By providing opportunities, facilities and financial support for training, the service aims to ensure that all of its employees are in possession of the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to perform their jobs to the highest standard.  To this end, the service is committed to functioning as a learning organisation, providing all of its employees with the opportunity for training and re-training in accordance with their own needs and that of our homes.

Without a skilled, committed and well-trained staff team, the service cannot possibly succeed in its aim to provide high-quality care.

Training should not only motivate staff, but also encourage their co-operation, imagination and personal development.

Without being stimulated by new learning, staff can become bored, take shortcuts, lapse into bad habits or feel undervalued and under-used.

A planned programme for the training and development of staff is essential to ensure good practice and the provision of a quality service for service users.  This is why we have over 25 core training courses available to our staff with more being available if there is an individual speciality being undertaken.

If you would like to be part of our team and enjoy this environment of learning and fulfilment, please get in touch through our careers or contacts pages.  We’d love to hear from you.

––Romaine Lawson, Director of Operations

Located in the thriving town of Southbourne, the home is close to the New Forest National Park and beaches of Southbourne, Highcliffe and Bournemouth.  The house itself is situated within walking distance of local bus services to Bournemouth, Poole and other places of interest.  Also close by are local shops, churches, green spaces, pub and hairdresser/barber.

Our team at Apple House, led by Jayne since 2005, uphold a strong ethos of choice and independence.

For further information, please email Sally, Strategic Manager, at: sallyfox@applehouse.co.uk

Nestled between the tourist hub of Bournemouth, the coastal harbour of Lymington, with the ancient priory town of Christchurch on our doorstep, the range of things to do here is diverse.  Horse riding, flying a light aircraft, cycling in the New Forest, water skiing, and horticulture–just some of the activities that people we support have experienced.

And that’s the most incredible aspect of living where we live.  There is something for everyone, activities both active and passive.  Oceanarium, tree canopy walks and zip lining, fun fairs, picnics at music festivals such as the annual jazzy Stompin’ on the Quomps, the Air Festival with planes old and new cutting through the skies above us.  Gentle strolls through deer-filled forest or along the beach.  From achieving dreams to simply enjoying time to be, to breathe sea air and sit a while looking out over the ocean to Old Harry’s Rocks and beyond.

Perhaps nothing reveals so much about individuals as how they choose to play – how they invest their time and energy for leisure time.  Leisure is that time free from demands or activities of daily living.  Everyone needs regular recreation that develops skills, promotes good health, relieves stress, facilitates social interactions, and provides a general joy for living. ––Regina Cicci, Ph.D. [Developing Recreational Skills in Persons with Learning Disabilities]

Founded by Jane Montrose in 2005, joined by Romaine Lawson, Jayne Jackson and Sarah-Jane Keith, Apple House Ltd was born out of Jane’s determination to provide support for people with learning disabilities at the very heart of their community. Leaving a long career in nursing, Jane turned her long-held ambition into reality and our first service, Apple House, was formed. Today, we proudly operate five Registered Care homes, with a sixth service currently in development, focusing on Supported Living. We continue today to uphold our original values of choice, independence and quality.

For an impressive 19 years, Jayne Jackson has served as the Manager of Apple House, our flagship care home. From the outset, Jayne’s compassionate leadership and steadfast commitment to the people we support have been one of the guiding forces behind Apple House’s success.

While celebrating this significant milestone for our organisation, we also honour John Caslake’s remarkable dedication and commitment over the past nine years. John’s journey with Apple House Ltd began as a Registered Manager for Summerwood, where his passion for excellence and unwavering commitment to our mission shone brightly. Through his leadership, he has risen through the ranks to become our Operations Manager, driving innovation and ensuring our continued success.

In addition to his operational responsibilities, John plays a pivotal role in our commitment to providing the highest standard of care. He heads up our Positive Behaviour Support training, management, and support for the entire group, empowering our team to deliver compassionate care to each individual we support.

As we reflect on Apple House Ltd’s remarkable achievements, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to our dedicated management team and team members who have been instrumental in shaping our organisation’s success. Our ethos has always been to nurture the incredible talent and dedication of our team and so it is with huge pride that we celebrate team members such as Carly who joined our support worker team and is now a highly regarded Registered Manager.

Thanks too to Sarah-Jane, our Office Manager oracle, for the countless ways she enriches our organisation each and every day.

Here’s to celebrating these wonderful anniversaries – a testament to our unwavering commitment to providing outstanding care and support to those we serve – and to many more years of continued success and impact together! — Romaine Lawson, Director of Operations and Jane Montrose, Managing Director.

At Apple House care homes we strive to support residents to lead a healthy lifestyle and to be as independent as possible. We provide access to a programme promoting healthy living and wellbeing, with home cooked fresh food, regular exercise, and creative activities. This article outlines why it is important to give people with autism the opportunity to take part in creative activities and regular exercise.

Challenges for people with Autism

For people with autism, you may notice that they can have challenges in interacting in social situations as it can be overwhelming at times with direct verbal communication. We may not get a direct response or eye contact and we can wonder if we have been understood. So it may also be a struggle to build a relationship with them through words alone.

At times people with autism can have rigid mindsets as this may be their way of making sense of the world around them. So, therefore, change can be difficult as they feel reassured by a routine that gives them a sense of control. They may not always understand that a change in routine may be something beyond their carer’s or parents’ control. Such as the illness of a friend or a change in who supports them due to outside factors.  They may need help in regulating their emotions in response to these situations.

