Transformed by £400m

Housing revamp aims to improve quality of life

IT’S all change for elderly tenants as sheltered housing in Oldham undergoes a massive £400 million transformation.

In a vast inititative, half of the borough’s sheltered homes are being refurbished or rebuilt, with the aim of giving the residents an improved quality of life.

It is the result of a partnership between Oldham Council and Housing 21, otherwise known as the Oldham Retirement Housing Partnership.

The work — started two years ago by Bullock Construction — will take five years to complete, at the end of which Oldham will have around 1,450 sheltered properties, including 850 bungalows, 480 one-bedroomed flats and 120 two-bedroom flats.

They will include eight extra care housing schemes, including a brand new one — Tandle View Court, Royton.

Residents will remain tenants of Oldham Council, but the schemes will be managed and maintained by Housing 21.

The aim is to help older people to live independently, giving them the security and privacy of a home of their own, with a range of facilities on site and flexible care and support services.

Cabinet member for community services and housing, Councillor John McCann, said: “It will provide residents with an improved quality of life and the chance to live independently for as long as possible.”

Unsurprisingly, such a far-reaching initiative to transform Oldham’s sheltered housing means massive upheaval for residents.

They face staying in temporary accommodation for anything from 10 weeks to nearly two years.

But those who are settled back into their revamped properties say it was well worth the inconvenience of moving out — and in some cases the long wait to go home.

Carole Lawton manages Trinity House, and she spends the first two hours of each day calling on residents to make sure they are well and have everything they need.

“Some residents I see for just a couple of minutes a day, others it might be four times a day, it just depends what they want,” she explained.

Trinity House now offers “extra care,” and is the first of its kind in Oldham. It has 53 flats, 20 of which are still unoccupied.

Flats which became empty were not rented out before the revamp in a bid to keep disruption to tenants to a minimum during the changes.

Extra care will apply to 300 sheltered homes once work is complete, and residents must demonstrate they have some care needs before being allocated a place.

That means residents can take advantage of 24-hour care and support services if they need them, ranging from help with shopping, cleaning and bathing to several visits a day by carers,

Activities

Kath Miller, operations manager for Housing 21, explained: “It’s not just about bricks and mortar. These are living, breathing schemes, and it’s all about improving the quality of life for older people in Oldham.”

Kath and her colleagues are promoting independence and choice by encouraging tenants to get involved in their own communities, and providing social activities for those who want to join in.

Seven schemes have so far been completed - Trinity House, Holland Close, Lees House, School House Flats. Walton House, Tandle View and Lido, and a further four are undergoing refurbishment — Wood Square, Hopwood Court, Aster House and Charles Morris House.

Kath said: “Some will offer extra care, like Trinity House”.

She described it as the accommodation of the future, adding: “It’s all about options with the added feel of security for people who want it.”


‘Trinity House was old and tired, but now it’s nice and bright’

Sandra Derbyshire is revelling in her new home, and was stunned at the changes which she says have made a huge difference to her life.

Now aged 62, Sandra (pictured) moved into Trinity House, Coldhurst Road, eight years ago, and has been back in her flat for a couple of months after almost two years in temporary accommodation waiting for the work to be completed.

She said: “I absolutely love it. It was well worth the wait, even though it was eight months longer then the 14 months I was told it would take.”

Sandra, and many of her neighbours, were temporarily housed in sheltered accommodation at Aster House, Godson Street, which is still waiting to be refurbished.

She said of her new home back at Trinity House: “The design is different and it’s much better.

“I use a tripod to walk, and in the old flat I couldn’t get it through the bathroom door so I had to shuffle round and make sure it was ready for me to get hold of when I wanted to come out.

“The doors in the new flat are wider, and it’s no problem getting through with the tripod. It’s much better and safer, and there are more grab rails for me to hold on to.”

Sandra is also impressed with the new communal facilities for residents.

“The lounge we can use if we like is nice and cosy. I go in at least twice a week to play bingo, and we even do Nintendo Wii sessions for exercise. We have a right bit of fun.

“There is a bright and airy restaurant, and the food is so good I haven’t made a meal in my own flat yet,” she laughed.

“Everything about Trinity House was old and tired, but now it’s nice and bright.

“I have just had lunch in the restaurant with four friends I used to work with, and they can’t believe it.

Sandra enjoys the security of living in Trinity House, where even though she has her own flat, she knows her neighbours well, can mix when she wants, and gets a daily check from a familiar face.