ECL Chelmsford Older People Day Centre (Charles Dickens)

At ECL, we recognise the importance of keeping our customers connected to the communities they live in. Charles Dickens Day Centre has a sports centre and football stadium on its doorstep and just a short walk into Newlands Spring there is a lovely library connected to the local primary school. Customers can pop to the shops if they wish, and the local pub has a restaurant for long lunches out.

The centre of Chelmsford is just over three miles from the day service and the charming village of Writtle is even closer. It boasts tearooms, a sensory garden, a church, and duck pond which overflows with wildlife, while the imposing Hyland’s House and sprawling park is another wonderful place to spend the day.

Charles Dickens has excellent transport links, so getting to us couldn’t be easier. We benefit from having a direct bus route serving Chelmsford town centre and the surrounding areas, and the added support of the UGO bus and community transport service. Our team are always happy to support customers with travel plans and have our own ECL car for picking up and dropping off as required.

Our Chelmsford site is fully wheelchair accessible, and we make moving around the facilities even simpler with the help of a Sara Stedy transfer aid and ceiling hoist for safe use of the bathroom.

At Charles Dickens, we can adapt our staff ratios depending on the needs of the customer and are also able to assist adults with medication, enteral feeding, and speech and language therapy (SALT) plans.

All staff have completed dementia, life support, mental health, and communication training and there is a positive behaviour specialist on hand who can provide support with behaviours that challenge. We even have access to an occupational therapist who can make recommendations for and source equipment that will benefit customers in line with their personal requirements.

Our spacious and welcoming facilities at Charles Dickens Day Centre have been specifically designed to cater to the diverse needs and interests of our customers, who include adults with dementia and older people with complex medical conditions. Feedback from the DSDC praised the team for ‘creating inviting, dementia-inclusive spaces which offer a variety of meaningful activities.

Each day, we serve a freshly cooked two course meal in the open dining room, encouraging interaction during mealtimes and our well-appointed accessible bathrooms ensure comfortable personal care. For customers in need of a bit more of a pamper, we also have a dedicated salon room where we can wash and blow dry hair.

The main recreational space is always a hive of activity, with a large TV for watching customers’ favourite movies as well as iPads, laptops and a network of Alexa devices to use as they wish – whether that’s for browsing the internet or listening to music.

OMI, an interactive LED light is also available, flooding any surface with colour to create a stunning kaleidoscope effect, known to increase participation and social engagement for those living with dementia.

Outside, Charles Dickens has a beautiful secure garden with quiet seating areas and a tinkling water fountain.

This is not what OMI does. Omi is the table or floor interactive projection that your saw at Millicents on the filming day.

Our schedule of activities has been designed with all our customers in mind, whether that be an older person with limited mobility, someone living with dementia or Alzheimer’s, or an adult with complex medical needs.

We want to ensure that all our customers can participate in our day care programme, so invite their input when devising the menu of activities that will entertain and enrich their days.

Visitors to the day centre can take part in a variety of Chair Fit classes, which range from chair yoga to football and everything in between. Keeping the competitive spirit alive, we also organise lively games of balloon tennis and basketball, musical bingo, and interactive quizzes.

Alongside the more dynamic activities, there’s always the option of something a little more serene like memory games and retelling life stories, as well as turning out treats during our baking classes.

Our garden space is not just for sitting! Charles Dickens customers who enjoy pottering amongst the plants are more than welcome to help with the pruning or a spot of flower arranging.

As well as all this, we also regularly invite dementia therapy dogs into the centre. Pet therapy has been shown to be enormously beneficial in dementia care and our four-legged friends never fail to raise smiles, acting as a comfort and sparking joyful conversations about beloved pets past and present.

Our highly skilled specialists are dedicated to creating a warm, positive atmosphere at Charles Dickens. They are experienced in supporting older people with sensory impairments, learning disabilities, dementia, and Alzheimer's but also understand that caregivers require support as well. That’s why our services cater to the needs of our customers and carers, recognising the importance of taking time out to reset and recharge.

Both the day centre and the schedule of activities we’ve curated have been carefully conceived to foster independence and improve the overall wellbeing of our customers. You’ll find a hot two-course meal on offer every day, as well as tea, toast, and biscuits waiting on arrival in the lounge room. Whether on or offsite, we want everyone to feel fed, fulfilled and happy during their time with us.