Changing the focus of care, 50 Years of South Lodge

South Lodge Care Home celebrated its 50^th Anniversary having opened its doors on 30th April 1975. To mark the day the unit held a celebration to celebrate the work of the staff and all the residents, past and present, who have benefited from being part of the South Lodge family.

Over the last 50 years the care needs have evolved, bringing many changes in how care is delivered and diversified over time. This is reflective in changes within South Lodge and how we have changed to meet current needs of the community within Ayr and its surrounding villages and towns.

Councillor Hunter, Portfolio Holder for Health and Care Services said, "I was grateful for the opportunity to join the staff and residents of South Lodge for this momentous day. South Lodge has been an important part of the Ayr community for many years, and it is important to celebrate reaching this milestone."

"The Queens's Lieutenant for Ayrshire Colonel Bryce Knox along with Campbell Howie (Ayr Provost) formally opened the building back in 1975, having previously been the location of a maternity home. It was amazing to hear many residents and visitors to the care home reminiscing that they were in fact born in the building prior to its change to the care home it is today."

One of the most recent changes at South Lodge has seen the introduction of a Reablement ethos, which has brought about significant changes. The introduction of the Racecourse Road Intermediate Care Unit within the home focusses on hospital discharge and reablement. Reablement aims to assist people to remain as independent as possible by supporting them to regain daily living skills and confidence after a hospital admission, a period of illness or an accident.

The reablement ethos is extended throughout the home with new additional kitchen areas on all floors for residents to maintain their own level of independence promoting a person-centred environment for individuals to live well and age well.

Billy McClean, Head of Community Health and Care said, "With the ageing population of South Ayrshire we have seen a shift in how services and support are delivered. The South Ayrshire HSCP is working with partners to implement our Ageing Well strategy which has received national recognition, recently winning the national iESE Award for Transformation in Health and Social Care."

"Our Ageing Well movement focuses on prevention, getting the right support, at the right time, to allow us to thrive in our older years. South Lodge continues to show its adaptability, focusing on improving outcomes for residents and opening up new opportunities to help address hospital discharge numbers through innovation."

Looking back at how the care home has changed over the years has been an interesting reflection. Shona McTaggart who is currently the Team Leader for Care at Home was a member of staff at South Lodge in the 1990s as part of her early career. She shared some of her memories of her time at the care home.

Shona McTaggart, Team Leader for Care at Home said, "The South Lodge of today is definitely different to my experience during the 1990s. One of the main changes I can think of is the outings. At the time some staff took residents on holiday to Spain, more locally to Craig Tara and I took 2 residents on a bus trip up north. Moving and handling was still very much a manual task, as moving and handling equipment was just starting to be introduced and were not used as rigorously as they are now - no plans, no risk assessments just your judgement."

"The staff at the time continued to deliver the best care possible, however, residents who moved to South Lodge rarely left. I am delighted to see the move to reablement, looking to empower residents and to make the unit a home from home. Being able to remain as independent as possible is so crucial to the wellbeing of our communities."

Shona's full interview can be found on the South Ayrshire HSCP website here: South Lodge 50th Anniversary - staff story - Health and Social Care Partnership

South Lodge has been thriving in recent years with recent Care Inspectorate reports grading the care home as "Very Good" across all areas. We are delighted to see the care home reach it's 50^th birthday and look forward to seeing how it grows over the next 50 years.