Provision of Care and Support in Extra Care Housing - Lonsdale Court, Pategill, Penrith CA11 8LD

In Westmorland and Furness the term 'extra care' housing is used to describe housing developments that comprise self-contained homes with design features and support services to enable people to self-care and continue to live independently. The 'extra' in extra care housing is generally recognised to be access to care services that can:

• Respond quickly to residents changing needs
• Provide unplanned care as and when required in addition to planned care
• Provide an emergency response.

People who live in Extra Care housing have their own self-contained homes - usually with a lounge, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom and access to care staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are also communal facilities and activities available.

For many people, Extra Care housing is the ideal solution as it means that they live in a home of their own, can stay together as a couple even with different levels of need, live as part of a supportive environment, in a location situated in the heart of the local community, but with the added reassurance that help is at hand. Extra Care housing allows people to move out of houses, where they are finding it difficult to cope, into a home where they can be secure and live independently. In some situations Extra Care Housing also allows people to move out of residential care and return to independent living.