Life at Casterbridge Lodge
Casterbridge Lodge, located in beautiful Winterbourne Steepleton, a mere stone’s throw from Dorchester, provides a wide range of compassionate, professional care tailored to the needs of each individual.
Our aim at Casterbridge Lodge is to ensure that our residents experience a real sense of home from home, where they can be as active or relaxed as they choose to be.
Our dedicated, highly trained caregivers, available around the clock, strive to create a safe environment where dignity, comfort, care and compassion come first.
Casterbridge Lodge is known for the quality and standard of life we are able to provide. Safe, secure and homely, at our beautiful Dorset care home the individual always comes first, and that is reflected throughout life here, from the design of our bedrooms right through to our tailored meal plans; from our engaging activities to the personalised nature of our care.
Activities & Socialising
Community is at the heart of life at Casterbridge Lodge. We foster this through meaningful social interaction and activities, as well as through the many facilities we offer, ensuring that our residents enjoy vibrant, engaging and fulfilling lives during their time here.
Conscious that stimulating memories and meeting our residents’ intellectual needs are key to maintaining a high quality of life, Casterbridge Lodge boasts a variety of activity rooms and lounges, ideal spots for relaxing and socialising with friends and family. Outside, our gardens and terraces are wonderful for taking in the joys of the Dorset countryside.
Ensuring that there is always something to keep mind and body active, our dedicated Activity Coordinator works closely with our residents to coordinate an entertaining and stimulating schedule that suits each individual’s needs, keeping boredom at bay with plenty of opportunities to socialise.
We work with residents and their families to ensure that lifetime hobbies, likes and dislikes are maintained, and that birthdays and special occasions are properly celebrated. At the same time, we introduce new and stimulating activities for any residents that wish to participate in them. After all, personal choice, dignity and respect are extremely important to us, and we respect each individual resident’s decisions on how involved they’d like to be.
Because community is of such high importance to us, we enjoy working with schools and other local community groups to ensure that Casterbridge Lodge and our residents are continuously integrated into the yearly calendar around Winterbourne Steepleton, Dorchester and our quiet corner of Dorset.
Hospitality and Personal Choice
At Casterbridge Lodge, we pride ourselves on providing an environment for our residents that is homely, warm, caring, familiar and very safe. We also believe very strongly that an independent spirit is key to maintaining a good quality of life, so our residents are given the choice and control, as well as the support, to make decisions for themselves.
A delicious meal with friends and family in a lovely setting is undoubtedly one of life’s great pleasures, and it is well known that a healthy and nutritious diet helps to promote physical and mental health and wellbeing. It is a source of both pride and joy that we are able to meet the dietary requirements of each individual resident, as well as offering a real sense of hospitality for everyone who may be dining at Casterbridge Lodge, providing delicious food in a truly welcoming environment.
Our wonderful, highly trained chef and his team work closely with our residents and the care home manager to ensure that everyone’s individual needs are met, sourcing fresh ingredients from around Dorset to provide a balanced, varied and healthy menu.
Personalised Space
Our home from home would not be complete without those all-important personal touches, so we encourage our residents to bring their own belongings with them. Whether they’re sprucing up their rooms with trinkets, photos, ornaments or soft furnishings, these treasured items will imbue a warm sense of familiarity and continuity, helping residents to settle into their new surroundings with greater ease.
Treasured possessions and photos can make a person feel comfortable and prompt valuable memories, as well as giving caregivers important clues and talking points about the life and interests of each resident.
Building Relationships
Inspiring and providing an excellent quality of life is at the heart of what we do, and we believe that strong relationships between staff, residents, family, friends and the wider local community around WInterbourne Steepleton, Dorchester and Dorset are essential to achieving this. Maintaining good communication is vital, as is continuity of staff, both of which inspire dependability, respect and trust within our own community, not to mention warmth and familiarity. In this way, we make Casterbridge Lodge a wonderful place to live.
Residents’ relationships are also fundamental. Those that come to us are encouraged to socialise with their new neighbours, benefiting from the mutual companionship and support that long-term friendships provide. Our activities and communal areas are intended to facilitate socialisation by offering a variety of comfortable environments in which people can share common interests.
And of course, we encourage family members to actively maintain their relationship with residents and staff alike. Family members are essential to helping staff get to know each resident more personally. Our open-door policy was created to ensure that family relationships are maintained and that family members consider themselves an important part of the community at Casterbridge Lodge. Building and maintaining positive relationships between family members and our staff is a vital part of our care ethos.
Dedication to Care
Our team works closely with our residents to understand their individual needs. Whether you require day care or specialist dementia care, at Casterbridge Lodge we take great pride in creating care plans tailored to each resident’s personal requirements.
We recruit our team members as much for their care and empathy as for their specialist skills. This helps to ensure that they are attuned to each of our residents’ needs, and helps us to maintain the standard of care for which we have become known.
We are committed to offering and maintaining this high standard of care, improving the quality of life for our residents and demonstrating real warmth and passion in our care for others.
Families
Maintaining strong social support systems, existing family ties and social roles is very important to a person’s sense of wellbeing. Our open-door policy is designed to meet the needs of both families and residents, meaning that residents can welcome and entertain friends and family much as they would have done in their own home.
This is also how we approach communication between our staff and residents’ families. Our team works in conjunction with those involved in the lives of our residents to better understand the constantly changing and complex needs of each individual, tailoring the care we provide to their specific needs.
Book a Visit
You can call us on 01305 889 455 and speak to a member of our team, or simply fill out the form on this page and we will be in touch as soon as possible.
Providing the care and unwavering support needed to help the vulnerable remain in the comfort of the own home. Offering physical, emotional, and practical support building self-esteem and improve quality of life.
Casterbridge Manor is set in the picturesque village of Cerne Abbas near Dorchester, offering the highest standard in residential, nursing and specialist dementia care in a warm, safe and friendly care home environment.