This is the Case study for Ethel Main (Known as Gloria) written by her son Christopher (October 2020)

The move to Chestnut Court has been a long time coming, we enquired after a room around this time last year but it was clear mum wasn’t quite ready to move in and we didn’t want to make her feel she was being pressurized.  It also meant mum moving from Leicester to be near us and therefore I wanted to make sure it was the right move so she wouldn’t have to move again.

I spoke with Becky the manager and she was very helpful and whilst she could not guarantee us a place when mum was ready she would keep our details on file.  Becky would contact us every 2-3 months to see how mum was getting on and to advise us if she had any rooms available.  We appreciated the support from Becky and felt reassured she was looking out for us.

I felt comfortable with what Chestnut Court had to offer, it is homely and comfortable, the garden is private and safe and I knew mum would like the garden.  I had an opportunity to observe the staff, I liked the way the staff interacted with the residents, and there was a lovely atmosphere.  My wife who has experience of working in care homes looked around a couple of weeks later and also liked what she saw.

Mum was diagnosed with Dementia in July 2018 and at the time was living at home with my dad who wasn’t in the best of health.  When dad was admitted to hospital in May 2019 mum was admitted to a lovely care home not too dissimilar to Chestnut Court for emergency respite care but ended up staying there when dad sadly passed away.  Mum was well cared for but between my sister and me we decided she should move closer to me.

Following a period of grieving for dad we felt mum was ready to move and she agreed, this was just two weeks before Covid-19 caused care homes to close their doors and we felt it would be safer for mum to stay where she was in Leister. Everyone involved were supportive and understanding.

It was in July 2020 when we saw easing of restrictions we enquired again and we were pleased to learn Becky had a vacancy at Chestnut Court, with everyone working together we were able to move mum safely into Chestnut Court a month later.  She was required to undergo a Covid-19 test and stay in her room for a couple of days until the test came back clear. Mum didn’t appear to mind this and we were pleased they were taking precautions.

I see mum at least once a week, she appears relaxed and settled and she is eating and sleeping well.  She has developed a comfortable relationship with some of the staff, especially Lisa the deputy manager, they seem to get on really well.

I am confident in Chestnut Court, they are looking after mum really well, and recently when she was seen shaking and appeared unwell they didn’t hesitate to get her seen at the hospital.   Her GP will continue to monitor her.

We can’t fault Chestnut Court and what the staff have done to help mum and to reassure us we had made the right move.  We like the positive comfortable feel of the home and would certainly recommend it to others