New Gables care wing at Chichester care home has been designed to “improve the quality of life for people living with dementia”

The Gables wing at Nyton House has been designed to make “a difference, every day” for people with dementia who will be living in the 10-bedroomed hub.

The bespoke wing will create a home from home, a community, alongside the Queen Anne building which has been at the heart of the family’s residential care home business since 1977.

Harvey Hillary, together with his sister Felicity Hillary-Warnett are now the driving force behind the business and the innovative design of The Gables.

We’re really proud of what we've been able to create

The vision for Gables started about five years ago, Harvey explains, with the family wanting “to create an exemplar building for dementia care”.

Nyton House is a listed Queen Anne building and so “architecturally we wanted to do something that was that was really exceptional” explains Harvey.

He says: “We’re really proud of what we've been able to create.”

The family vision has created a beautiful building, with tremendous architectural merit, and yet people’s needs are very much the driving force.

The feeling of a communal family

Says Harvey: “It’s about clustering rooms around a communal space. That is the centre of people’s living environments. It’s got to feel like they’re part of a communal family.

“We’ve also created infinity pathways that connect around central garden features that are within the building itself. People have the beautiful, landscaped gardens outside, and inside. And every single room has its own private garden too.

“The way that the interior space is created, is designed to maximise the chance of someone being their best self.

Getting the environment right

“It might not be all the time, but it maximises the opportunity of someone being able to interact with other residents and be smiling and happy.

“That all comes down to getting the environment right, which we work really hard to do,” says Harvey.

He says they wanted to minimise risks that might challenge residents, by creating an environment that we think will keep people safe and comfortable.

A place that people will feel really is like their home.

New technology is a game changer

Nyton House has been a ‘first adopter’ of new technologies to enhance the safety and responsiveness of its service. The new Gable wing uses LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) to monitor resident movements, identify falls and evidence carer interactions.

Harvey adds: “This technology is a game changer, allowing carers to be alerted without a resident needing to press the call bells. Unlike CCTV, this system enables us to protect the residents’ privacy, while allowing us to provide a level of ‘safe’ freedom and independence.”

How to find out more

Nyton House was established in 1977 located on the outskirts of Chichester, West Sussex. The Queen-Anne listed building is in 3.5 acres of private gardens.

The family is proud of the roles of Nyton House both within the local community, and within its own care home community. And especially of the role it has in creating new lives for people who need the support.

Says Harvey: “I'd like to think that when people are making choices about where they want their loved ones to be cared for, that we can be there for them.

“That’s one of our main things. How do we make a difference in someone's life every day?”

To find out more about the new Gables wing, and Nyton House, go to the Nyton House website