First Minister’s praise for new dementia care centre in Wrexham

WALES’ First Minister Carwyn Jones hailed “the pioneering model of care” when he officially opened a £4 million dementia centre in Wrexham on Friday.

Bodlondeb, at the Pendine Park care organisation’s main site in Summerhill Road, will create 100 new jobs and be the hub for a comprehensive range of services.

Mr Jones said: “I welcome the development of the Bodlondeb centre, which will offer a new and pioneering model of care where people in North Wales who have dementia will be able to receive treatment for their condition in a caring and comfortable environment.”

Wrexham AM Lesley Griffiths, who is Deputy Minister for Science, Innovation and Skills and was also at the ceremony, said: “I know how much thought and planning has gone into this facility and I am sure the residents will appreciate this as they settle into their new home.”

The Alzheimer’s Society estimates there are currently 39,000 people with dementia in Wales.

This is set to rise by 35 per cent over the next 20 years, with one in three people over 65 expected to suffer a form of dementia.

Prof Bob Woods, who leads the Dementia Services Development Centre at Bangor University, helped develop the new model of care at Bodlondeb, along with the Alzheimer’s Society.

He said: “There’s a lot of research on what design features work well for people who have dementia. The team here have taken that on board and they’ve tried to implement as much of that as possible in this place.” The centre will cater for 64 people who need day care, respite care or residential services.

Earlier this year, proprietor Mario Kreft was awarded an MBE for his services to social care in Wales, and Pendine Park is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

Mr Kreft said: “Our vision is to provide a world class community based resource for people with various forms of dementia.”