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A care home provider is developing a new generation of care homes where health, wellbeing and active living are embedded into everyday life. 

Wrightcare’s first development, Castlewood in Clitheroe, features a dedicated wellness suite equipped with Innerva’s specialist power-assisted exercise equipment, providing residents with safe, accessible opportunities to improve their strength, mobility and overall wellbeing.

The 68 en-suite bedroom development represents a new era of care homes, designed around the principle of enabling people to live fulfilling, independent lives while receiving the support they need, says Robert Blackburn, Head of Operations at Wrightcare.

“Promoting physical wellbeing and active lifestyles is a key part of the Wrightcare philosophy. We want to support residents’ overall wellbeing, not just their care needs. While a cinema room would have been enjoyable, we ultimately felt that a wellness suite would deliver far greater long-term benefits for residents,” he says.

The wellness suite forms part of Castlewood’s wider activities and wellbeing programme. Featuring an Innerva circuit, the space enables residents of all ages and abilities to be active in a safe and supported environment.

Designed for older adults and those living with long-term health conditions, Innerva focuses on supporting functional independence, reducing frailty and improving mental wellbeing through whole-body, functional exercise.

Residents are supported by the care team to become familiar with the equipment and follow gentle exercise programmes tailored to their abilities and goals. This is delivered alongside wider multidisciplinary team input where appropriate.

Available for both guided sessions and independent use, the suite has been extremely well received by residents, including those with reduced mobility and living with dementia. It has quickly become a popular part of daily life at Castlewood.

“The suite naturally brings people together. Sessions can become lively social events, with conversation, laughter and shared achievements helping to build friendships. This shared experience strengthens the sense of community within the home and helps residents feel more connected with one another,” says Blackburn.

“Residents appreciate that the power-assisted technology makes exercise achievable and comfortable, even for those who haven’t exercised for many years. Family members have also welcomed the opportunities and benefits the wellness suite brings.”

The power-assisted exercise equipment is particularly useful for residents who stay at Castlewood after hospital admissions due to falls or surgery.  

“The supported exercise has helped many of them to regain sufficient strength to return to independent living at home,” says Blackburn.

Wrightcare, a division of the Eric Wright Group, plans to build and operate a number of care homes across the North West.

As a diversified business with a trust ownership structure, the Group aims to generate stable long-term returns that support its charitable activities, many of which focus on improving the lives of vulnerable people, including older adults. Investing in care homes therefore supports both its commercial objectives and wider social purpose.

“Our population is ageing, which increases demand for specialist care and support services. At the same time, families are looking for care environments that provide excellent clinical support as well as a vibrant lifestyle and strong community connections,” says Blackburn. “Rather than a traditional institutional care environment, our homes are designed as close-knit neighbourhoods, where exceptional person-centred care is combined with thoughtfully designed spaces that promote wellbeing, social interaction and independence.”

Following the positive response at Castlewood, Wrightcare plans to incorporate similar wellness facilities into future developments, including its second care home, Brindlewood, which is due to open in Grimsargh near Preston in 2027.

Liz Wright, Sales Manager at Innerva says: “Innerva was born from the care home sector. Our founder, Howard Blackburn, developed the concept after seeing the difference accessible exercise could have made to his grandfather’s quality of life while living in a care home. More than 25 years on, it’s incredibly rewarding to work with forward-thinking providers like Wrightcare which recognised the need to place health and wellbeing at the heart of everyday life.”