The KM Media Group has joined forces with Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI) to raise £100,000 to expand the charity's facilities.

This week senior reporter Alan Smith visited one of the lesser known aspects of the unique village in Aylesford - the dementia home, Bradbury House.

Many people will know the RBLI provides accommodation for ex-servicemen and their partners at its village in Aylesford.

Many may also have heard of the charity's social enterprise company, Britain's Bravest Manufacturing Company, that provides gainful employment for disabled veterans.

But perhaps fewer know that as part of its holistic approach to care, the RBLI also has its own dementia care home on site, Bradbury House.

Once known as Gavin Astor House, the property has been completely renovated as well as re-named and now provides 50 rooms for people with dementia.

The ground floor of the two-storey block is given over to those who just need dementia care, the top floor is for those with dementia who also need nursing care.

A team of 115 carers work here or at the associated next-door Appleton Lodge, a 15-bed care home opened by the late Queen in 2019, all under the leadership of manager Tarnia Harrison.

They are supported by an army of maintenance crews, admin staff, domestic teams and kitchen assistants.

Mrs Harrison said: "I'm new here - I only started in February, but I have worked in a number of care settings before and can honestly say this is the best I've come across.

"The staff are so engaged. They always have a smile on their face and put the residents at the centre of everything."

The facilities are impressive. There is an outdoor courtyard in the centre of the block where residents can take in the air safely.

There's a cinema with a regular programme of black and white films (the residents' favourites.)

And there are lounges and games rooms to relax in.

One of the key issues is keeping the residents safe. Sadly a common trait of dementia is that the person will wander off without really knowing where they are going.

All Bradbury Houses residents have been subject to a Deprivation of Liberty Order, which enables the charity to keep all exterior doors locked with a key-code, to ensure no-one goes missing.

The facility is popular - at present there are three empty rooms, but other potential residents are being assessed next week.

Most of those housed here are aged 60 and upwards, but there is a possibility that a mother with an early onset of dementia at only 45 will be moving in next week.

Mrs Harrison said: "The most difficult thing in the care sector - especially since Covid - is recruiting the right care staff.

"We have many carers who have been here nine or 10 years, which is unusual in the industry. That's because people actually really enjoy working here."

The RBLI also has three activity co-ordinators who ensure residents are kept amused with games of snakes and ladders - played out on a large mat in the centre of the room - or sing-alongs with a visiting musician.

Mrs Harrison said; "We had pancake day celebrations recently and of course we shall be doing something special for the King's coronation.

"This is not somewhere that people come while they are waiting to die, it is somewhere where they can have fun and enjoy their remaining years."

Unlike most of the RBLI's services, the dementia home is open to non-service people.

One person to have secured a place recently is Barbara Lacchin, 91, the aunt of Rick Lacchin.

Mr Lacchin said: "She's only been here three weeks, but its been so good for her.

"She used to be in independent living accommodation - she had her own flat, but there a was house manager onsite for emergencies.

"But it became apparent some time ago that Barbara was suffering - and she was getting progressively worse.

"She was diagnosed with Lewy bodies dementia.

"Quite often she would tell us how frightened she was and how lonely she felt. And she was always getting confused.

"For example, if a bank statement came in the post, she would call me because she just didn't know what it was.

"Quite often we would get a call from another resident in her block saying that they had had to escort her back to her own flat because she had gone out and then forgotten where she lived.

"She would ring people at three o'clock in the morning, because she just had no concept of time.

"She stopped cooking for herself and although we had carers going in to feed her and she was just very unhappy.

Mr Lacchin, from Hempstead, near Gillingham said: "We actually had to put a tracker on her because we worried that if she left the building she would get lost.

"It was attached to the key to her door, which she wore on a lanyard around her neck and never usually took off.

"Then one day I had a call to say she was sitting in the lounge with no key and no tracker.

"It turned out she had taken them off when she was in the Co-op and left them there - but she had no idea why.

