By Alex Brooks-Johnson, Guild Care Chief Executive

As Worthing’s leading social care charity, we’re proud of how Guild Care has been helping people in the community for over 90 years. Our vision is for all people in need of care to live fulfilling, safe and secure lives.

Through our broad range of services, and our care homes, we support older people, people living with dementia, and children and adults with learning disabilities. Our aim is to reduce the social isolation and stigma that individuals face, while also offering much needed respite to their families and loved ones.

With Christmas approaching, we’re celebrating some of the wonderful people within our community that we’ve been able to help and support over the year.

Services for older people

Our services help the most vulnerable in our community to live well, enjoy life and love every day.

Creating Connections

Our Creating Connections service helps people to maintain their independence by offering one-to-one befriending or weekly face-to-face group activities for anyone over 65. These activities range from seated exercise classes and bingo, to live music, dancing and our ever-popular Sunday lunch club.

John, a regular participant in our activities told us: “I was feeling quite isolated before joining Creating Connections, but the service has had a big impact on my life. I’ve always been a keen musician, so ‘singing for fun’ on a Wednesday afternoon always puts a smile on my face.”

The Creating Connections service has had a positive impact on John's life

Domiciliary care

Our domiciliary care service is a support system for older people who are living independently but require day-to-day assistance. Our team can lend a helping hand with tasks that may have become challenging or unsafe to manage alone. This includes everything from getting out of bed and personal hygiene to meal preparation.

Services for people living with dementia

A dementia diagnosis can be a difficult time for both an individual and their family. It’s essential that people living with dementia don’t
lose access to the hobbies and interests that they previously enjoyed, as this can play a vital part in their overall wellbeing.

We host daytime support services at our Haviland House Day Service, which provide inclusive, fun and stimulating activities for people living with dementia – all carried out in a safe and supportive environment.

Peter, and his wife and carer Rennie, have been coming to our Haviland Day Service sessions for 18 months. Rennie told us: “It’s not just Peter who sees the benefits - they extend to my life as well! Juggling the responsibilities of being a full-time carer can be overwhelming, but having respite during the week has been life changing.”

Peter with Senior Support Worker Helen at the Haviland House Day Service

We also offer dementia support at two of our care homes. Haviland House, our purpose-built dementia home, caters for people living with dementia, while Linfield House combines residential living with 24-hour expert nursing and dementia care. Our services adapt to deliver the right level of care as needs change to offer stability, peace of mind and a forever home for all.

Residential care

Those needing full-time care might choose to move into one of our care homes – Haviland House, Linfield House or Caer Gwent
– where our team ensures that everyone feels safe, cared for and respected.

Sisters, Mary and Jo, moved into Caer Gwent together with their budgie Dusky, and love where it is located - in a quiet area of
Worthing. Mary told us: “Moving into Caer Gwent was a big change for Jo and I, but the carers have gone out of their way to make us feel comfortable. We’re even able to share a room, as well as a separate lounge, which makes it feel like home – it’s lovely, and we’re both so happy that we made the decision to stay here!”

Mary, Jo and Dusky at Caer Gwent

Jo added: “I can’t speak highly enough about the carers at Caer Gwent. From the day we arrived, everybody has made us feel so welcome, which helped us to settle in quickly. We both feel so much safer now, compared to when we were living at home.”

Services for children and adults with learning disabilities

For children and adults who have additional needs, we provide a range of services offering support and respite. Our Ashdown Club, for example, offers short breaks on Saturdays and during school holidays for children aged 5-18, while our Ashdown Youth Club gives young people aged 14-18 a safe space to socialise.

Suzie with her friend Maddie at the Fitzalan Howard Centre

For adults, our Fitzalan Howard Centre is open Monday to Friday, providing an array of activities that everyone can enjoy - from
cookery and swimming, to dancing and karaoke. We ensure that these services always have a high staff ratio, which means that
everyone benefits from plenty of one-to-one time, whilst also keeping the environment safe and fun.

Susie has been coming to Fitzalan Centre for over four years. She told us: “I have grown in confidence so much since coming here, and I’ve made so many friends.”

To find out more about Guild Care’s services in the local community call 01903 327327.