About English Villages

Given that future Care Villages will be targeted at the 'Baby Boomers' I thought I would use an analogy that everyone would understand. In my time a Hoover was the generic name given to any kind of vacuum cleaner. This all changed when the Dyson came along. The Dyson was bag-less and a funky design, it quickly established itself as a replacement for the generic Hoover, at the same time this prompted other manufactures to reinforce their own brand and the merits of their design.

We are in the same dilemma with Care Villages, we need to describe the different products and establish strong well known brands that become known for what they are. In America, Australia and New Zealand the terminology is a 'Continuing Care Retirement Community' which does not exactly roll off the tongue but has come about because the Americans have a love of wordy descriptions. In England we use 'Care Village' to describe any development that has some form of care provision. Even a large Care Home with a small number of flats or bungalows alongside will be called a Care Village.

Over the next few years brands will emerge like the Dyson which will be understood by the market place for what they deliver, in the meanwhile the generic name Care Village does nothing to describe what is on offer.

The break-point in the concept comes when the operator also provides an onsite registered Care Home. The emerging operators are divided over the principle of providing an onsite Care Home. The only consistent, well known operator that provides a registered Care Home is 'Richmond Villages'. Another well know brand name 'Retirement Villages' is now incorporating a registered Care Home within their new developments. 'Audley', do not provide a registered Care Home within their retirement concept; instead they rely upon the provision of domiciliary care delivered by their own registered agency. Domiciliary care comes in two stages of registration, the provision of personal care and then the provision of nursing care. The domiciliary agency may not include the provision of nursing care which is vital for people to remain in their own homes.

To have or not to have a registered Care Home within a Care Village illustrates the great divide between operators. The operator trying to manage the different business activities can end up with being a Jack of all trades and master of none. The marketing and management of a registered Care Home providing nursing care requires a focused and dedicated management team that is not distracted by the glamour and marketing activities in connection with the wider Care Village. As with any business that is to be successful, every single component must be well designed and well delivered. The Care Village puts a number of demands on its management, from the provision of hotel services including leisure facilities to the marketing of the properties for sale or rent.

It is not the diversity of management resources that defines the decision to provide a registered Care Home or not, it is simply the emotional perception of future purchasers and the sometimes deeply held views of senior management. I remember discussing the Care Village concept with a leading figure in the Care Home industry some years back when he offered me a piece of advice. His advice was to choose a good quality location and build a Care Village on one side of the town then find another site on the far side of town for a Nursing Home. I think this told me more about the person, the quality of care he was providing and his consideration of older people more than anything else. Having said this, this sentiment remains strong in many organisations and only privately will they admit that they believe an onsite registered Care Home blights the sale of properties.

To go back to the terminology 'Continuing Care Retirement Community', for me this description implies that no matter what my future care needs will be I will be able to receive it if I live in this community including care in a Care Home. There are a number of reasons why a registered Care Home is the only appropriate setting for a person with failing health. I am of course talking about a Care Home established within a Care Village. The first reason is the very opposite to the fear and dread that many older people have at the thought of moving into a Nursing Home. An older person living in a Care Village would be able to receive high levels of domiciliary care in their own home, however there is no substitute for the immediate 'on call' nurse and continuous social interaction, not to mention the peace of mind, that comes with being in the Care Home.

The difference is that the resident already knows the care staff and can continue to benefit from seeing friends and neighbours as they have done for the last five to ten years. This seamless change makes the difference. At any point in time in a marriage or in a family, people are at different stages in their general health. Many people choose to have a partner whose health is rapidly failing cared for separately in the Care Home. The spouse or partner then retains some quality of life by living in their home nearby in the village.

Over the next few years each operator will establish with the public what they have on offer and just like Dyson, a brand which is known for its benefits. At the present time in this country you could categorise the industry into three groups, Retirement Properties which provide a setting for older people to live in but may not provide any care services. Care Villages where you would find a commitment to provide domiciliary care which may also include the provision of nursing care to high dependency residents living in their own homes. Then finally Continuing Care Retirement Communities which will provide not only domiciliary care delivered into people's own homes but the additional choice of an onsite Care Home which complements the needs of the villagers themselves and the community at large.

I will be writing a series of articles on these different concepts setting out the differences between Electrolux, Henry and Dyson. If you have a view as to a Continuing Care Retirement Community with a Care Home, or a Care Village without a Care Home or a Retirement Property with no care at all, I would be pleased if you would contact me at keith@englishcarevillages.com