Dementia care in Ilford and Redbridge: how a small nursing home on Gordon Road supports people with dementia and their families

Dementia care at Woodlands, briefly

Woodlands Total Care Nursing Home is a 30-room nursing home on Gordon Road in Ilford, caring for people locally since 1992. Single rooms are spread over three floors and registered nurses are on duty 24 hours, so a person with dementia can be supported here at different stages and alongside other health conditions.

Why a small home helps

In a home of 30, there is less building to learn and fewer people to get to know, which can steady someone who has become easily lost or overwhelmed. Woodlands also offers a safe, secure and sensory environment, with a garden outside and a salon indoors, so the habit of having hair done can continue.

Ilford's communities

Diwali, Eid, Christmas and Holi are all marked at Woodlands, and cultural and dietary preferences are respected. For a person with dementia, a festival they recognise from childhood can bring comfort when much else has become strange. Tell us which festivals, foods and prayers matter in your family, so they can go into the care plan.

Nursing dementia care or residential dementia care

A residential dementia home has care staff, and nurses visit from the community. At a nursing home like Woodlands a registered nurse is on site day and night. If a social worker, GP or King George Hospital has advised nursing dementia care, that distinction settles the question. If they have advised residential care, ask yourself what might happen as needs increase, and whether you would want to avoid moving again.

How we care for the person, not the diagnosis

The team gathers a personal history on admission, covering work, family, faith, food and music, and uses it in reminiscence and everyday conversation. It can help a carer respond to someone who is asking for a parent or trying to go to work. Read more about daily life at Woodlands.

Routine does a lot of the work: calm mornings, familiar rituals, family phone calls and favourite television. Puzzles, reading and park outings add variety where they suit the person. Support with communication, nutrition, mobility and personal care is adjusted as the person's abilities change.

Advanced dementia and the end of life

Advanced dementia may bring difficulty swallowing, pressure area risks and distress that cannot be put into words. Our advanced dementia care adds support as needs change, working with Redbridge healthcare teams and GP surgeries, and end of life care is comfort-led and respects faith. Where assessed as necessary, one-to-one care with dedicated staff can be agreed.

Families and visiting

Relatives are involved in care planning and reviews. If you notice a change, please tell us. Ask how we will let you know about falls, infections or changes in health, and about visiting times, including at festivals. A short, regular visit may suit a person with dementia better than a long one.

Questions to ask any dementia home in Redbridge

• Is a registered nurse on site overnight, and how many residents does that nurse cover?
• Could my relative stay here as dementia progresses?
• How is the person's faith, language and food recorded in the care plan?
• What do staff do first when someone is distressed?
• How do you review sedatives and antipsychotics with the GP?
• How do residents reach the garden, and can they go on outings?
• With rooms over three floors, how do residents get between floors?
• What did the most recent CQC report say, and what has changed since?

Paying for dementia care in Redbridge

NHS funding does not come with the diagnosis. Where assessment shows a registered nurse is needed, the NHS pays a weekly NHS-funded nursing care contribution. NHS Continuing Healthcare, which pays the whole fee, is reserved for those with a primary health need. The London Borough of Redbridge means-tests the remainder against the national capital limits, and a property may be disregarded for twelve weeks, or a deferred payment agreed, in some cases.

Visiting Woodlands

Woodlands is on Gordon Road, Ilford IG1 1SN, and Ilford station is on the Elizabeth line. Book a visit through the tour form or call 020 8553 2841. Bring the person with you if you can, and see how they settle in the lounge and the garden.