Scottish Borders Council has taken a step closer to building a £14m Dutch-inspired dementia care home near Galashiels.
A pre-application screening option has been lodged ahead of a formal planning application for a 60-bed development in Tweedbank.
In 2020, council representatives visited the Hogeweyk dementia village in the Netherlands (pictured) before commencing design works for care villages in Tweedbank and Hawick, for which a combined £22.7m funding has been allocated.
A report published by the council late last year states the vision of the Tweedbank Care Village is to create a “paradigm shift in care, an alternative model for traditional nursing, residential and intermediate care, which is based on de-institutionalisation and transformation, where people live in small, homely settings, with like-minded peers and are supported by family, staff and volunteers to live as normal a life as possible”.
“The operational model provides a high quality person-centred provision for six to ten residents per unit, equating to a total capacity for 60 residents, in a vibrant homely setting supporting unique needs, lifestyles and personal preferences for living, care and well-being for people dealing mainly with severe dementia and frailty.
“The units themselves have their own living room, kitchen and single ensuite rooms. This will be home for these residents, so the houses will be furnished as such, emulating in the main the original homes of the residents.”
