 2021, when we asked Patsy how she found living at Baycroft
Patsy said
“It was the best decision I made”
Patsy also said that she knows she’s forgetful and it unfortunately may progress
She loves her room, loves the outlook of her bedroom, she feels safe and enjoys not to have to worry about a thing, Patsy loves the staff, they make her feel part of a large family rather than a resident
The activities here at Baycroft, she loves to join in and socialising with others, always having company with her, the relationships she has found has not made her lonely anymore, when asked if she would rather be at home.
Patsy replied
“OH NO! I’m so happy here, I’m cared for, I’m enjoying life,”
Seeing her family which is so important to her and feeling that she is loved, makes a huge difference to her as she still remains her old self Patsy .
''My name is Len and I moved into Baycroft, with my wife Amy, on the 28th November 2019.
We decided to come and live here, because on the 16th July 2019, I unfortunately had a fall, and broke my leg very badly. After several weeks back and forth to hospital, because of complications and infections, my daughters, and their husbands, took it in turns to move in with us, to help look after myself and my wife in our home. This lasted for about 5 months, and then I decided that it was time that they took their lives back for themselves.
We talked about living in a Care Home, and I had seen Baycroft being built, so I said to my daughter Sally "If we are going to move anywhere, I would really like to look there". We came to see what was on offer and then moved in.
My daughters were able to have time with their own families, in the firm knowledge, that both myself and my wife are being well looked after.
Unfortunately, shortly after we moved in, the Pandemic hit, which I know affected everyone and life became very strange not being able to see our family face to face. Baycroft adapted well and we were able to have regular contact via FaceTime, Zoom, telephone calls and then when things eased slightly, visits behind a screen and now Essential Care Visits, where my daughter can come into my room to spend time with us.
The home work’s extremely well and all the staff work hard to maintain lots of entertainment for us and we are really well cared for - my family are happy to have some of their lives back for themselves when they are not visiting us, so a "win win" situation.''
''I am 94 years old, had a 3-bedroom house but I knew I needed some support and my daughter and granddaughter lived in Chelmsford.
My granddaughter saw Baycroft Great Baddow because she lived close by.
I knew I would be able to see more of my family here.
I feel safe here and all the staff are lovely and friendly.
I feel very lucky and the staff treat me well.
The food is also very nice.
The best thing about living here is I feel very comfortable.
I don’t have to worry about anything; everything is taken care of the laundry the cleaning and the home is always lonely and clean.''
''Eight years old was the first time I experienced physically caring for somebody else, my Great Aunt; that's when I realised my passion for having a positive impact on other people's lives.
Care is not just a job for me, it is who I am and what I live by. Empathy and compassion are two of my strongest characteristics so being a Care Assistant just comes naturally.
I have 9 years’ experience within the care industry and now at Baycroft I can say I have found my place. Between my colleagues and the residents, it really does feel like a home; there's always music playing, conversations flowing and smiles aplenty. There is a gentleman who, about a month ago, I started to high five every time I walked past him, until last week when he was the one to put out his hand first to high five me; honestly, that along with the smile on his face brought me so much joy and contentment.
The daily activities, mealtimes and interactions bring us all closer together, it's the little things that make all of the difference. I strongly believe that if a person works their passion, then it's not really works as such and I can see this on a daily basis working at Baycroft.''
''My name is Elaine, I am 48 years old, married with three children.
A couple of years ago my mum was ill with cancer and dementia and had to have carers come to her at home. I also helped care for her. When my mum passed away I then thought about becoming a carer. My mum was also a carer many years ago!!
So now at the age of 48!! I have become a carer and work at Baycroft (Great Baddow).
I wish I done it years ago!!!!
I absolutely love my job ! I love helping our residents and love it when they are doing well. I love having little chats with them and listening to their stories. The residents all seem happy at Baycroft and there are even married couples, there is plenty of activities for them all to get involved in.
We have a great team of carers and managers and we all work well together, helping each other. I love learning new things from the more experienced carers and its great how we all learn from each other!!
The management here at Baycroft are really approachable and if I need any help, I know they are always there.
As I said before, I wish I done this years ago and absolutely love being a carer, I look forward to continuing my career here at Baycroft as a carer and to progress further.''
''My name is Kathy and I have lived at Baycroft, Great Baddow, since 18th November 2018, nearly 3 years now!
Before I came to live here, I had my own Bungalow. However, I started to have falls whilst I was on my own, and on one occasion I fell, knocked myself out and I was on the floor for over 4 hours from 2am in the morning. I had to telephone my Granddaughter who lived just a few doors away from me, to come and help me. My family were very worried about me and asked how I would feel about moving into a Home to have someone around all the time – I can honestly say, this is the best thing that I could have done.
My Granddaughters Louise and Lucy, set about visiting all the Care Homes in Chelmsford, and then came across Baycroft. They bought me along to have a look around and the rest is history! This really is the best we looked at.
