Dementia Care Home

Silver Howe

Dalton Drive, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 6AQ

Residential homes

At a Glance

The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.

DCC Family Score
67/ 100
Weighted from family reviews
Dementia SpecialismConfirmed

Residential homes

Families Rate The Staff52 / 100

Staff warmth score

“Well Looked After”52%

of reviewers answered yes

Good to know

  • Registered beds30
  • SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Dementia
  • Last inspected2019-03-15

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The Evidence

What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.

Section 01

What families say

The atmosphere at Silver Howe strikes visitors as calm and pleasant. Family members mention how their loved ones seem content here, which speaks volumes when you're navigating such a difficult transition.

The eight family priority themes

  • Staff warmth52
  • Compassion & dignity52
  • Cleanliness52
  • Activities & engagement50
  • Food quality50
  • Healthcare50
  • Management & leadership58
  • Resident happiness52
Section 02

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-03-15

  • Is this home safe?

    Good
    Silver Howe received a Good rating for safety at the February 2021 inspection. This means inspectors were satisfied that risks were being managed and that the home's systems for keeping people safe — including medicines management and infection control — met the required standard. The home had previously received a Requires Improvement rating, so this Good rating in Safe reflects an improvement from an earlier position of concern. No specific safety incidents, staffing shortfalls, or infection control failures are noted in the available summary. The detail behind this rating — including staffing numbers, falls data, and medicines records — is not available in the published extract.
    Verified by inspector
  • Is the care effective?

    Good
    Silver Howe received a Good rating for effectiveness at the February 2021 inspection. This domain covers whether staff have the right skills and training, whether care plans reflect what each person needs, whether healthcare is well-coordinated, and whether nutrition and hydration are properly managed. A Good rating here indicates inspectors found the home competent in these areas. However, the published inspection summary provides no specific detail on dementia training content, care plan quality, GP access frequency, or how food choices are managed for people with dementia who may have difficulty eating. The home's dementia specialism registration means it is required to demonstrate relevant competence in this domain.
    Verified by inspector
  • Is this home caring?

    Good
    Silver Howe received a Good rating for caring at the February 2021 inspection. This is the domain that most directly captures whether staff are kind, whether your parent is treated with dignity and respect, and whether their independence is supported rather than eroded. A Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied on these points. No direct quotes from residents or relatives are included in the available inspection summary, and no specific observations of staff interactions — the most meaningful evidence for families — are available to us. The absence of quoted testimony does not mean it was absent from the inspection; it reflects the limits of what is published in the extract provided.
    Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded
  • Is the home responsive?

    Good
    Silver Howe received a Good rating for responsiveness at the February 2021 inspection. This domain covers whether the home tailors care to individuals, whether there are meaningful activities, how complaints are handled, and whether end-of-life care is planned. A Good rating here is a positive sign, particularly for a dementia specialism home where individual engagement — rather than generic group activities — is essential. No specific activities are described in the available summary, and no detail on how the home supports people with advanced dementia who cannot participate in group sessions is provided. The absence of this detail means families need to ask directly.
    Verified by inspector
  • Is the home well-led?

    Good
    Silver Howe received a Good rating for well-led at the February 2021 inspection, and this is particularly meaningful given the home's trajectory: it previously held a Requires Improvement rating and has since achieved Good across all five domains. A named registered manager (Miss Katharine Mary Murray) and a nominated individual (Mrs Alyson Joyce) are confirmed in post. This structure indicates defined accountability. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of sustained quality in care homes — so a key question is whether the same manager is still in post more than three years after this inspection.
    Verified by inspector
  • Source: CQC inspection report →

    Section 03

    What the evidence base says

    Silver Howe provides residential care for adults over 65, with particular experience in dementia support. The home accepts residents living with dementia as part of their care provision. For specific approaches to memory care, it's worth discussing your loved one's individual needs directly with the team. All areas worth probing directly during a visit.

The DCC Verdict

Our editorial view, built from the three lenses: what families tell us, what inspectors record, and how the home sits against good dementia-care practice.

