Unique Wigan care village in touch with nature gets the green light

Langtree Care Home will be built on an existing site inbetween Chorley Road and Worthington Lake in Standish.

Combining with the Worthington Lake and Lakeside Care Homes, the three will form the Standish Care Village and will include onsite amenities such as a bird watching observation decks, indoor botanical art and a music therapy suite.

The landmark decision means award winning provider, Millennium Care, can guarantee that families who need extra support with complex care can continue to ensure their loved ones stay in the village, close to their home. The vision behind the development is underpinned by the importance that the built environment and biophilia (“the innate human instinct to connect with nature and other living beings”) can improve health and wellbeing of those living with dementia.

The home has been designed around existing trees to maximise the exposure to greenery and will also incorporate a woodland walking trail.

Drawing on experience of Millennium operating a household model of care at its Worthington Lake Care Home, Langtree will operate along similar principles with each household incorporating clusters of eight residents.

In the event of another pandemic, the home can continue to operate with appropriate zones and cohorts with strong consideration given to the prevention of infectious and viral spreads.

Bosses say that the Standish Care Village will ensure that those who’s needs progress to a different level of care can stay on the same, familiar site. This will reduce the risk of trauma associated by moving to a new and unfamiliar care environment, for both the resident and family.

Beth Brydges, executive assistant at Millennium Care, said: “Our vision is to create a community with the Standish Care Village where those in later life and with cognitive impairments are empowered to live a healthy and fulfilling life and connect with our natural surroundings.

“Our goal is to create a home and village where those in our care find pleasure in a warm atmosphere and drawing inspiration from the Norwegian Hygge principle of finding contentment of wellbeing in cherishing the little things in life.

“For this reason, Langtree will not resemble a hotel. Our household and community model of care will be focused on physical and emotional wellbeing found in home comforts, maintaining ties of kinship and expanding one’s circle of friends supported by clinical excellence.

“Our goal is to achieve this in small household setting where, as with all our homes, the kitchen is the heart and hub of activity. We have worked hard to learn from the pandemic and how design can both negatively impact wellbeing but also be incorporated as a powerful antidote to having significant therapeutic benefits.”

Alessandro Caruso, Co-Founder of ACA Architects, said: “Langtree Care Home represented an incredible opportunity for ACA to harness our international research and experience as dementia-friendly designers.

“As RIBA Client Advisors, we are keen to continue adding value during the design development and construction stages, to create an innovative building, which responds to these challenging times.”

The Langtree Care Home will be Millennium Care’s eighth home in the north-west and the Standish Care Village will be the first of its kind in the UK.

For interested parties, Millennium Care will be hosting several online sessions to respond to any queries you may have.

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