Wirral Life September 2018 | Page 27

W L WELCOME TO ABBEYFIELD HOYLAKE & WEST KIRBY SOCIETY Children playing in the lounge, dogs, rabbits and meerkats, to mention a few joining in the fun, laughter and enjoyment all round, the aroma of something tasty cooking in the kitchen. A normal day in the life of any family? years with as much freedom as possible supported by well trained and friendly staff. Being part of Abbeyfield means we have to adhere to some very demanding standards and we take pride in being able to continue to use the Abbeyfield name. Well it is at our family at Abbeyfield Lear House in West Kirby. Our family members think of Lear House as their home with their own rooms full of their own furniture and possessions and the rest of the house brightly decorated with children’s’ drawings on some of the walls and marvellous views over West Kirby to the Welsh hills. Established in 1963, the Abbeyfield Hoylake & West Kirby Society is based in West Kirby where we have two homes and in Hoylake where we have a large sheltered house. Through careful financial management and generous donations over the years, our Society, which is a charity and limited by guarantee, is well positioned to withstand the financial pressures of operating in the social care environment. Press headlines over the past couple of years show how difficult this can be, particularly when investors are looking for a return on their money. Getting older and needing more care does not mean we can’t still have a full and enjoyable life and at Abbeyfield Lear house we’ve had over sixty years of helping people enjoy their later years whilst making sure all our family have constant support on hand from our dedicated staff and volunteers, many of whom have been with us for years and truly enjoy their work. Some of our family members, who come just for a short break, keep on returning to meet their friends and to join in all the activities we arrange. The Abbeyfield movement started in 1956 when Richard Carr- Gomm, concerned about the loneliness of older people he saw around him, set up his first Abbeyfield House in Bermondsey in London. Since then the Abbeyfield movement has grown to over three hundred homes supporting over seven thousand older people and now we are represented in seven countries internationally as well. The Abbeyfield philosophy is to respect the individuality and experience of older people and to help people to live their later Recent studies have shown that loneliness is a major contributing factor to ill health, particularly in older people and our mission is to make sure our family members do not suffer from loneliness and we encourage friends and relatives to visit us at any time. If you want to be quiet we have a peaceful lounge on the first floor of the house, where you can read, do jigsaws, or just enjoy the view out over the front garden. Lear house is your home from home, a two hundred year old building which is full of fun and character. Come and see us some time. You’ll be very welcome. To find out more about Abbeyfield, visit www.abbeyfieldwestkirby.co.uk wirrallife.com 27