Sensory experiences

Jackie Edwards (2017) describes how people with autism may have difficulty making connections between their tactile, vestibular and proprioceptive sensory systems where they may be overactive or not active enough with how they interact with their environment.  For example, they may have a hypersensitivity to loud noise or bright light, may also be de-sensitised to tactile experiences. So, therefore, they would benefit from a sensory diet to improve sensory integration.

She advocates giving people with autism access to different sensory experiences to help improve concentration and attention. This in turn may help them to be able to regulate awareness of their surroundings more effectively as well as to help them relax and not feel overwhelmed, leading to increased socialisation and interaction, promoting less rigid thinking, creativity, and motor skills.

Benefits of exercise

At Summerwood we recognise the importance of exercise by helping our residents access their community, take part in physical exercises such as the gym and swimming, and helping with gardening, tending the vegetable patch etc.

According to Healy S, et al. (2018) research shows that for people with autism exercise can have a number of benefits:

• Reducing stereotypical behaviours or self-stimulating behaviours
• Improving social skills with sports that promote teamwork
• Helps to reduce weight gain or obesity
• Can increase a person’s attention as repetitive behaviours can decrease
• Exercise can reduce anxiety and improve the ability to regulate emotions, build resilience to anxiety-triggering situations
• Exercise can improve motor skills and coordination for people with autism

Benefits of creative activities

The creative arts is another important activity and we support individuals to participate in regular arts and music classes in the community and within Summerwood, their home.

Art can give a person a sense of control as they learn to adapt to the task in their own way. Drawing and painting can also help to improve and maintain fine motor skills. Creative arts can be an effective way to engage with the person in a non-pressurised way. Tactile art forms such as paint and clay also provide a sensory experience to fulfill the needs of the person to be able to balance their sensory experiences more effectively. Music can elicit interactive emotional responses and melodic rhythms can help them engage.

Arts and wellbeing

People with disabilities can be more vulnerable to mental health issues so we are aware that it is important to provide a way for people to communicate their emotions appropriately. Behaviours on the surface may arise due to an inability to verbally communicate how they feel. Behaviours thus can have a function so this highlights the importance of non-verbal communication and communication aids to help people communicate their needs.

For further assistance, creative arts therapy with a trained art therapist can be a way for a person to be able to express and/or regulate their emotions when words are difficult. It can also help to improve cognition and emotional regulation where the aim is to use the art materials or creative activity to access emotional wellbeing and to help a person learn to regulate their emotions and understand themselves within a safe and facilitating environment.

— By Andrew Wright, Support Worker, Summerwood Care Home, Hants (Previously Rated ‘Outstanding’ by CQC).

References and further reading

Draycot, C. (2013) Educating Autism – Art and Creativity to Engage an Autistic Child in the Classroom. The Art of Autism: Connecting through the Arts. https://the-art-of-autism.com/educating-autism-art-and-creativity-to-engage-an-autistic-child-in-the-classroom/

Edwards, J. (2017) The benefits of multi-sensory environments. Autism Journey Blog.

Healy S (2018) The effect of physical activity interventions on youth with autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analysis. Review article. Autism Research. 11(2) · April 2018.

Rudy, L.J (2017) How Does Art Therapy Help People With Autism? Very Well Health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/art-therapy-for-autism-260054

Established in 2004, Mindful Employer is a UK wide initiative run by Devon Partnership NHS Trust. Providing employers with easier access to professional Workplace Mental Health training, information and support, the initiative aims to help empower employers to take a lead in supporting the mental wellbeing of their staff. By signing the ‘Charter for Employer Positive About Mental Health’, the Apple House care group have made a public statement of our desire to support the mental health of our staff across the organisation.

By signing the Charter, employers such as Apple House group are simply making a public declaration of their ambition to support the mental wellbeing of their staff by agreeing to the following six values:

1. To provide non-judgemental and proactive support to staff experiencing mental ill-health.
2. To not make assumptions about a person with a mental health condition and their ability to work.
3. To be positive and enabling toward all employees and applicants with a mental health condition.
4. To support line managers in managing mental health in the workplace.
5. To ensure they are fair in the recruitment of new staff in accordance with the Equality Act (2010).
6. To make it clear that people who have experienced mental ill-health will not be discriminated against, and that disclosure of a mental health conditions will enable both the employee and employer to assess and provide the right level of support or adjustment.

A copy of our Mindful Employer certificate can be found on our ‘Careers‘ page.

— Jane M, Managing Director.

The Apple House Ltd Approach:

The world of management and strategic planning can be full of jargon-based terms and phrases, which can take the core meaning away from readers who want to see the direction and aims a company wants to work towards.

While it is crucial that our company has a clear strategic plan from directorship level, the methods which enable this plan to work through an operational route are key to achieving the common goal. This planning stage will assist the company forward through an ever-increasing demanding economy and climate.

For our Company, the aim is to protect the homes of the people we support and the jobs of the people whom we employ throughout our services.

An infographic is used to give an overview of our Operational Goal Planning.

–Romaine Lawson, Director of Operations, Apple House.

Apple House actively encourages all of its team to strive for and achieve their professional goals within our organisation. Joining us as a support worker, Carly’s dedication and excellent professional practice led her to achieve senior support worker, deputy manager and registered manager status. What an achievement!

We wish Carly all the luck in the word at the finals awards dinner soon.

— Jane M, Managing Director.