A SENSORY garden has been opened to the public at a new £8 million care home near Droitwich, writes Ramla Soni.
As part of Fernhill Heath Open Gardens, the garden in the two-acre grounds of Fernhill House is one of many stimulating and unusual features at the home which accommodates up to 30 elderly residents and 36 residents living with dementia.
The dementia community also has a pub, shop and indoor potting shed and staff dress informally in 1950s and 60s clothing.
Visitors to Fernhill House were offered tea and cakes made by award winning chef and hospitality manager Chris Williams and offered local ice creams from the home’s own vintage bicycle stall.
Chris, who has worked with Marco Pierre White and has appeared on MasterChef, is a huge fan of organic, home grown and locally sourced food and grows his own vegetables from seed at Fernhill House which he uses in the meals he cooks for residents.
Fernhill House manager Peta Mandleberg, a registered nurse who has worked in the care sector for many years said: “It was a wonderful afternoon.
“Our different approach to helping people enjoy their later years includes ensuring that the home is part of the wider community.
“As well as encouraging friends and family to join their loved ones for dinner, we hold regular free evening talks often by well-known celebrities, which are open to anyone who’d like to come along.
“The open gardens event gave us a chance to share our beautiful grounds with a wider audience and also to ensure they felt welcome within the Fernhill House community.”
