Specialist dementia care unit opened by care minister

A six bedroom unit specifically designed and built for people with dementia has been opened at NorseCare’s residential care home St Nicholas House in Norfolk.

The unit has been made possible because of a successful bid from the Dementia Friendly Environment (DFE) Fund, which aims to improve the social environment and safety in dementia homes by making sure they meet the needs of people with dementia.

Care Minister and North Norfolk MP Norman Lamb opened the unit and was shown the specialist facilities on offer at the unit, which include a guest room, a wheel chair friendly garden and a communal kitchen to ensure people continue having a good quality of life despite living with dementia.

The unit has been decorated using a simple straight forward layout and colour scheme which meet best practice guidelines and is equipped with assistive technology that maximises resident’s independence.

Karen Knight, managing director at NorseCare welcomed the opening of the new unit and said : “We’re delighted that Norman has been able to see for himself how money from the DFE fund has created a unit that will ease some of the pressure on our over-stretched hospitals. We’re very keen to work together with partners to create environments for older people with dementia and to reduce unnecessary costs to the health and social care system.”

NorseCare is the largest care provider in Norfolk, delivering care in 23 residential care homes and 14 housing with care schemes across the county.

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