Why wellbeing is at the heart of our service at ELM Group

Last week was #WorldWellbeingWeek and we've been reflecting on how we promote wellbeing as an organisation.

We own and manage retirement communities across the country and, as an ethical business, we often go above and beyond our duties to ensure, not only that our residents have a safe and secure place to live, but that their personal wellbeing is prioritised. Our retirement communities are built for independent living, and we do things differently to other management companies – we go the extra mile to ensure everything we do is in the customers best interest, as part of a quality, value for money service.

When residents are away, our Estate Managers will keep a friendly eye on their properties, collect post and water their plants - it’s these small acts of kindness that set us apart. 

Whether it’s looking for opportunities to save residents money on utilities, safeguarding access to the facilities residents love or encouraging participation in outings and community events, wellbeing is always our end goal.   

At one of our estates in Esher, Surrey, our residents’ swimming pool was under threat of closure due to rising running costs and needed an urgent solution. Fortunately, our team hatched a plan to partner with a local swimming school to offer a small number of weekly lessons which saved residents a huge 77% on yearly running costs, allowing them continued access to this much-loved facility - a win for everyone involved!

We also proactively look for ways throughout the year to save customers money on their utilities and maintenance costs. Although this can be a timely task, the results are almost always worthwhile. Last year, we saved customers across our estates over £77,000 through value for money initiatives in various areas.

We’re proud to have cultivated welcoming and supportive communities across many of our sites where residents can opt to form meaningful connections and join in group activities as much or as little as they like.

People move to our properties bringing with them varied interests and backgrounds, so we actively encourage them to get involved and explore their interests with fellow residents. One of our residents based in Godalming is an established author who runs a group for local writers at his estate. At the same estate, a group of skilled gardeners have taken great enjoyment from winning Godalming in Bloom’s Community Garden of the Year title for 26 years running.

Godalming in Bloom ‘Community Garden Winners’ from ELM Group’s estate in Godalming.

Another estate in Hemel Hempstead runs regular outings for residents taking them to the local cinema or to enjoy activities like mini golf which residents value as it keeps them active and involved in their community. For our residents who enjoy keeping fit and healthy, many of our estates facilitate chair exercise, yoga and walking groups which are also hugely popular.

For those with an interest in the arts, several of our estates hold regular art exhibitions to celebrate the work of residents and to encourage others to share their talents, and many also host craft sessions which offer mental and emotional health benefits.

Whatever the interest, there’s an activity to suit everyone from bee keeping, meadow conservation and allotment growing, to bingo, singalongs, tea parties and beetle drives.

Promoting ways to support the wellbeing of our residents is a primary focus for us and behind the scenes we are currently busy creating a ‘Community Hub’ for our residents which will be focused on promoting wellbeing through access to talking groups, discounts, community events and advice for over 50s on an array of topics. We will have further updates on this soon so watch this space!

If you’d like to find out more about retirement living, please visit https://www.elmgroup.org.uk/customers.