Garrett House Care Home

26/07/2021

We have an opening for a good home cook/chef to join our friendly team.

Full time/part time or job share available. £11 per hour depending on qualifications and experience.

Although training will be given, knowledge of statutory regulations for food hygiene, temperatures and storage is required along with the ability to keep legible records.

For any further details and an application form, please telephone Lesley on 453249.

23/07/2021

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

After 27 years as Manager of Garrett House, Tanya Stedman has taken early retirement to follow new interests.

Karen Squirrell is the new Home Manager together with Helen Osborne as Deputy Manager, Deborah Knights is Medication Manager, and Lesley Mayhew as Administrator, form the new Management Team.

Care co-ordination and individual care training will be overseen by Sue Childs and our excellent catering department is led by Chef Christian Hood. The Housekeeping team in the safe hands of Jemma Church. Night care services are ably led by Katherine Pacheco.

The new management team and the entire staff have a shared vision of providing excellent care and are excited and eager to begin a new chapter in the life of Garrett House.

Particularly exciting is the appointment of Steve Perkins, a seasoned entertainer who has taken on the position of Wellbeing Co-ordinator. He is multi talented and proving very popular with our residents.

To compliment the above team, we have positions available for Care Assistants, full and part time. Day's from £9 per hour, nights from £10 per hour depending on qualifications and experience.

We will also be pleased to hear from anyone who is interested in an apprenticeship in either care or catering. We are linked through Suffolk County Council and the Essex & Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group with West Suffolk College who will supply on line and face to face training.

Please telephone Lesley on 01728 453249.

09/07/2021

WE ARE RECRUITING
Activity Coordinator Required.

Activites provide the foundation for all other forms of senior wellness. Additionally, senior physical activity decreases the risk of stroke, cancers, type 2 diabetes and dementia. It is also a great way to connect with others and may even prevent depression.

Garrett House are looking for a special person who will develop and plan activities, outings and events. You will be responsible for developing programs, staffing the events and overseeing the implementation of activities.

If this appeals to you, please telephone Karen on 01728 453249.

This is a full time position., 5 days out of 7 which will include alternate weekends. Job share can be considered.

£10.50 per hour including uniform and company pension scheme.

Also required, activity assistants at £9 per hour. Part time hours to include alternate weekends.

09/07/2021

The dice are moving so fast it's all of a blur 😁

By simply throwing lightweight plastic dice, residents are partaking in a fun physical activity, using hand/eye coordination and most important for their wellbeing...lots of laughter.

17/06/2021

Garrett House are Recruiting.

Wellbeing Co-ordinators and Care Assistants.

Please ring Karen or Lesley on 01728 453249 or send a cv to [email protected].

17/06/2021

2 POSITIONS AVAILABLE

Part-time Wellbeing Co-ordinators required - must include alternate weekends.

You must be fun and outgoing, ideally with some experience of planning outings and events which reflect our residents wishes and preferences to enhance their wellbeing.

Please ring Karen for further details on 01728 453249 or send a CV to [Email hidden].

10/04/2021

Good-home cooked meals to include roasts and snacks and puddings with local sourced meat , fish and vegetables .

09/03/2021

WE ARE RECRUITING:

Senior carer with medication experience
Shifts 7-2pm, 1-8pm, 3.30-10.30pm, 8pm-8am.

Housekeeping staff required from 9am - 7 pm. Shifts and hours by discussion.

Kitchen porter required 5-9pm.

All positions are 5 days out of 7 to include alternate weekends.
Uniform provided. Rates of pay depending on age and experience. Enhanced bank holiday rates.

Please contact 01728 453249 for more details

ALSO REQUIRED
Temporary, part time person required to help with the administration and testing to enable safe visiting.

09/03/2021

WE ARE RECRUITING:

Senior carer with medication experience
Shifts 7-2pm, 1-8pm, 3.30-10.30pm, 8pm-8am.

Housekeeping staff required from 9am - 7 pm. Shifts and hours by discussion.

Kitchen porter required 5-9pm.

All positions are 5 days out of 7 to include alternate weekends.
Uniform provided. Rates of pay depending on age and experience. Enhanced bank holiday rates.

Please contact 01728 453249 for more details

ALSO REQUIRED

Temporary, part time person required to help with the administration and testing to enable safe visiting.

12/02/2021

Garrett House to host the next episode of 'Dancing on Ice'.

Despite the inclement weather and snow drifts earlier this week, attendance remained at 100%.

Local staff walked in to cover shifts of those who live farther afield. One intrepid carer from Leiston, managed to get to North Warren and then walked in through the drifts to start her 7am shift!

Our maintenance team came to the fore, Ricky started breakfast, Justin produced a delicious lunch and Dave and his 4x4 vehicle ferried staff on all shifts (day and night) to make sure we were all safe.

NOW THAT'S DEDICATION AND TEAM WORK!

28/01/2021

Lots of people have asked about Bessie's life so here is a short life history written by her daughter Joan from 1916 to the present day.

Bessie Nobbs was born in Suffolk and has lived in Suffolk all her life. She was brought up on her Grandfather’s farm at Creeting St Mary and can still remember riding astride the Suffolk Punch as it returned to the stack yard from the harvest fields. Another abiding memory is falling into the horse pond at least once a week; her Grandfather fishing her out with his pitch fork. At school she learned how to cook in a hay box, how to hang washing on the line and how to properly fold table cloths and napkins: all important skills at that time.