67/ 100

DCC Family Score

Silver Howe holds a Good rating across all five inspection domains, which is a meaningful achievement — particularly having improved from Requires Improvement — but the inspection report available contains very limited specific detail, so scores reflect the rating rather than verified direct observations or testimony.

Homes in North West typically score 68–82.

The three-lens summary

Lens 01

What families tell us

The atmosphere at Silver Howe strikes visitors as calm and pleasant. Family members mention how their loved ones seem content here, which speaks volumes when you're navigating such a difficult transition.

Lens 02

What inspectors have recorded

Staff here come across as both helpful and polite in their daily interactions. It's the kind of consistent courtesy that families value when entrusting their loved ones to professional care.

Lens 03

How it sits against good practice

Sometimes the smallest details — like how staff interact with families — tell you what you need to know.

DCC Recommendation

Worth a visit

Silver Howe in Kendal is a 30-bed residential home specialising in dementia care for older adults, rated Good across all five inspection domains following an inspection in February 2021. Importantly, this represents an improvement from a previous Requires Improvement rating — meaning the home identified what was wrong and fixed it, which is a meaningful signal about leadership and accountability. The home is run by Hometrust Care Limited with a named registered manager and nominated individual confirmed in post. The honest limitation here is that the published inspection findings available to us contain very little specific detail — no direct quotes from your mum or dad, no inspector observations of care in action, and no specifics on staffing ratios, activities, food, or dementia care practices. A Good rating tells you the bar was met; it does not tell you what daily life actually feels like. Before committing, visit at a mealtime, ask to see what an actual week of activities looks like, and specifically ask how many permanent staff are on the dementia unit after 8pm. The improvement from Requires Improvement is encouraging — but given the inspection is now over three years old, it is worth asking directly what has changed since then and whether the same manager is still in post.

The three questions to ask when you visit

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In Their Own Words

How Silver Howe describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.

What Silver Howe says about itself

Where politeness meets genuine care in the Lakes

Dedicated residential home Support in Kendal

Families visiting Silver Howe in Kendal often leave feeling reassured by what they find. This care home for over-65s sits in the heart of the Lake District, where staff seem to understand that small kindnesses matter as much as professional care. While every family's journey is different, those who've spent time here tend to notice the thoughtful approach.

Care & specialisms

Who they care for

    Silver Howe provides residential care for adults over 65, with particular experience in dementia support.

    How they describe their dementia care

    The home accepts residents living with dementia as part of their care provision. For specific approaches to memory care, it's worth discussing your loved one's individual needs directly with the team.

    “Sometimes the smallest details — like how staff interact with families — tell you what you need to know.”

    DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.

    Free download – Dementia Stage 4

    Not sure if it's dementia or just ageing? Here's the checklist your GP will use.

    Twelve signs to observe. A simple scoring framework. A printable, one-page record you can take to your next GP appointment, so you go in with specifics, not anxiety.

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    Related:

    What Real Families Say About Dementia Care Homes: The Eight Things That Matter Most

    A Which? Report for Care Homes: Real Family Reviews, Not Just Official Inspections

    Step-by-Step Guide to Finding a Care Home for Your Mum in the UK

    What Does 'Dementia Specialist' Actually Mean? How to Tell If a Care Home Really Is One

    Best UK Website for Comparing Dementia Care Homes (Beyond CQC Ratings)

    Dementia care gifts that help

    The Thoughtful Gift That Makes a Difficult Day Easier

    The things that make the greatest difference to someone living with dementia are rarely the most obvious ones. They are the things that ease the day — that give a carer a moment to breathe, or give the person they care for a moment of calm or quiet joy. Every item here was chosen because it works, and because it reduces stress for everyone in the room.

    Comforting Memories

    Britain 1940 to 1970: Memory Lane

    Card Game

    The Card Game That Turns Familiar Phrases Into Open Doors

    Memory Box

    The Box That Holds a Life

    Digital Photoframe

    The Frame That Brings the Family Into the Room

    Digital Calendar

    The Clock That Knows What Day It Is

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    When the NHS pays for dementia care — the two situations and how to access both

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    What the NHS actually covers in dementia care — and the funding most eligible families never claim

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