Places Features

Inside the Snoezelen sensory room

The project to build a purpose built home for dementia care in Guernsey began in 1998 when the need for such a facility was recognised and Methodist Homes For The Aged (who operate the Maison L'Aumone home) purchased the adjacent plot to their existing home to house it.

Chairman of the group, Paul Le Boutillier, said, "We felt we could meet the need by buying the adjoining plot and beginning the design for an Alzheimer home."

Funds for the home were raised from a combination of charity appeal and from the organisation's finances and these were used to construct a 29 bedded area for people with Alzheimer or dementia.

The home was designed with "a homely approach" according to Paul, as part of this design "residents will be encouraged to do things for themselves" where they can.

One of the home's stained glass windows

As well as the domestic interior areas the garden was designed by Annie Pollock who specialises in landscape design for Alzheimer's homes. Part of this, Paul said, is that "all the pathways lead back to another door, so people can't get lost".

The most impressive part of the development is the sensory room, or Snoezelen, which is designed with built in light and sound equipment and is also "capable of putting out nice types of smells" and is designed as a soothing and stimulating environment for the residents.

One of the projections in the Snoezelen

The development's second floor is designed as an extension to the Maison L'Aumone residential home and features a gym and chapel.

The home is named Maison De Quetteville for Jean De Quetteville the first ordained Methodist minister sent to Guernsey by John Wesley in 1786 to begin the work of the Methodist church in the island.

Maison De Quetteville was officially opened on 17 October 2009 by BBC Songs of Praise presenter Pam Rhodes who said of the home and the Methodist Homes For The Aged organisation: "The bottom line is excellence and at the heart of everything they do is love... and they recognise that our needs as we get older are for body, mind and soul".

Pam Rhodes opened the home

The finished centre cost six and a half million pounds with two million of that being raised by the Maison Million Appeal.

Peggy Cater from the Guernsey branch of the Alzheimer Society said: "It's just wonderful in every detail, I've been fascinated with it since the very beginning - I've watched it turn into this magnificent place which is a real credit to everybody who's had anything to do with it".