Going the extra mile at Amelia Court

Moving in later life can be a stressful process. However, for Clarisa (87) and Denis (83) Dieckmann, moving to McCarthy & Stone’s Amelia Court development in Worthing was the easiest move they’ve ever made!

The couple, who had lived in a detached bungalow in Ipswich for almost 24 years, started to think about downsizing when a close friend decided to move into a retirement development in Derby to be closer to her son. Mr. Dieckmann explains: “We’d been thinking for some time that moving closer to our daughter in Brighton might be a good idea but we hadn’t considered a retirement development until our friend moved into one and told us how wonderful it was. The maintenance of our property and garden was really becoming too much for us so we started to do some research.”

With the help of their daughter, the Dieckmanns discovered that McCarthy & Stone was due to start building a new Assisted Living development in Worthing called Amelia Court. Mrs. Dieckmann continues: “We spoke to McCarthy & Stone’s sales consultant, Karen Beal, in Worthing over the telephone initially and she suggested that our daughter went and had a look at an existing development in Sussex, which she did. She really liked what she saw so Karen said she’d come and see us in Ipswich to talk to us about Amelia Court in more detail.

“We were amazed she was prepared to travel so far to see us – but it didn’t stop there! When we met with Karen, she showed us lots of photos of the development being built and the plans for the complex and we were able to ask all our questions. Karen even offered to come and pick us up at a later date to take us to have a look at Amelia Court! However, despite the kind offer, we felt there was no need for us to visit the development as we had already made up our mind!”

Shortly after Karen’s visit, Mr. and Mrs. Dieckmann reserved a one bedroom apartment from plan, and while waiting for it to be completed, decided to move into a holiday flat in Worthing.

Mr. Dieckmann comments: “We made the decision to move into temporary accommodation for two reasons; firstly, we didn’t want to hold up the sale of our bungalow. Secondly, it gave us an opportunity to get to know Worthing before we moved in and get ourselves registered with places such as the doctors and the bank. Initially, we were worried about the removals process but once again, Karen was able to put our mind at ease.”

On reserving a property, Mr. and Mrs. Dieckmann were able to sign up for McCarthy & Stone’s free removals service, providing them with assistance in decluttering their home and organising for unwanted furniture to be sent to Scope and The Furniture Re-Use Network. The team also helped with packing up and storing their belongings and, on the day they moved into their new apartment, the removals team transported everything to the development for them and even helped with the unpacking!

“It was just wonderful!” Mrs. Dieckmann explains, “And really helped make our relocation to Worthing as smooth as possible. On the morning of our move, Karen even insisted on picking us up from our holiday flat and also organised for a handy man to help us put up shelves and pictures. Nothing was too much trouble!”

Mr. and Mrs. Dieckmann moved into Amelia Court in January and are already reaping the benefits of Assisted Living, as Mr. Dieckmann explains: “We could really sing the praises of Amelia Court all day long but for us the biggest benefit has been the peace of mind both we, and our daughter, now have. Twice in the night we have needed to call for a doctor and the night staff at Amelia Court have been on hand to help – it really helps take away some of the worry. In addition, as part of our service charge, we are able to have a cleaner come to our apartment once a week, which means we’ve been able to forget about housework almost altogether! The communal areas, such as the residents’ lounge and the restaurant, are wonderful and it’s great to meet like-minded people and make some new friends. Oh, and one other thing – we’ve discovered how very good the laundry arrangements are! For us, it was the right move at the right time.”

Amelia Court comprises 63 one and two bedroom Assisted Living apartments. All apartments are fully wheelchair accessible and benefit from level access wardrobes, a level access shower and separate bath with grab rails, slip resistant vinyl flooring and an electrically operated kitchen window. An estate manager, 24 hour on-site staff and emergency call points and waitress service restaurant offering a midday meal every day of the year are also available.

Furthermore, residents benefit from an hour of domestic assistance each week as part of their service charge and personal care assistance can also be organised for those individuals who require it, at an additional cost.

Prices currently start from £193,950 for a one bedroom apartment. To find out more about the apartments and lifestyle on offer at Amelia Court, please visit the show complex, now open from everyday from 10.30am to 5.00pm.

See Also: McCarthy & Stone Retirement (241), Amelia Court (7), Worthing (9)