Changing times
This is the first blog for Parkhaven Trust. It is our intention that this will be updated monthly initially. Those reading the blog are probably clear what it is but many like my Dad, still ask what a blog is. The best description I have read is that it is an online journal. And that is just what Parkhaven’s blog will endeavour to be: a journal about events and an exploration of issues that are relevant to Parkhaven Trust and those that use our services.
For this first blog I thought it would be worth retelling the story of Parkhaven. Parkhaven Trust was established in 1888 as the Maghull Homes for Epileptics. It was set up for people with epilepsy. There used to be a farm, workshops and a school. Over the years the needs of people with epilepsy have changed dramatically with the improvements of medication and there is no longer the need for specific residential accommodation for people with epilepsy.
Thus the charity has transformed its services and it continues to change them to respo
nd to the changing expectations and needs. Now Parkhaven is responsible for running a nursing home, a residential home for older people and a specialist home for people with dementia. The Trust has recently spent £2m on refurbishing and extending this home and using all the best evidence about how to design the home to make service users as independent as possible. Colour coding has been used and those moving back into the home were able to choose their colours. Pink was the most popular!In addition to the residential care we now provide a thriving day service for people with dementia. People who attend the day service have the opportunity of gardening, doing yoga, singing, dancing and meals out. It is a place where there is laughter and enjoyment. There is no doubt that dementia is on the agenda as demonstrated by the recent publication of the new dementia strategy which the Department of Health is consulting on http://www.dh.gov.uk/
Our forefathers left us the immense gift of land, it is our responsibility to nurture and protect it and use it for those that now need it. Over the past four years we have had to get the Trust back on track financially. This we have done by concentrating on those that use our services and being very clear and focused about where we should be heading. I suspect many of us have been in awe of the excellent results of the GB cycling team at the Beijing Olympics. Their performance director puts this down not to one particular thing but ‘the aggregation of marginal gains’. I think we can all learn from this – it is about taking an interest and improving on everything. This is what we are endeavouring to do here.
Hilary Rowland Chief Executive Parkhaven Trust
