Sep 22 – New Health Campus At Old Royal Naval Hospital Site
The Government has announced that the new Day Centre, specifically geared to elderly service users living with Alzheimer’s and Dementia, is to be handed over to the Government by the end of October. The facility is to be staffed by carers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists and will provide daytime care to service users whilst enabling them to return home to their families and care givers in the evenings.
A Residential Unit that will be able to accommodate 54 Alzheimer’s and Dementia patients on a live-in basis is also due to be handed over to the Government at the end of November. A further eight places will be available for respite care for service users as a way of looking after care givers.
Both the Day Centre and Residential Unit, together with Ocean Views, will form part of a dedicated Health Campus at the Old Royal Naval Hospital. Throughout the project the Government has consulted the Gibraltar Alzheimer’s and Dementia Society (GADS), which will also have some facilities on the campus.
This morning the Chief Minister, Minister Cortes and Minister Sacramento toured the site of the Day Centre and Residential Unit, accompanied by committee members of GADs and Alzheimer’s Ambassador Angela Rippon.
Minister for Health, Dr John Cortes, said: “The two new facilities will do so much for the elderly and particularly for those in our community with Alzheimer’s and Dementia. It will help us support sufferers with dignity by providing therapy, activity and understanding, while at the same time ensuring that carers also feel supported in their role.”
Minister for Social Services, Samantha Sacramento, said: “These facilities are evidence of the culmination of a process of consultation with professionals to ensure an optimum product for elderly people who suffer from Alzheimer’s and Dementia. This is the result of a holistic approach between professionals from social services, Elderly Residential Services, the GHA, independent professional consultants and, of course, engagement with GADs. The Day Centre and Residential Unit represent a co-ordinated approach to elderly care and are tangible evidence that this Government has prioritised the care of people with dementia in the quality of the product that we are delivering. However, it is not just about the quality of the buildings. Work and training on dementia has been a focal point for all relevant professionals throughout the last three years and we are in the final stages of draft publication of Dementia Strategy for all of Gibraltar. Over the past three years there has been a significant increase in domiciliary care in order to assist people to remain independently and safely at home for longer.”
The Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, said: “I am extremely pleased with the way these fantastic Day Centre and Residential Facilities are progressing. This modern Health Campus will ensure fit-for-purpose facilities that will provide excellent care and quality of life to service users living with Alzheimer’s and Dementia, and are evidence of the importance that this Government has placed on this crucial sector of our public health and social services. Our professionals have been doing a lot of hard work over the past three years on Alzheimer’s and Dementia, and these new facilities will enable us to provide a better quality of life for both the patients and their families. I have learnt a lot in the past twenty four hours from GADs and from Angela Rippon about what else we can do for suffers and carers and I look forward to the full implementation of a Dementia Strategy and to the further challenges we need to face in respect of these diseases.”
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