What You Think Is Really Important To Us

Here are a couple of letters we have recently received from relatives of our residents. There are many more at the home and your are most welcome to read them at anytime when you visit.

Dear Louise

I would like to bring to your attention the care my mother-in-law Kathleen Newman received from the staff at Rose Lodge, Isca Road, Exmouth. Kath became a resident there early in December 2008 where she was cared for by a team of dedicated staff for a year. She was a lady who always portrayed a great sense of humor and a love for theater and music. She had been a PA in her working life. The staff at Rose Lodge actively encouraged all these attributes in Kath, sharing laughs with her and encouraging her to dance and listen to music as much as possible. She also loved to sit at disused typewriters and touch type, a skill which had clearly remained with her despite her advanced Alzheimer's Disease.

When Kath fell and fractured her neck of femur a few weeks ago the staff were quick to respond and genuinely concerned about her whilst in hospital. She returned to them quickly after her operation and the staff did their best to ensure she was as pain free and as comfortable as possible.

When Carol, the manager, felt her pain was out of control she telephoned the GP and appropriate analgesia was organised. Kathleen deteriorated rapidly and died very peacefully with my daughter, Sarah, and I beside her on 23rd December. The staff were extremely supportive and sensitive to our needs and I will remain forever grateful for the excellent care they gave Kath during her stay with them and especially in the last hours of her life.

My daughter and I are both registered nurses working in different fields. Sarah works in ITU in Surrey and I am a specialist palliative care nurse at Dorothy House Hospice in Bath. Sarah and I had very high expectations of how Kath's care should be managed in her last days and we both felt that these were fully met by all concerned.

Whilst all the staff were superb; I feel the following deserve a special mention: Theresa, Jo, Edmund, Sally, Carol (Manager) and Melanie (Administrative Assistant). Sally was the night carer during Kath's last days and provided excellent care for her, and superb support for us as a family. Well done Sally!

In specialist palliative care we are very fortunate to have high staffing levels and superb resources. This makes the ability to provide a very high standard of care much easier. The staff at Rose Lodge provided an excellent standard of care without many of the resources available to those working in the hospice environment.

Thank you Rose Lodge - We will never forget your care and kindness.

(Name withheld for privacy. Available on request)

 Dear Peter

Thank you for your sympathy card and photographs of Barbara. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you, and all the staff of Rose Lodge for your help and care of my cousin Barbara Miller over two years, while she was a resident in the Care Home, also for keeping in touch with me.

It has been a relief to me not to have constant worry, but knowing that Barbara was being well cared for in such pleasant surroundings. My thanks to Karen and Sally for attending the funeral, it was great to meet them albeit under such circumstances. 

I hope that the residents have enjoyed looking at the flowers.

Yours sincerely,

(Name withheld for privacy. Available on request)