A PIONEERING care home – believed to be the first of its kind in the UK – officially opens in Middlesbrough this week.
Residents at Fountains Court will be able to go to the movies, pop into the Post Office to post a letter and grab a bite to eat at an American diner.
There’s a Victorian-style tea room and even a pub at the residential complex in The Pastures at Coulby Newham which formally launches this week (Thursday, June 29).
The residential home is based on a model that has proved successful in Holland, and is expected to pave the way for the next generation of provision in this country.
Fountains Court will specialise – although not exclusively – in residents with dementia and Alzheimer’s, and will be officially opened by Middlesbrough Mayor Dave Budd, a keen advocate of the town’s Dementia Friendly status.
The purpose-built 42-bedroom care home is designed around a working period street scene complete with six operational shop fronts, a curiosity shop window display, a central fountain, a working red phone box and traditional street lighting.
The aim is to offer a much more interactive environment with a greater variety of communal space than is typically provided in standard care homes and
All accommodation is on the ground floor, while a range of experiences on offer include a fully fitted hairdressing salon, a small spa experience with massage chair for pamper treatments and a personal movie room based on a traditional theatre.
The Captain Cook pub won’t be licensed to sell alcohol – but the pictures on the walls promise a trip down memory lane for regulars.
Proprietor George Dixon said: “Fountains Court is a new concept which we believe will change the way residential care is provided in this country.
“The idea is to provide a far more stimulating environment than residents would normally expect to find in a traditional care home.
“The interactive setting is designed to be much closer to ‘normal’ life, giving them a greater sense of well-being and independence.
“We believe people with or without dementia will benefit from this new concept in care providing them with a higher quality of life.”