Dexter House

Retirement housing
Dexter Avenue, Oldbrook, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK6 2HZ
Dexter Avenue, Oldbrook, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK6 2HZ

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Info
Aims
Buildings
Services
Residents
Management / Costs
Managed by
Milton Keynes Council
Sheltered Housing and Housing-with-Care across Milton Keynes

Our sheltered housing is designed primarily for people aged 60 years and over. It provides a safe, secure and supportive environment for people wishing to live independently in their own homes. Our sheltered housing with care schemes can provides a personal care and support service to tenants.

Manager's Description

"Milton Keynes Council sheltered housing service is accredited to CSH Service Excellence Standards 2019 – rated excellent (3 stars). We participate in the EAC consultation service and are pleased to ..." Show more "Milton Keynes Council sheltered housing service is accredited to CSH Service Excellence Standards 2019 – rated excellent (3 stars). We participate in the EAC consultation service and are pleased to have won awards at the National Housing for Older people awards in 2014, 2015 and 2019.

All our properties are connected to the Care and Response Service with a 24 hr response to emergencies.

If you are interested in being considered for Sheltered Housing, please contact the Housing Access team on 01908 252937 and select option 2”" Show less

Main Facts

Retirement housing
Tenure(s): Rent (social landlord)
32 flats. Built in 1982. Sizes 1 bedroom. Includes wheelchair standard properties.
Visiting management staff (Community alarm), Non-resident management staff and Careline alarm service
Lounge, Laundry, Guest facilities, Garden, Activities room
Whole site accessible by wheelchair. Access to site easy. Distances: bus stop 500 yards; shop 500 yards; post office 1 mile(s); town centre 1 mile(s); GP 1 mile(s).
Weekly Social activities include: Breakfast club, bingo, hoy, coffee mornings, Movie afternoon, games nights, darts, soup & roll, Jacket potato, and fish & chip supper, organised by tenants. New residents accepted from 55 years of age. Cats only generally accepted, but not to be replaced (If property is suitable).
Housing Authority: Milton Keynes
Social Care Authority: Milton Keynes

Ethos / Lifestyle

Community interaction
  • The scheme is located within an existing active community
  • The scheme is within easy reach of an existing active community
  • The scheme relies on itself for community /neighbourhood interaction
Cultural
  • We facilitate spiritual and religious observance
  • Staff can speak languages other than English
Social Activities
  • There are regular social activities
    Including: Breakfast club, bingo, hoy, coffee mornings, Movie afternoon, games nights, darts, soup & roll, Jacket potato, and fish & chip supper
  • Entertainment
  • Outings
  • Regular activities programme
    • Daily activities
    • Weekly activities
    • Monthly activities
  • Facilities for residents to garden or assist with gardening
  • Own minibus
  • Other transport for residents
Pets
New residents are allowed to bring pets:
  • a cat
  • a dog
  • If yes, pets can be replaced
    If property is suitable
Statement of purpose
(the ethos and purpose of the scheme as described to a potential resident)
Sheltered Housing is primarily for people over the age of 60. It provides a safe secure and supportive environment for people wishing to live independently in their own homes. Sheltered Housing Officers provide an effective support service to all tenants, monitoring overall wellbeing and visiting daily. The schemes are promoted as a community resource for all older people.
Assessment of outcomes
(to help assess the quality of service and the well-being of residents)
The Sheltered Housing service is accredited to the Centre for Housing Support Service Excellence Standards Level 3 - rated as Excellent. EAC tenant consultations take place annually and National Awards were won in 2014, 2015 and 2019

Buildings

The buildings and the environment
Year built: 1982
Number of stories: 2
  • Lift(s)
  • Stair lift(s)
  • The location is generally regarded as:
    • Desirable
    • Average
    • Not so desirable
Distances to external facilities:
Bus stop 500 yards
Local shop 500 yards
Post office 1.0 mile
GP surgery 1.0 mile
Town/shop centre 1.0 mile

