Retire In Style

Today’s best care homes are more like private members clubs and top hotels, as Jane Slade discovers

There has never been a shortage of high-end care homes in the UK but now five-star hospitality is leading the way in creating a cluster of super luxury brands.

Emerging as the Ritz of the healthcare world is Loveday, a concept devised by Laurence Geller CBE, who has a background in running such luxury hotels as the Hyatt Group. In Loveday’s care homes, residents, called members, have access to the kinds of services you would find at a smart town or country club; such as a concierge service, private restaurant and spa. The Executive Chef Matt Dodge who offers a fine dining service is ex-Savoy.

Inside, the decor is contemporary, opulent and care is prioritised alongside service. Loveday has two homes in prime London locations. Firstly is the 15-room Loveday Chelsea which opened in 2016 and Loveday Kensington which launched earlier this year just off Kensington High Street. A third opens in July, with two more scheduled next year.

Such is Geller’s confidence in his uber luxury product that he is charging £5,000 a week just for a room with treatments costing extra.

“Sadly, both of my parents died of dementia six years apart. Whilst looking for care, I couldn’t find a solution that offered both outstanding care and hospitality in the same setting - I always came across the same stumbling block of having to choose between the two,” he explains.

“I knew about hospitality as a lifetime hotelier and now equipped with good understanding of the care world, I felt it was time to address the gap and launch a new industry brand to provide the very best in care, services, hospitality and experiences and improve the lives of our members and their loved ones. Thus, Loveday was born.”

“There is not currently a business segment that exists delivering this new pioneering proposition,” he adds. “Itis a revolution to have this kind of care, superior design, crafted nutrition and food menus, tailormade lifestyle and spa within a care setting. Loveday is a needed evolution of hospitality. It’s a new luxury.”

Alzheimers and dementia are a key focus for Loveday. They are a key interest for Geller too. In 2018, he donated£1 million to a new Institute for Dementia Care, the UK’s first comprehensive dementia care training and accreditation programme.

Loveday homes will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology including a rapid PCR machine which can deliver results in just eight minutes.

www.lovedayandco.com

Down the road, the Albert Suites are attracting high-net-worth individuals who need help getting back on their feet after surgery. The Suites, 28 to be precise, opened in2016, and occupy a wing of nine-storey Battersea Place, the capital’s first retirement community in South West London.

“Albert Suites is designed to help people after major operations such as cardiac surgery, strokes and those suffering respiratory problems,” explains Manager and Director of Care Helene Cross, “Private hospitals churn people out very quickly, so sometimes it’s daunting to go home and manage alone.”

Physiotherapy is one of Albert Suites key selling points. The company works with an Australian consultant physiotherapist and also with complementary specialists such as chest consultant physios and neurology consultant physios.

“We work closely with qualified physicians and physios and offer several sessions a day – including a daily complimentary session – it helps enormously,” adds Helene. Convalescence and re-enablement packages cost from£2,500 a week.

“We have a reputation for fast tracking people back into the community,” concludes Helene. “We go the extra mile –shop in M&S for pyjamas and buy a comfy rug if someone is cold. We also get to know the family, pets, children and wider family.

www.albertsuites.co.uk

Signature Senior Lifestyle is one of the nation’s largest luxury care providers after integrating 18 Sunrise and two Gracewell homes in December.

It now operates 36 homes across London, the Home Counties and the South of England and is poised to build a new home on one of the UK’s most expensive roads, The Bishops Avenue in Highgate, North London. All Signature's homes offer assisted living, with specialist dementia care supported by top quality dining and nutrition menus developed by 2016 MasterChef winner, Jane Devonshire.

Signature’s newest homes are Wandsworth, Beckenham and the magnificent Grade II listed Hendon Hall in north London. Each typically houses around 100 apartments including 24 specialist dementia apartments, as well as amenities inspired by some of the world’s top hotels from fine dining to sky lounges, cinemas, spas and wellness rooms.

“We are one of few providers that offer expensive apartments with separate bedrooms, not just studios, allowing residents the space to enjoy their time in comfort,” explains Director Simon Dickinson.

Signature are set to open new homes in Barnet in early May, in Caversham near Reading in November and in Farnham Common in Buckinghamshire in January 2023.Simon adds: “We also have generous staff-to-customer ratios, as well as features like ambient monitoring technology that can be used in each apartment to track the safety of residents.”

Signature’s charges start from £1,300 per week.

www.signature-care-homes.co.uk

“The luxury care market isn’t about waiting for an emergency situation to prompt the move into care,” argues Carole Hunt, Director at luxury care-home group Cinnamon Care Collection.

“It’s more focused on encouraging people to make lifestyle choices whilst they’re still fit and well and to choose an environment that supports their continued wellbeing. They want care that prioritises security and safety. As care home providers, it’s our job to meet and exceed those expectations.”

Cinnamon Care operates a mix of 19 care homes and retirement villages with new developments underway in Ferndown, Chichester, Hagley, Sheffield and Topsham. Cinnamon Communities feature restaurants, piano bars, fitness suites, hair and beauty salons, cinema rooms, libraries and private dining rooms.

All-inclusive prices start from £1,250 per week.

www.cinnamoncc.com