She married Charles Poulson in 1937 so they had little time together before he left for the war. Despite being seriously injured he survived and not until several years later did Bessie find out that he had been one of Winston Churchill’s body guards as well as being involved with interrogating Rudolf Hess in the Tower of London. She did visit London to visit him many times and can remember waking up at Liverpool Street station in the middle of the night being watched over by a Military Policeman that Charles had sent to take care of her.

During the war women had to take what had been a man’s job. Bessie became an insurance agent which partly involved cycling around collecting money. One day cycling through Needham Market a factory was bombed by the Germans. She jumped off her bike and sheltered under a kitchen table in a nearby house. As it quietened down she remembered that she’d left the insurance money in her bicycle basket so ran out to collect it – just as the German plane turned round and came down the street shooting at people as they came out of their houses. Watching dog fights in the Suffolk sky upset her most of all as she knew so many of the young men that had gone to fight.

Later in the 1940s Bessie had her two children, Kenneth who has sadly pre-deceased her and Joan.

In the 1950’s Bessie became landlady of The King’s Head at Creeting St Mary where she enjoyed the social life but not the hard work. At that time, being a good needle woman, she also make wedding dresses for many of the village girls. Joan can remember enjoying the procession of brides coming for their fittings and, indeed, some of them holding their receptions at The King’s Head. The pub belonged to the Cobbolds from Glemham Hall and Bessie says that the day John Cobbold visited to say how sorry he was that he was closing it down he drank so much that that week’s profits took a serious dive.

Bessie later moved to Stowmarket; and then to Wickham Market to be near her daughter and family. There she made many new friends and managed happily until just after her 100th birthday when she moved to Garrett House in Aldeburgh where she played a part in all the activities on offer including “dancing with Elvis”

Bessie has been blessed with four grandchildren and six great grandchildren whose lives and achievements have given her enormous pleasure.

The family can’t get together this year to celebrate but will be thinking about her and the impression she has made on so many lives.

Bessie is seen here with her daughter Joan (pre Covid)

26/01/2021

Bessie, 105 today!

With the help of Mark Murphy and the EADT, Bessie was inundated with cards, letters, flowers and good wishes from as far afield as New Zealand, Germany, America and all over the UK plus a very special card from Her Majesty.

This is just a selection, we couldn't fit them all on the wall.

Bessie had a special lunch and staff and residents joined in with a chorus of Happy Birthday. It has been a lovely day and Bessie was insistent that everyone who made it special for her was thanked. So, thank you all. ❤️

26/01/2021

04/01/2021

Our beautiful Bessie will be 105 years young on 26th January. In previous years we have always been able to hold family celebrations with even a visit from the Mayor. However, whilst we will be celebrating with other residents in our home, we thought it would be nice for Bessie to receive cards from well wishers in the community.

Bessie has always taken an active role in all aspects of Garrett House from gardening and painting to singing and dancing with Elvis.

If you would like to give Bessie your best wishes, please send c/o Garrett House, 43 Park Road, Aldeburgh, IP15 5EN.

16/12/2020

"I cannot praise Garrett House highly enough. From day one mum's treatment has been exceptional and we are always contacted if problems arise."

From Relatives and Friends Survey 2020

16/12/2020

"Apart from some upset and confusion at the beginning of the pandemic, my mother's health has shown no significant deterioration at a time when care home rules and requirements are constantly changing. This is a huge credit to the management and staff at Garrett House."

From Relatives and Friends Annual Survey 2020

16/12/2020

"The staff have done a fabulous job during the lockdown - it can't have been easy. They have made communication possible when physical visits were forbidden and their efforts to make visiting viable and safe once allowed, have been exemplary. Thank you all very much!"

From Relatives and Friends Annual Survey 2020.

16/12/2020

"I think you are all doing an amazing job in very difficult circumstances"
from Relatives and Friends Annual Survey 2020

16/12/2020

"Keep up the good work in these difficult times"
from Friends and Relatives Annual Survey 2020.

16/12/2020

Christmas fun 🎄🎄🎄🎄

04/12/2020

27/11/2020

Garrett House continues family visits in our new visiting Pod. New regulations adhered to.
Residents and Family are enjoying being able to see and chat to their loved ones.
We have been able to accommodate safe visiting throughout the Summer and most of the Pandemic.

11/11/2020

A selection of photos taken over the last few days showing some of our varied activities from piano playing to cake decorating. ☺️

11/11/2020

09/11/2020

Positive, can do attitude. Able to motivate a team to ensure that excellent person centred care is delivered.

7 hour to a max of 12 hour shift pattern.

Level 3 desirable or willing to work towards.

01/11/2020

27/10/2020

Innovative, enthusiastic and energetic person required to develop, plan and deliver activities to give our elderly residents the best quality of life possible.

If you feel you are that someone who can make a difference and are willing to go the extra mile to find just what it is that can engage our residents in meaningful activities, then we would like to hear from you.

This is a full time role that will work on a rota basis with other activity staff so that we have cover 7 days a week.

25/09/2020

With time spent in the garden becoming increasingly limited due to the weather and being unable to admit outside entertainers into the building, our activity assistants and residents are enjoying interactive fun with The Magic Table 360.

The Magic Table 360 provides different levels and speeds of interactive gameplay to develop physical, cognitive and social engagement.

It is a free standing projector with sound that can be moved to bedrooms where residents may be room bound and can be projected onto sheets, enabling ALL residents to be fully involved in the activities on offer at Garrett House.

The play and resulting happiness can help build increased quality of life, an aspect of the care that Garrett House staff hold very dear!

21/09/2020

This popped up in our Facebook Memories. Its always nice to receive a POSITIVE message unless its about our weekly Covid swab test results which we are very pleased to confirm are again all NEGATIVE.