Individual properties
32 properties
Property details:
1-bedroom apartments: 32
Including:
limited mobility properties: 19
wheelchair properties: 18
Other details:
  • If there are studios/bedsits
    • They have a kitchen
    • They have a wc
    • They have a bathroom
  • Some properties have a private balcony
  • Some properties have a private garden or patio
  • Properties are served by a communal satellite tv aerial
  • Properties are wired for cable tv
  • Dementia unit
  • Intermediate care suite or similar
  • Respite care accommodation
Communal facilities Indoors
  • Lounge
  • Restaurant (open to public)
  • Dining room (residents only)
  • Community/day centre
  • Laundry
  • Guest suite
  • Conservatory
  • Activities room(s)
  • Hobby room(s)
  • More than one lounge
  • TV lounge
  • Café
  • Bar/pub
  • Fitness gym
  • Arts and craft centre
  • Storage for wheelchairs/electric scooters
  • Library
  • Shop
  • Treatment room
  • Computer/IT room
  • Payphone
  • WC's
  • Hairdressing salon
  • Jacuzzi
  • Pool
  • Assisted bathroom(s)
  • Other communal facilities
Communal facilities Outdoors
  • Garden
  • Total number of parking spaces: 5
Technology and design
  • Communal facilities are designed for sensory impairment
  • Wired for telecare
  • Telecare installed
  • Smart Home
  • CCTV
  • Others
  • Facility security features: door entry system, window locks, external lighting, and community alarm service
  • Security features for individual properties: 24/7 emergency call system
Accessibility
  • All communal spaces are accessible by wheelchair users
  • Most residents find getting to the site:
    • easy
    • manageable
    • difficult
  • Less mobile people find getting to the site:
    • easy
    • manageable
    • difficult

Services

Support services
  • Community alarm service
  • Provided by: Milton Keynes Council
  • Alarm to call on-site staff
  • Housing support service (SP tasks)
  • Domestic assistance
  • Light domestic cleaning
  • Shopping
  • Housework
  • Personal laundry service
  • Hairdressing on site
  • Chiropody
  • Physiotherapy
  • Sensors (detectors) and monitors
  • Personal sensors
  • Property-based sensors
Meals
  • Meals are available on a regular basis
  • A daily meal is available
  • Breakfast always available in restaurant/dining room
  • Lunch always available in restaurant/dining room
  • Dinner always available in restaurant/dining room
  • Breakfast can be delivered to individual homes
  • Lunch can be delivered to individual homes
  • Dinner can be delivered to individual homes
  • Restaurant is open to outsiders
  • There is generally a choice of menu
  • Residents are consulted on menus
  • All meals are prepared on the scheme
  • Vegetarians are specifically catered for
  • Special diets can usually be provided for
  • We can meet cultural dietary preferences
Care services
  • Personal care services
  • Dementia care
  • Care for people with learning disabilities
  • Nursing care
  • Intermediate care
  • Respite care
  • Mental frailty
  • Physical disabilities
  • Behavioural problems
  • Terminal illness
  • Our scheme is best suited to care for:
  • People who need minimal help
  • People who need moderate help
  • People who need a high level of help

Eligibility / Admission

User profile
  • 55 is the lower age limits for new residents
  • We cater for people with no/low level care needs
  • We are aiming at a mixed care levels population
  • Admission criteria are similar to residential care
  • Residents will not need to move except to hospital
  • The scheme is intended or specially suited to a specific religious, ethnic, profession or other group
  • The scheme is restricted to a specific group
Applicants must:
  • Be self-funders
  • Be on state benefits
  • Have local connections
  • Have a housing needs assessment
  • Have a community care assessment
  • Have a risk assessment
  • Have a health assessment
  • Have minimum housing support need
  • Have minimum personal care need
  • Have less than a maximum personal care need
For couples, both partners must:
  • Have minimum housing support need
  • Have minimum personal care need
We accept people with:
  • Visual impairment
  • Deafness
  • Urinary incontinence
  • Faecal incontinence
We would normally accept people with:
  • Memory problems - moderate
  • Memory problems - severe
  • Challenging behaviour - disruptive
  • Challenging behaviour - physically violent
  • Mobility problems - frame
  • Mobility problems - wheelchair
  • Mobility problems - bedfast
  • Wandering problems - inside home
  • Wandering problems - outside home

