Linda Patmore has been appointed Health & Lifestyle Adviser at the Buckshaw Retirement Village near Chorley.
Linda brings with her a wealth of experience – including winning national recognition at the 2007 Independent Healthcare Awards for the wellbeing services she provides. Her screening sessions have identified a number of serious health issues, including three cases of cancer which were subsequently treated and cleared.
A registered general nurse, Linda has joined the Buckshaw Retirement Village after four years as a wellbeing adviser at a retirement village in Merseyside and 28 years as a nurse. In her native South Africa she worked as a cardiac nurse with Dr Christian Barnard, who was the first surgeon to perform a heart transplant.
In her new role at Buckshaw Retirement Village she will provide wellness health screening, information and advice to residents living in three distinct communities. The Court is for residents who are independent and like the idea of home ownership in a village community, The Grange is aimed at residents who need some support but don’t want to give up their independence and move into a care home, and The Lodge is a state-of-the-art dementia care unit.
Linda said: “I’m delighted to be working at Buckshaw Retirement Village because we have some tremendous facilities – for example, it’s the only retirement village in the UK to have both a hydrotherapy pool and specialised ‘Balance Master’ equipment to improve balance, muscle strength and bone density, which will reduce the risk of fractures.”
“Studies have shown that residents taking advantage of wellness health screening programmes will enjoy a 10–18% improvement in wellbeing between their first and follow up assessment,” she added.
“We will be offering a holistic approach which looks at residents from head to toe and includes health screening assessments, ‘drop in’ clinics, regular health promotion initiatives, fitness and exercise programmes, fall prevention classes, traditional and complementary therapies, and healthy eating.”