Respite centres across the UK are an invaluable resource that provides residents with a home away from home. It’s a safe place with specially trained staff on hand 24/7 and support is tailored to meet every individual need. Respite care also allows carers a chance to take a breather from the responsibilities of supporting their family member with learning disabilities, mental health needs or physical health needs, and can relieve the stress of dealing with daily complex care plans.

Meadowside Respite Centre in Deal provides a short-break care service to adults with a disability. It is a vital resource to many families; however, the centre hadn’t been updated since it first opened many years ago and was no longer fit for purpose. Kent County Council had to make the decision whether to replace or refurbish it. It was established that the building was sound, so the latter was the chosen option.

With over 15 rooms spread over 2 floors, this residential adaptation was a large project, and one CareSpaces™ was ready and equipped to take on. When we received the call to work alongside the council to be involved in the renovation, we understood its importance and strived to provide high quality equipment that catered to every resident, every condition, and every need.

We can take care of everything

CareSpaces is dedicated to delivering the highest standard of installations and finding innovative solutions for all care equipment needs. Our specialist team has more than 20 years of experience in installing care equipment and working in conjunction with architects, therapists and contractors on specialist builds throughout the UK. We provide our clients with a complete solution – specification, design, supply, installation, and maintenance of all specialist equipment.

A kitchen suitable for everyone

One of the first rooms we started work on was the kitchen. Knowing it was going to be used by both wheelchair users and non-wheelchair users, the layout was crucial. The old kitchen at Meadowside had a small floor area and so wasn’t suitable for wheelchair users. We brought in designers and therapists to design an accessible kitchen that allowed space not only for a wheelchair to enter, but for the user to move around in and use the cooking and food preparation areas with ease. This included installing Neff slide and hide ovens so the wheelchair could get close to the oven, and height adjustable hobs, surfaces and sink with space underneath them for the wheelchair to fit.

When designing and installing the kitchen, our experienced CareSpaces team looked at every single detail: a matt finish was used on the cupboard doors instead of gloss so it didn’t give off a shine which can cause problems for those with visual impairments; items such as drawer storage and easy grip handles were carefully selected based on users’ needs; surface materials and appliances were conscientiously chosen as they had to be easy to clean and have no sharp edges or parts.

The CareSpaces team worked with our approved suppliers and contractors to oversee the installation of a truly incredible kitchen. Residents are now able to enjoy cooking and baking in a space truly designed for them and their needs.

A dedicated space to engage the senses

Meadowside Respite Centre accommodates adults with autism and challenging behaviours so a sensory room was a must. For this part of the project, we brought in our specialist designers and therapists with experience in sensory room design to ensure the room layout and style were just right and the sensory objects met the needs of the individuals.

The CareSpaces team created a great sensory room filled with objects to engage the senses, providing an area to calm people with agitation or anxiety while also engaging those who are more withdrawn from their environment, along with a GoLift hoist system to ensure the area was accessible to all

High specification Changing Places

The CareSpaces team are renowned for designing, supplying, and installing high quality Changing Places facilities. These rooms come from a government supported vision to provide larger accessible toilets and facilities for disabled people and their carers.

When our expert in-house design team set to work on this room, they incorporated the needs of the individuals, the style requests of the client, and ensured it complied with regulations and conformed to the necessary specification. The room had a non-slip floor, good lighting, and temperature control, was wheelchair accessible with space to move around, a Barella height adjustable shower trolley, a Select adjustable basin with a thermostatic tap, Geberit Aquaclean Mera Care toilet and a GoLift ceiling hoist system.

Designed and installed to a high standard, this Changing Places room will allow all the residents of Meadowside to toilet and change with dignity and ease.

Adaptations to make every room work for the residents

The remaining rooms at Meadowside required minor updates and freshening up. Each bedroom was installed with a GoLift room covering hoist system and whilst some of the bathrooms were updated with standard bathroom fixtures and fittings, three of them became adapted bathrooms. This included adding specialist height adjustable baths including Avero Motion, Multibath and Compact 17, Plus height adjustable basins, GoLift room covering hoist systems, sensory projectors, Geberit Aquaclean Mera Care toilets and height adjustable grab rails.

We worry about the detail, so you don’t have to

Having project managed the equipment provision on this specialist build from start to finish and seeing the fantastic end results, we are beyond proud of what our team have achieved. Managing and overseeing every single aspect of a project is what we do well: we deliver spaces that defy your expectations whilst keeping an eye on the budget; we ensure all equipment and facilities are compliant with current regulations; we provide a seamless experience from conception to delivery. CareSpaces will bring it all together and make the dream a reality.

And it doesn’t end there

With the project complete and Meadowside Respite Centre ready to welcome its residents, we won’t just walk away and move onto the next project – we are here to provide ongoing support to all our clients. We will ensure our builds are fit for purpose for a long time to come.