"It was that day that made her realised that she now needed 24-hour care.

She asked me what was wrong with her. I said: 'Do you want me to be brutally honest?' She said: 'Yes,'so I told her: 'You have dementia'"

"Oddly enough that helped her. She realised what was happening to her, whereas before she didn't know.

"But as things got worse, visiting carers were not enough. They can be there for up to five hours a day, but what about the other 19 hours?

"We said we needed to look at some homes and luckily my son Sam works in marketing here at the RBLI and he told us about Bradbury House.

"Barbara came for a visit and liked it."

"We didn't want to just put her in a home. We needed to make sure that she knew what was happening to her because there are times when she is still lucid.

"If you catch her at one of those times, you wouldn't know there was anything wrong with her and you can have a proper conversation.

"We got over that hurdle. The next hurdle was the move. Sometimes she thought she was going on a holiday. It's difficult to know how much she really understood.

"But from a family point of view, the guilt that you feel! Even though it was for the best reasons and in her best interests.

"When she is lucid and you talk to her, you do feel so terribly guilty, but it was 100% the right thing to do.

"Since the first day she got here, she has not once mentioned she is frightened or lonely.

"Of course she still gets cofused, that won't change. In fact it will only get worse.

"But the staff here have been absolutely brilliant. They spend as much time with her as she needs to look after her, They sit and talk to her, calm her down.

"Barbara herself told me they are always smiling and I can't praise them enough for that. Nor can I praise the RBLI in general enough.

"The job they do here is fantastic"

Sam Lacchin from Longfield near Dartford explained that Barbara and her Italian husband Aldo had been like grandparents to him and his brother, growing up. In fact, they call her Gran, not Aunt.

"I had worked for the RBLI for about a year and a half when my parents first started saying how Gran was going downhill."

"Bradbury had just been refurbished. I'm on the village every day and I see the veterans and how much we are able to help them.

"It's a real community and everyone does everything they can for the whole village. So I suggested Dad try to get Gran in here.

"It's really nice for me personally because I'm able to pop in and see here. The other day when I came, Gran was sitting listening to a musician - some residents were even up dancing

"Gran said she was having a really great time. Seeing that reaction from her is fantastic - its such a great transition. She is far happier already."

Mr Lacchin senior chipped, saying: "The staff here encourage the residents to do the activities - they won't just let them sit in their room doing nothing. It's all about interaction."

"I think Barbara felt lonely because other people don't know how to engage with her. When people aren't totally lucid, ordinary people struggle to deal with that.

"What happens here is that the staff will talk to Barbara and when she goes through those non-lucid moments, they sit calmly with her. They are so gentle.

"She feels that somebody is listening, that she is being treated with dignity."

Afterwards, I had the privilege of meeting Barbara. She was a smartly dressed, well turned out, sprightly lady, looking a lot younger than her 91 years.

She greeted her nephew and great nephew warmly and smilingly asked how they were getting on.

You initially would think there was nothing wrong with her, but after a few minutes she began repeating a story about taking the names of those involved in a car crash - an incident that she had either imagined altogether or perhaps had occurred long ago in her past.

It was sad.

The RBLI is currently undertaking an ambitious project to expand its Centenary Village at Aylesford, so that it can help more ex-servicemen and women and civilians too like Barbara.

The KM Media Group has pledged to help them build Homes for Heroes – by raising £100,000 for the cause. The charity already provides first-class accommodation to more 350 veterans and their families.

Now it wants to build six more apartments specifically for women ex-service personnel, as well as a new community centre and IT suite.

To donate to Homes for Heroes, visit here: www. rbli.co.uk/heroes

Alternatively, donate by text message – text 5RBLI to 70085 to donate £5; text 10RBLI to 70085 to donate £10, or or text 20RBLI to 70085 to donate £20.

Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message, and you’ll be opting into hearing more from the RBLI.

If you would like to donate, but not be contacted further, please add NOINFO to your text message.