Our dementia care therapy in West Sussex at Manor Barn is based on the principle that the quality of our residents’ daily life matters as much as the clinical care they receive.
One of the biggest differences in our dementia care compared to other homes is that we never use agency staff. Our team delivering dementia care therapy at Manor Barn are permanent and long-serving, and the relationships your loved one builds with them are central to the quality of care they receive here.
Our schedule includes arts and crafts, music, gardening, gentle movement, sensory sessions and one-to-one time with familiar dementia carers. Our team celebrates seasonal events and special occasions throughout the year too and families are always invited.
We are based in Fishbourne, just outside Chichester, in a calm, homely setting that families regularly tell us feels more like a welcoming home than a care setting.
Before your loved one joins any activity sessions, our manager visits them to find out about their preferences, including what they enjoy and what a great day looks like for them. Families of our residents tell us that this makes a real difference to their confidence before their loved one even moves in. That conversation with you and your family is where our dementia activities in West Sussex begin, informing how we care for your loved one throughout their time with us.
Types of Dementia We Support
Our dedicated dementia care team has extensive experience supporting residents living with a range of dementia diagnoses, approaching dementia activities and daily care based on your loved one’s diagnosis, how they are feeling and what works for them personally.
We also have two on-site GPs who are directly involved in the medical care of our residents and work closely alongside our care team throughout the week.
We support…
Alzheimer’s disease
For our residents with Alzheimer’s, the consistency of their daily environment is one of the most important things we can offer at Manor Barn. We encourage families to bring personal belongings and photographs from home to keep your loved one’s daily routine as predictable as we can. Our permanent care team means your loved one is always with familiar faces, and over time, those relationships become a genuine source of comfort.
Lewy body dementia
Your loved one with Lewy body dementia may experience hallucinations and significant changes in alertness at different points in the day. Our team is fully trained and experienced in responding calmly and maintaining a serene environment during more challenging periods. Medication safety is especially important with this diagnosis, which is why our on-site GPs carefully oversee all prescribing decisions, given the serious reactions that certain drugs can cause.
Vascular dementia
Fatigue can affect your loved one’s ability to participate in activities, so our team keeps sessions shorter and checks in regularly throughout the day. Having doctors on site means our residents’ vascular health is actively monitored alongside the dementia itself, with any changes in your loved one’s condition being picked up and responded to quickly.
Frontotemporal dementia
Frontotemporal dementia can affect how your loved one behaves, communicates and relates to others in ways that are often difficult for families to understand at first. We meet those changes with patience and experience, getting to know each resident’s individual patterns well enough to respond to difficult moments with the right approach for that particular person.
Feel free to arrange a visit to Manor Barn to meet our staff and experience our fantastic facilities.
Supporting Life at Our Dementia’s Care Home
Your loved one will be part of the full life of Manor Barn, sharing the dining room, communal spaces and beautiful gardens with all our residents and joining the same activity schedule. Families have described Manor Barn as feeling more like a spa hotel than an Alzheimer’s care home, with our bistro-style dining room, cinema room and al la carte food. That is the standard of daily life we hold ourselves to for every resident, including those living with dementia.
Social Engagement and Community Interaction
Meals at Manor Barn are freshly prepared and served in our bistro-style dining room to a standard that families have genuinely praised. Mealtimes are a social and enjoyable part of the day, and our communal spaces are warm and well-used throughout. We celebrate seasonal events like Christmas and Easter and honour special occasions like birthdays and wedding anniversaries throughout the year – you are always welcome to join in. We have many reviews stating that nothing ever seems too much trouble for our staff here at Manor Barn.
Cognitive and Therapeutic Sessions
Reminiscence therapy is a regular part of our dementia activities in West Sussex. It is always led by long-term staff who know your loved one’s background and use familiar music, personal pictures and meaningful objects to prompt memory and conversation. We follow your loved one’s lead throughout. Creative sessions, sensory activities and gentle physical and cognitive exercises run throughout the week, adapted to what your loved one can engage with on any given day. We keep families updated on how their loved one is spending their time, which many relatives tell us gives them real reassurance on the days they cannot get in to visit.
Physical Well-being and Movement
We offer gentle seated exercise sessions and encourage your loved one with dementia to spend time outdoors in our secure gardens whenever they wish. Our gardens are beautiful and well-kept, and they are accessible throughout the day, so our residents can go for walks, read or relax in the fresh air whenever they want. Our carers always pay attention to how your loved one is feeling before suggesting any activity, so if they want a quieter day, we always support that just as well as a more active one.
Personalised Daily Routines
Before your loved one arrives, our manager visits them to go through their preferences, routines and what matters most to them day to day. Sleep patterns, meal preferences, what tends to cause anxiety and what brings comfort are all documented in their care plan from the start. Their care plan is reviewed regularly and updated as their needs change, with you involved at every stage. Our permanent, long-serving team makes that consistency possible, and for your loved one living with dementia, a day that feels familiar and predictable makes a significant difference to their well-being.
A Personal Approach to Dementia Activities
No two residents want the same things from their day, which is why our lifestyle coordinator pays close attention to what each resident responds to and adjusts accordingly. And your observations as a family are just as important to us as what we see ourselves, so please do share what you notice during visits.
If one of our residents who has spent years gardening often finds more meaning in time spent outside, hands in compost, than in any structured indoor session, our team looks for those personal connections rather than defaulting to the same activity for all our residents, ensuring dignity is maintained for each individual.
Our dementia activities in West Sussex include arts and crafts, music, gardening, games, quizzes and one-to-one sessions.
Participation is never expected. Our team reads the room well. Quiet time is supported just as attentively as a busier ones, and your loved one will always have a carer nearby who genuinely connects with them.
You are always welcome to visit and to join in if you would like to. And if something is on your mind between visits, please do call us.
