Signature at Wandsworth Common formally relaunched to the community with the help of the Mayor of Wandsworth, local health-based organisations and residents.

With the Covid-19 pandemic having halted previous plans to share the brand-new home with Wandsworth in 2020, the outgoing Mayor of Wandsworth Councillor Richard Field led the warm wishes for the home’s future within the borough.

Guests were brought together at the care home – one of 36 Signature homes across London and the southeast. It offers 97 private apartments across five floors that vary from spacious studios to one-bedroom suites, with ensuite wetrooms and a kitchenette.

Attending guests were also given insight into Signature’s dementia care offering, pathways, and vision in a presentation by Michele Saunders.

A Dining with Dementia workshop was delivered by Chris Burdett, which exhibited the food strategy Wandsworth Common tailors to each resident’s individual needs, such as those suffering from dysphagia having their food prepared in food moulds. 

The home also provided an Immersive Dementia Experience, where guests were required to complete tasks such as a children’s jigsaw puzzle and fastening shirt buttons while contending with a series of distractions, all to accurately portray the experience of a resident living with dementia. 

In between activities, the event guests were taken up to the home’s Sky Lounge which consists of a balcony on the 5th floor, offering panoramic views of London, where refreshments and fresh air can be enjoyed with the privacy and safety of a wraparound opaque glass.

Lesley Andrew, general manager at Signature at Wandsworth Common, says she was delighted the home was able to demonstrate the care it offers to its residents, and that the home looks forward to being a community player. 

“Signature at Wandsworth Common is passionate about the community, and the role it can play in bringing people together. This is why the event was very important for us all, not only to show the caring relationships we build with our residents and their relatives and loved ones, but also the connections we form with our neighbours too.

“We are also very grateful to the Mayor of Wandsworth, in one of his last engagements, to have joined us and to all of our guests. We look forward to welcoming and creating connections with many more people now and in the future.

“This was my second visit to Signature at Wandsworth Common, and it was particularly pleasing the care home has finally been able to introduce itself face-to-face with the community since it first opened in 2020,” said Cllr Field.

“Experiencing the dementia dining workshop was eye-opening, as it allowed myself and other attendees to understand the relationship between food and dementia, in particular how a food’s smell can evoke powerful memories.”