I have a lovely room, with a French doors that lead out onto my very little patio area if I want to sit there. But we also have a lovely big garden too, and quite often have afternoon tea out there. There are activities going on, and because I have poor eyesight the Wellbeing Team have devised things to enable me to still be able take part, for instance they have made big Bingo cards, playing cards that are extra large – I am able to join in with things if I want to, but there are also quiet lounges, where I can watch tv and listen to my music.
The things that I love, apart from having the reassurance that there is always someone around to look out for me, are my washing and ironing is all done, the food is put in front of me, and this is delicious and to a very high standard, the housekeeping team work really hard to keep the home lovely and clean, I can get cups of tea “on tap” – I really believe that I am waited on “hand and foot” and there is nothing that I can moan about, because the staff cannot do enough for me. It also gives my family peace of mind knowing that I am happy and content and well looked after.''
'My Mum and Stepdad have only been in Baycroft for 7 weeks.
Life for my Mum is very challenging including being taken to hospital twice in the last few weeks.
The care at Baycroft has been amazing, my Mum has dementia but through it all, she comments on the wonderful care she is receiving.'
'Both my parents are residents at Baycroft, Chelmsford and are extremely well supported despite their complex needs.
During the pandemic, the whole staff have worked tirelessly to provide exemplary medical, emotional and personal care at a time when this provision has been very challenging to deliver.
After two years at Baycroft, my parents are well settled and my family feel confident that they are receiving the best care available.'
'This is a wonderful home. All staff from the receptionist to the care manager and assistants are polite and friendly and my Mum is receiving an excellent standard of care.
When she moved to the home for nursing care one month ago she was weak and withdrawn and she is now embracing everything the home has to offer including the wonderful meals.
She does activities every day and has the opportunity to have her hair done regularly which she loves.
Nothing is too much trouble for the staff and I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending this home.'
'As well as entering her end of life journey, my mother needed to spend some time in hospital. When she was very poorly, each time I visited her there were care staff with her when I arrived, talking to her, holding her hand, and helping her with her food and drink.
The warmth they showed to her and to me was truly moving. Following her return from 10 days in hospital, she was much better so did not receive so much attention.
However, all the staff - reception, hospitality, management, as well as, of course, the care staff all know her and me and are really interested in her progress - showing real pleasure when she is better.
She has had her 97th birthday in isolation following her hospital visit and is looking forward to being allowed out of her room. We know that her end of life is on the way, but feel very secure that she will be very looked after all the way on her journey and will be encouraged to make the most of the time that she has.'
'My mum has been a resident for just over two years. She is 94 years young and has flourished since her arrival.
The restrictions during these strange Covid times have been difficult for us all. However, I do feel the staff generally have been as supportive as possible. Any concerns arising have been dealt with in a timely and sensitive manner.
My mum attends all the activities made available to her. I appreciate the events timetable and newsletter which allows me to remind and chat to mum about them. I look forward to the increase of external entertainers again.
She enjoys the menu and company in the restaurant: her weight loss is cured! She says how kind everyone is to her which is invaluable for her family in these restricted times. I am able to observe this too from the interaction when at the home.
We all as a family eagerly await the easier flow of visiting again but appreciate the safety of residents must be a priority.'
''I would just like to thank you for making it possible for my Dad to go to his Grandsons wedding on Thursday 16th September.
Myself and my sister Claire, were apprehensive about asking if this could even be a possibility, so you can imagine how thrilled we were when told that it wouldn't be impossible.
Dad himself, never even thought that he wouldn't be able to go and set himself the target of being able to walk with his walker before the big day. All along we have been telling him that it might not happen for a variety of reasons, but he never gave up and with the help of everyone in your team, achieved what he set out to do.
As Claire had her Mother of the Groom duties to carry out, I was able to spend the day with Dad. I can't tell you how proud I was to see him being so independent and I couldn't believe how far he has come since the beginning of the year, especially as I only see him every 6-8 weeks (I live in Cornwall) and have only seen him sitting in a wheelchair when I come to visit.
Victoria and Kevin were absolutely brilliant all day, always allowing Dad to decide what he wanted to do but being there to support him if necessary. There were several comments about how professional they were in making Dad feel as if he was taking part in all aspects of the day, but doing it without drawing attention to the fact that he needed help. We did thank them both on the day but please could you thank them again for us, along with all the others who helped him to achieve his dream.
We certainly made the best choice when we moved Dad to Baycroft. The care you give to your residents is outstanding as shown in what you did for our Dad this week.''
“I would like to highly compliment your staff at Great Baddow on Monday night.
I am a paramedic and was called to see a resident.
The level of care, compassion and concern for each resident was obvious and I can honestly say that it is by far the best care home I have been to….and I have seen many.
Please pass on my grateful thanks to your wonderful staff; I can’t compliment them enough for making what could have been a difficult job remarkably easy.”