New supported living facility for dementia patients in Newtownabbey locality

A decision to proceed with a new supported living facility for 24 people with dementia in the Newtownabbey locality has been approved by the Northern Health and Social Care Trust Board. The new facility will replace Moylinney elderly mentally infirm home, which is acknowledged as not being fit for purpose and will be sited in Newtownabbey.

The new scheme will be designed specifically to meet the needs of people living with dementia supported by best practice. It follows a similar successful model in Coleraine, Brook House, which was developed by the Trust for people with dementia replacing an elderly mentally infirm home in that area. The new unit will combine all the advantages of living in your own home with the benefits of access to on-site specialist support and care. It also provides an environment that promotes privacy and dignity, can enable couples to remain together and allows families to visit and stay.

The Trust has committed to ensuring that service users and their families are involved in each stage of the process and that the design of the scheme reflects best practice in dementia care.

The Trust is working in partnership with a Housing Association and the Dementia Development Centre to develop the new scheme. The Trust Board approved that the timeframe for closure of the current facility will be determined by the needs of those people who currently reside there.

7th October 2013