Residents of The Dell residential care home in Lowestoft have been enjoying an extended and refurbished lounge area, completed by Berwick Interiors and opened just in time for Christmas. Deputy mayor Peter Knight visited the care home in Cotmer Road to cut the ribbon and officially unveil the new facilities.

Speaking at the opening, director Farooq Patel – of Wellbeing Care Limited – said:

“We decided that the lounge at The Dell was in need of refurbishment and bringing up to date. So we set about opening up the lounge area to create more space for our 40 residents. We have completely redecorated the room, added new furniture and new flooring and a new fireplace. The room also has new sensory, mode lighting which changes colour."

"Overall we are delighted with what has been achieved, as it now looks welcoming and more homely aswell as being dementia friendly,” Mr Patel added.

“We have invested tens of thousands in the improvement to this facility but it has been worth it when you see the reaction from the residents as their eyes light up. One lady who had previously isolated herself and would not come out of her room now comes and uses the new lounge and socialises with other residents.”

Carl Brassey, Project Lead for Berwick said: 

"Farooq’s approach to care has, from the beginning, been refreshingly modern and forward thinking. It has been enjoyable working with somebody who gives so much consideration to the needs and wishes of both his residents and his staff. Every detail has been carefully considered even down to what style and height seats best suited the needs of his residents.Nathan and myself took a range of seating to the home where the staff and residents then spent the morning testing the seating for comfort and practicality. They finally chose 3 designs which offered a sufficient range of options to meet the needs of all their clients."

This attention to detail resulted in nearly 6 months of design and re-design for Francesca, the Interior Designer. Her patience and resilience were crucial to seeing the project through to completion. We are delighted to see that the finished project pays tribute to her skills.

We agreed to a very tight 8 week turnaround time for the whole project. During these 8 weeks the project was extended to include both the activities area and relocation of the fireplace. We are proud that with the help of Farooq and his team we were still able to see through the project within the timeframe agreed.

Feedback from Joy, the Home Manager, has been excellent. Her staff and her residents are delighted with the improvements and are confident that it enables them to offer an even higher standard of care.