Located in a quiet area of the pretty village of St Ives in Cambridgeshire, Rheola Care Home is an attractive 1930s building with a light, modern extension, and provides a high standard of respite care and long-term residential care, residential dementia care and end of life care.

Our team members, many of whom live in St Ives and the surrounding areas of Huntingdon and Godmanchester, get to know each of the special individuals who live with us really well. Understanding each person’s likes, dislikes and personal preferences enables us to provide person-centred care which is sensitively tailored to each person. 

It’s all part of our family-run home’s vision of living a happy, healthy and fulfilled quality of life.

Every day is a great day

At Rheola, we aim to make every day special, giving the people who live here the chance to build relationships and develop a real sense of belonging. 

Our Lifestyle Coordinator brings us an inspiring range of events and activities based on residents existing hobbies and things they might like to try – supporting them to keep learning and moving, developing new skills and creating opportunities for positive social interaction. 

We run regular sing-a-long evenings to tap into memory, organise film screenings and visiting entertainers to bring joy, and hold quiz and bingo afternoons to keep residents’ minds sharp. Our popular and fun movement to music exercise classes promote agility, and we have regular trips on our guided bus to share days out at local places of interest.

Those living here also love interacting with different generations, and so we have several schemes to bring together people of different ages. Our young carer work experience programme sees teenagers spending quality time with residents during activities such as arts and crafts sessions and quizzes whilst children from local schools visit regularly for sing-along sessions and play afternoons, boosting positivity and communication skills. 

We pride ourselves on our mealtimes at Rheola too, where everyone gathers in our spacious dining rooms to enjoy home-cooked meals freshly prepared by our wonderful catering team. Menus feature residents’ favourites as well as cater for dietary needs and cultural preferences. As we like to celebrate occasions, our chefs create special menus for Valentine’s Day, Easter, Diwali and Christmas, as well as their famous birthday cakes. Family members are always welcome to join us, whether for a special occasion, lunch or afternoon tea. 

It makes Rheola a place where we always find something to feel good about.

A warm and homely atmosphere

The unique community feeling at warm and friendly Rheola is why residents feel relaxed, peaceful and right at home.

Each suite has a communal living room and dining area which are sensitively designed to feel cosy and intimate. The homely décor and furnishings are particularly beneficial to people who are living with dementia – creating an intimate environment in which they can become familiar with and feel safe in. 

Residents’ bedrooms are there to provide a relaxing space to call their own with individuals encouraged to personalise them with their own precious belongings and small items of furniture, if they wish.

Our large garden is designed to stimulate the senses, with evocative plants that residents can smell and touch, making it a therapeutic place for residents to sit, interact and reminisce. Walnut, pear and apple trees make it a favourite spot for fruit picking, and our kitchens use the produce in delicious pies and jams. 

A calm, relaxing atmosphere can also be found in our quiet room, where residents can read, relax and nod off – or write a letter to a new friend as part of our penpal scheme.