Management / costs

Management
  • Compared to our other schemes, this one is:
    • Popular
    • Average
    • Not so popular
    • Slow to let/sell
  • There is a tenants/residents association
  • Residents are involved in running the scheme through: House meetings and Tenant Forum
Housing staff
  • Resident scheme manager
  • Non-resident manager
  • Housing staff on duty:
    • part time
    • normal hours
    • 24 hours
    • 7 days
Care staff
  • Site-based care staff
  • On-site care staff 24/7
Staff facilities
  • Manager's office
  • Care staff office
  • Staff overnight room with en-suite
  • Staff rest room with kitchenette
  • Staff locker and changing room
  • Main catering kitchen
Costs

Info updated: 07/10/2019
If you are the manager of Dexter House and want to update your information, please click here.

Availability

Check with Milton Keynes Council - none notified to EAC - Advertise vacancies / sales.

Residents' views

A number of residents have used EAC's resident consultation card game to give their views on aspects of where they live. They gave top marks to this scheme for:
Number / size of facilities
Privacy
Quality of the building and facilities

Comments made in nominations for the EAC National Housing for Older People Awards

"I like volunteering at Dexter House because it is such a lovely environment. Donna ( the sheltered housing officer) is a lovely women to work with and..." Show more
"I like volunteering at Dexter House because it is such a lovely environment. Donna ( the sheltered housing officer) is a lovely women to work with and very inclusive. There is always something going on in the scheme where the tenants are involved who are also lovely. " Show less

Made by a volunteer in 2019

"It is a friendly, homely scheme with lots going on. Tenants can enjoy various activities, like bingo, cribbage, darts and crafts if they so wish. They..." Show more
"It is a friendly, homely scheme with lots going on. Tenants can enjoy various activities, like bingo, cribbage, darts and crafts if they so wish. They also help each other out such as looking in on someone who is not well or taking them out and about if not mobile." Show less

Made by a resident in 2019

"My mum lives here and the scheme has really turned around since Donna started. Mum is always busy now with activities at the scheme"
Made by a visitor in 2019

"its a lovely place to live and tenants are nice"
Made by a resident in 2019

"Very clean & hospitable place to visit, everyone is polite & friendly"
Made by a visitor in 2019

"Very friendly atmosphere & the SHO (Donna is an asset to this scheme)"
Made by a visitor in 2019

"My dad lives in Dexter and it has transformed his life, he never feels lonely and Donna the housing officer is a great asset to the council. "
Made by a visitor in 2019

"I have lived here for 6 years and I am very happy."
Made by a resident in 2019

"Security - knowing help is at hand via the SHO or by pulling the red cord."
Made by a resident in 2017

"Independent living, with someone to support you when needed, checking on me (e.g. health/wellbeing). Range of activities and social events."
Made by a resident in 2017

"Although a bit dated, this scheme is great to live in. Lovely SHO, friendly residents and lots to get involved in. We have a couple of lunches a week,..." Show more
"Although a bit dated, this scheme is great to live in. Lovely SHO, friendly residents and lots to get involved in. We have a couple of lunches a week, outings for meals etc., bingo, card making, cribbage and darts and lots more." Show less

Made by a resident in 2017

"Although I have my own independence, I can still have company here if needed. I am happy living here, as all is accessible for me. And having made man..." Show more
"Although I have my own independence, I can still have company here if needed. I am happy living here, as all is accessible for me. And having made many friends here as well. I feel safe and secure." Show less

Made by a resident in 2017

"I find that most of the people here are friendly. The house is quite near to the main shopping places either Central Milton Keynes and Bletchley."
Made by a resident in 2017

"I feel safe and have a SHO visit daily to make sure we are OK. And also we make friends and have someone to talk to every day."
Made by a resident in 2017
Managed by
Milton Keynes Council
Sheltered Housing and Housing-with-Care across Milton Keynes

Our sheltered housing is designed primarily for people aged 60 years and over. It provides a safe, secure and supportive environment for people wishing to live independently in their own homes. Our sheltered housing with care schemes can provides a personal care and support service to tenants.

Memberships
ERoSH: The organisation that manages this scheme is a member of ERoSH, the national consortium for sheltered and retirement housing.
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