Work starts on dementia facility

Construction has started on an 84-bed dementia facility in Railway St, Woy Woy.

The facility will be built and operated by The Hammond Care Group, a non profit organisation specializing in the delivery of care and services for the aged and people with dementia.

Hammond Care currently manages a 74-bed dementia facility at Erina as well as 125 community care packages on the Central Coast.

"This domestic and small-scale facility is a much needed service for older residents of Woy Woy who have dementia," said Dr Stephen Judd, chief executive of The Hammond Care Group.

"It will provide people who have dementia with access to specialist residential care in a homely atmosphere and with best-care practices that are recognized at an international level."

The dementia facility has received the support of Federal Member for Robertson Mr Jim Lloyd and State Member for Peats Ms Marie Andrews.

Ms Andrews commented that Hammond Care's increased role in caring for older people in the electorate was welcomed.

"Hammond Care has an excellent record in providing quality residential and community aged care and the area greatly needs the services of a dementia-specific residential facility," she said.

The project is being built by Grindley Constructions, the company that also constructed the facility at Erina, and will be opened in two stages in about a year's time.

The facility will comprise six self-contained cottages that are linked together by service corridors which residents and visitors do not see.

In this way, the cottages operate as separate homes.

Dr Judd said: "Many people with dementia still have many skills but they have simply lost the ability to initiate them.

"The aim in our facilities is to create an environment that assists an individual's abilities to carry out daily living activities that prompt memory and build self-esteem."

"Emphasis is placed on providing an environment that closely resembles the background of local residents.

"The physical environment is designed to be reminiscent of domestically furnished cottages where the kitchen is the hub of the house and residents are encouraged to participate in activities such as cooking and gardening," he said.

The Central Coast has one of the highest rates of dementia in NSW and the Woy Woy Peninsula has been identified with acute aged care needs, he said.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the population of people aged 70 years and over on the Central Coast represents 12.7 per cent of the population compared to the NSW average of 8.9 per cent for this age group.

Dr Judd said the facility would also benefit the region, claiming it would create 100 new jobs for the Peninsula.

Press release, July 18