Dementia Friendly

At Sara’s Cottage we want to make everyone’s stay as enjoyable as possible, and are committed to providing suitable access for all our guests, whatever their individual needs.

We offer luxury accommodation that is dementia friendly and accessible. We chose this path because we experienced looking after an elderly parent when Diane’s father had a stroke that left him with Vascular Dementia.

Diane has become a Dementia Friend with the Alzheimer’s Society and donated in memory of her father.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we have experience of a person living with Dementia. We learned that listening and time are the two most important aspects that we could give to someone living with this condition.

    3D Walk-through tour

    We offer the following aids to assist a guest living with Dementia:

    • a 3D walk-through tour of the cottage on our website to familiarise yourself with the cottage in advance of your stay;
    • an Accessible website reading tool (the person symbol) on the top right-hand corner of our website;
    • a large wet-room that has an automatic movement sensitive night light for guidance to the toilet at night;
    • a portable movement sensitive night light;
    • radiators in the en-suites and bathroom that are chrome against white tiled walls to provide good contrast with the walls;
    • fixed contrasting grab rails in all three bathrooms;
    • en-suite floors that are ridged tiles to avoid slips;
    • extra anti-slip protection mats;
    • coloured towels that give good contrast to the walls;
    • light switches that are at an accessible height and can be highlighted with bumpons or tape if required;
    • door handles that are black against pale doors;
    • instructions for machines are printed on yellow paper in size fourteen font;
    • two high back dining chairs with arms;
    • flooring that has good contrast with the walls;
    • a main room and hall that has a plain slate grey floor;
    • two bedrooms that have neutral carpets;
    • a large accessible bedroom that has oak flooring;
    • rugs and doormats that can be removed;
    • the mirror opposite the main front door can be covered before arrival – please let us know in advance;
    • other mirrors can be removed or covered on request;
    • mattresses that have water-proof/allergy coverings;
    • a spare set of linen can be provided at no extra charge;
    • a vibrating pillow alarm clock;
    • a Geermarc portable hearing loop;
    • a talking alarm clock;
    • a fitted automatic assistance alarm system in the wet-room;
    • a portable hand bell;
    • soft furnishing throughout the cottage to absorb sound;
    • peaceful bedrooms to rest;
    • a range of calming nightlights available to aid sleep (see Autism friendly section);
    • Activity and mood boards (see Autism friendly section)
    • a range of other accessible equipment as shown on our main Access Guide e.g. a selection of shower chairs, bed rail, over bed table, magnifying glass with light and much more