Old Shenfield Place is a home in the truest sense of the word. Here, your loved one with dementia will have access to a cinema room, a sensory room, a music room, a bakery, a library, a sweet shop and beautifully maintained gardens with a koi pond, and the dementia care therapy in Essex they receive sits within all of that, delivered by a long-serving, award-winning team who know each resident as an individual.
Families frequently tell us that they feel the warmth here from the moment they walk through the door and that their loved one settles into it quickly. For our residents living with dementia, feeling at ease in their surroundings from early on makes a genuine difference to how settled and well they are day to day.
Our dementia activities calendar runs daily, weekly and monthly across the home, developed around the varied interests and abilities of our residents who live here.
Don’t worry. Your loved one will never be expected to join in with something that does not suit them because our trained carers pay close attention to what each resident actually enjoys and build their involvement in our dementia-friendly activities around that, so nothing feels forced or out of place. Whether that’s time in the sensory room, an afternoon of baking, a yoga session, a quiz or sitting by our relaxing koi pond, every day at Old Shenfield Place has something worth looking forward to.
Types of Dementia We Support
Our award-winning care team has specialist training in dementia care and supports residents living with a range of diagnoses. The dementia care therapy in Essex that we provide at Old Shenfield Place is always developed around your loved one’s specific diagnosis, their current presentation and what works best for them day to day.
We support…
Alzheimer’s disease
For residents living with Alzheimer’s, daily routine and a familiar environment are central to feeling settled. That’s why your loved one can personalise their room completely at Old Shenfield Place, bringing their own furniture, favourite armchair and family photographs to hang on the wall. Our building is laid out clearly and our team are the same familiar faces every day, which provides the kind of predictability that makes a real difference to how comfortable your loved one feels here.
Lewy body dementia
The fluctuating nature of Lewy body dementia requires a care team that is attentive and responsive throughout the day. Our long-serving dementia care staff know each resident well enough to recognise when something is off, taking those observations seriously. Medication is managed carefully and our team liaises closely with district nurses and external healthcare professionals when needed.
Vascular dementia
Residents with vascular dementia can experience significant variation in their ability to engage from one day to the next. Our team is experienced at adjusting the pace and nature of dementia activities accordingly, offering lighter engagement on harder days and building sessions around what your loved one can manage at any given time. Our physiotherapy provision also supports the physical health needs that often accompany this diagnosis.
Frontotemporal dementia
Frontotemporal dementia can present in ways that are challenging and sometimes difficult to explain to others. Our team approaches these presentations with patience and without judgement, and their experience with this diagnosis means they are well equipped to support your loved one through the behavioural and communication changes that can arise.
Feel free to arrange a visit to Old Shenfield Place to meet our staff and experience our fantastic facilities.
Supporting Life at Our Dementia Care Home
Old Shenfield Place has been recognised as one of the best care homes in Essex — our facilities here reflect that. For our residents living with dementia, having access to a rich and varied home environment is part of the care itself. Your loved one will not be confined to a corridor and a bedroom, because they have a whole home to move around in, with spaces created for different moods and moments throughout the day.
Dementia Activities in Essex
Our schedule includes many stimulating and relaxing dementia activities, such as chair exercises, creative crafts, baking in our onsite bakery, appropriate quizzes, music sessions, visits from the local community and regular off-site outings to local shops and cafes on our travel bus. Our activities calendar follows a set daily, weekly and monthly schedule so your loved one knows what is coming, but it is flexible enough to adapt to how they are feeling on any given day.
The sensory room at Old Shenfield Place is a particularly valuable resource for residents living with dementia.
It provides a calm, low-stimulation space where your loved one can spend time with a familiar carer using light, sound and texture to support relaxation and engagement. Families are welcome to use the sensory room with their loved one during visits.
The gardens at Old Shenfield Place are key-coded and mobility-friendly, which means our residents with dementia can spend time outside independently and safely without needing to wait for a member of staff to accompany them (depending on the stage of dementia). The koi pond is a genuine focal point for residents and their families and time outside in a genuinely pleasant outdoor space is something we actively encourage throughout the year.
Mealtimes and Nutrition
Meals at Old Shenfield Place are served in a separate dining room with our kitchen team working to a high standard, accommodating individual dietary needs and preferences. Family visits are always welcome and our door is open at any time. If you let us know you are coming, we can arrange for you to share a meal with your loved one during your visit.
Familiar Faces Throughout the Day
Many of our care team have been at Old Shenfield Place for several years. Ongoing training is provided by local district nurses, and specialist training in dementia, palliative care and elderly care is built into our team’s professional development. Your loved one will be looked after by carers who have worked alongside each other for a long time and who share the kind of understanding that only comes from years of working together in the same home.
Routine and Structure
A predictable day is highly important for our residents living with dementia, because it reduces anxiety and helps them feel in control of their surroundings.
At Old Shenfield Place, the activity calendar follows a set schedule, including mealtimes, personal care and social times. When the same familiar carers are there at the same points in the day, your loved one knows what to expect and who to expect it from. And that reliability is genuinely calming for residents at every stage of dementia.
An Individualised Approach to Dementia Activities
Old Shenfield Place has enough going on that your loved one will find the perfect activities they can fully enjoy during their time here.
Our activities coordinator pays close attention to what each resident responds to and builds their involvement in the programme around that. Your observations as a family matter here too, and we will always welcome what you share about your loved one’s interests, history and preferences.
Some of our residents thrive in group sessions, so we make sure they can take part in adapted music sessions or exercise classes. Maybe your loved one is better supported through one-to-one time. In that case, a walk in the garden or an afternoon in the music room are some activities we will prioritise for them. Our trained carers are experienced at reading which residents need what, adjusting accordingly without your loved one ever feeling singled out or left behind.
Our dementia care therapy in Essex runs through the whole day, from how your loved one is supported during personal care in the morning to how the team checks in with them last thing at night.
The award-winning care here is built on the quality of those everyday interactions as much as anything else.
You are always welcome to visit Old Shenfield Place and to speak with our care team directly about how your loved one is doing. If you have questions between visits, please feel free to call us anytime.
