Adult Homes

Rushden Home (ages 16-25 years)
Irchester Home (ages 18 years and over)
Hayway Home (ages 18 years and over)

The Alderwood adult residential homes in Rushden and Irchester, Northamptonshire provide 24 hour care 52 weeks a year for those 16+ with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders.

The homes maintain a high staffing level for five residents at Rushden, six at Irchester and two at Hayway and service users enjoy the assistance of a highly structured environment to support their individual needs.

All residents access a programme of living and learning skills along with structured support for community outings.

Ethos

Alderwood provides a family type setting that supports the individual needs of each resident. The homes provide a highly structured environment using the TEACCH model, where continued learning and life skills are designed to maximize the potential for independence and fulfilment.

A low arousal environment and a focus on coping skills allows our residents to participate in a wide variety of activities throughout the year, both in the home, in the local community and further afield at the Alderwood holiday caravans. The emphasis on individual planning and care support enables our residents who have complex needs, to participate in a form of life that is not often feasible in many larger care provisions.

Facilities

Alderwood's three adult provisions are decorated and furnished to a very high standard. On-site maintainence staff ensure that the 'low-arousal' environments are continuously maintained.

The Rushden home caters for five residents and Irchester six. Both offer spacious accommodation with individual bedrooms, all with either a designated bathroom or en suite. Each home has a large communal living area, an activity room and large private gardens.

Hayway is a smaller home with two bedrooms (both with their own bathrooms), two lounges, dining room kitchen and large garden room.

All catering is undertaken by Alderwood’s cook under the supervision of the house keeper. Laundry is also undertaken on each site. Residents are also encouraged to participate in organised and supervised cooking, domestic and gardening tasks. Hayway residents extend their living skills by purchasing their own shopping and prepare their own meals. Menus are planned with staff support to ensure a healthy eating programme is followed and budgeting skills are developed.

All residents have access to the Alderwood holiday caravans in Lincolnshire, North Devon and locally in Northamptonshire (link to Holiday Accommodation).

All residents have exclusive use of vehicles – Rushden and Irchester have two people carriers each and Hayway has one car. These vehicles ensure a very personalised level of care with high staffing ratios.

All residents have a designated phone kept by the supervising carer for all excursions out of the home to enable on call back up to be activated.

Staffing

The homes have a registered manager along with a deputy manager, senior shift leader, shift leaders and a team of care/learning support workers. Night times are supervised by waking night carers.

The integrated approach to education and care is a key component of the Alderwood ethos and staff work alongside service users to re-enforces life skills, coping skills and the constructive use of leisure time.

All staff receive training at the Alderwood PDC (Professional Development Centre) at our head office in Ecton, Northampton. Also based on the Ecton site are the director’s offices, central administration and the resources department. Resources design and produce all our educational tasks and visual support systems that play a central part in the structured living that is a vital element of the Alderwood philosophy.