Short Breaks at California House

California House is a short break respite home in Carlisle supporting up to 5 adults with learning disabilities at any one time.

At California House we provide respite care for up to 5 adults at a time. All of the guests are over the age of 18 years.

The adults who stay at the house are regarded as ‘guests’, and the house provides short breaks for them away from their family home. There is an emphasis on promoting the independent living skills and social and emotional skills as part of the short breaks, and the facilities and adaptations enable almost all of our guests if they wish to be involved in all aspects of running the house.

Guests are also supported to be involved in community activities of their own choice. They meet together at the beginning of each stay to discuss activities they would like to undertake and these can include swimming, cycling, shopping trips, bowling, museum visits, bar meals and cinema trips. 

The property

California House is a modern extended semi-detached property. It provides 2 fully accessible downstairs bedrooms and 3 first floor bedrooms. The ground floor bedrooms have overhead tracking which extends into the ground floor bathroom with a disabled access toilet and hoisting facilities.  The downstairs bathroom has a hi-lo Jacuzzi bath equipped with sensory lights and surround sound. 

The ground floor has a spacious lounge and a separate sensory room equipped with sensory lighting and equipment.  The shared kitchen and dining room is open plan and the kitchen has a hi-lo sink and hi-lo cooking hobs for wheelchair accessibility. 

The house has grounds to the front and rear. The landscaped gardens include raised flower beds, an ornamental pond and covered seating, all of which are accessible to those with physical disabilities. The house also has the use of a minibus with tail lift to take guests on outings.

The staff

The average years' service of our support workers at California House is 6 with many having over 10 years’ experience in the sector. We place a high value on continuous professional development and maintain a comprehensive supervision and appraisal system that allows performance and progress to be monitored closely.

If you would like to know more about California House or have a look round the facility, please contact Service Manager Jenny Bell at our office.