Care home renovation to create 30 new jobs

Around 30 new jobs will be created in a £2.5m project as a care home in Co Londonderry is extended with the needs of dementia sufferers in mind.
The Cottage Care Home in Coleraine, which is owned by the Conway Group and employs around 60 people, will be renovated to provide accommodation for another 27 residents, including some with dementia.

The company works with the University of Stirling on its plans as the Scottish university has a dementia centre which researches the illness and champions the use of design to improve the lives of dementia patients.

The Lodge Road home currently cares for 41 residents with general nursing needs.

Director Jarlath Conway said: “Our new extension will allow us to expand upon the services we currently offer.

“Alongside safe and effective nursing care, we will now be able to provide the specialist dementia care that is being sought by families in the local area.”

The project will include a dementia-friendly design, furnished to provide a warm and safe environment for residents.

There will also be a sensory garden.

Conway Group owns seven care homes across Northern Ireland. The company has also built Premier Inns across Northern Ireland for the hotel chain’s owner, Whitbread.

Merit Investments and Properties Ltd, part of the Conway Group, recently won planning permission for a 120-room hotel in Newry, Co Down.