Latest news with #carefacility
CNA
23-06-2025
- Health
- CNA
In China's first dementia village, residents live with dignity in a safe space
XI'AN: Nestled amidst lush greenery, tranquil lakes and the breathtaking Qinling Mountains in Xi'an, the capital of China's Shaanxi province, lies a village designed to offer specialised care to patients with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. It is China's first dedicated Alzheimer's care facility, built by Singapore real estate and healthcare firm Perennial Holdings. The Perennial Alzheimer's Care Village Xi'an is also the sixth such facility worldwide, with the first one set up in the Netherlands 20 years ago. FAMILIAR ROUTINES PROVIDE COMFORT The aim of these dementia villages is to blur the lines between home-like comfort and high-quality care, offering residents a dignified and fulfilling living environment, according to Perennial. The 43,000 sq m facility – roughly the size of six football fields – features spaces that replicate familiar settings like a bus stop, an activity centre, a post office, a hair salon and shops. This design allows residents to move about freely, while being monitored for their safety by cameras and facial recognition technology. Trained staff role-play as post office workers or neighbours to offer a sense of community. A supermarket-like space is designed for residents to shop with play money, giving them a sense of independence. One resident who has benefited from this environment is Madam Wang Lai Fei, who suffers from moderate Alzheimer's disease. The 76-year-old used to stay at home after her diagnosis. But her family struggled with her care, including incidents where she got lost. Her daughter-in-law Lu Jing told CNA: 'We had a nanny at home before, but she was unable to watch her all the time. We couldn't manage either and she got lost twice.' Looking for alternatives, Ms Lu and her husband decided to move Mdm Wang to the Perennial facility, which is conveniently located near their home. The senior is now taking music lessons, going for acupuncture and quick strolls at the park - activities that seemed impossible just six months ago. Despite costing more than the US$1,000 a month that Mdm Wang's son Mr Lu would have paid to hire a nanny, the family thinks it is a good decision. "Here, she eats and sleeps well, and her mental state is great. She's like a completely different, more energetic elderly lady. I think it's good,' said Ms Lu. Fees range from about US$1,200 to US$1,800 per month, depending on room type and level of care required for each resident. There are 700 beds across its eldercare complex, including at its nursing and rehabilitation hospitals. Perennial said it hopes to attract more Alzheimer's sufferers to live in the facility and aims to have about 100 residents by year-end. In the meantime, it is renting out rooms to tourists and visitors at US$60 a night, saying that it allows for positive interaction with its patients as it keeps them in touch with the outside world. "Our ramp-up and operations may take a little longer. There's a process of market cultivation, and we also need to identify our target customers,' added Dr Song Xiang Ying, vice dean of Perennial Alzheimer's Care Village Xi'an. Although experts say the effectiveness of such open-concept care facilities requires further research, the approach is still a step in the right direction. Dr Philip Yap, a senior consultant at Singapore's Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, noted that patients may experience agitation, restlessness, and a poor quality of life in an institutional and more healthcare-like medical care facility. "We want to then create spaces that would accommodate their routines and habits,' added Dr Yap, who is also chairman of social services agency Dementia Singapore. DEMAND FOR MORE CARE FACILITIES China has the world's highest number of Alzheimer's patients. Local media reported that nearly 17 million people suffer from dementia, including Alzheimer's disease - the most common type. Over 15 million of them are aged 60 and above. Early this year, authorities rolled out a national action plan to tackle this issue by increasing dedicated care services. By 2030, half of all eldercare facilities in China with more than 100 beds are expected to have dedicated dementia care units. Authorities also hope to train 15 million caregivers to work in the sector. Dr Song noted that the care village received incentives from the local government. 'At present there are two options. If we build a new facility, it's 10,000 yuan (US$1,400) per bed; for renovating an existing one, it's 5,000 yuan per bed,' she said. Dr Song added that the operating subsidy comes with certain conditions. 'We need to operate for a specified period and reach a certain occupancy rate in order to be eligible for it,' she said.
CBS News
12-06-2025
- CBS News
Former Galt medical facility employee sentenced in investigation into sexual assaults
GALT – A man was sentenced to nine years in prison after he was convicted of multiple sexual assaults at a Galt medical care facility earlier this year, police said on Thursday. The Galt Police Department said it received reports on Jan. 24 that an employee at the Rancho Seco Care Center sexually abused care home residents. The suspect was identified as 23-year-old Justin Atkinson of Stockton. The medical facility immediately suspended Atkinson after he was identified. He was a nursing assistant for about six weeks. Police said they interviewed every resident and staff member at the facility, identifying seven men as victims. Police said the victims' ages ranged from 60 to 87 years old. He was arrested four days after the initial report. He did not work or have access to the facility during those four days. Last week, he was sentenced to nine years for multiple charges, including lewd or lascivious acts by a caretaker of a dependent adult and oral copulation of a victim unable to give consent due to a mental disorder or physical disability. Once Atkinson is released from prison, he will be required to register as a tier three sex offender for the rest of his life.
BBC News
28-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Plans to convert Barnsley home into care facility rejected
A proposal to convert a family home into a short-stay children's care facility has been rejected by Barnsley application, submitted by Pearl Homecare Ltd, sought permission to change the use of a detached four-bedroom house on Verona Rise, Darfield, into a care home for up to three children at a time. The facility would have operated on a 24-hour basis, with up to six members of staff on site during the day and four Council refused the application on several grounds, including concerns about parking, noise, and the loss of housing in the area. Pearl Homecare highlighted the property's access to public transport and nearby amenities, according to the Local Democracy Reporting also stated the care home would offer short-term support in a comfortable setting, causing little disruption to neighbours. The council received three objections from residents, raising concerns about increased vehicle movements, noise, and a potential impact on property values. The council's highways officers also raised objections, stating the proposal did not provide enough parking for the number of staff expected to be on site. Planning officers concluded that the level of staff activity involved in running the home, particularly during early mornings and late evenings, would create noise and disturbance beyond what is typical for a residential council stressed the importance of preserving such properties to maintain a balanced mix of housing in the borough. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Tadworth care home's 'culture of cover up', coroner says
A coroner says a possible "culture of cover up" at a care facility could lead to further deaths after saying neglect contributed to the death of a 12-year-old Awolaja from Essex died in hospital on 1 June 2023 following a cardiac arrest while unsupervised in her residential care home in Tadworth, Surrey.A coroner has told The Children's Trust (TCT) that if Raihana had been properly observed she would not have died "on the balance of probabilities".Mike Thiedke, the charity's chief executive, said TCT had completed a thorough review of its care and that Raihana's death had a "profound effect on the way we care for, support, and involve the children and families". 'Systemic failures' In 2022, Raihana was placed at Tadworth Court, a residential care facility operated by TCT, and required constant one-to-one supervision, the family's solicitors Leigh Day a prevention of future deaths report to the TCT, the senior coroner for inner west London, Professor Fiona Wilcox, said she had concerns "that there may be culture of cover up at the TCT" as they were avoiding "highlighting systemic failures and learning" which could prevent future coroner said she also had concerns that TCT did not sufficiently communicate with the local authority or families in relation to issues with care and supervision, and that there were also possible staff training Wilcox said families were not being listened to when they raised concerns. On 29 May 2023 Raihana had been left unsupervised for about 15 minutes and her breathing tube became 12-year-old later died of a hypoxic brain injury in hospital and the coroner gave a conclusion of death by natural causes contributed to by Wilcox said Raihana's allocated carer left the unit to do an administrative task and handed her care to a nurse due to go off five minutes later her care was again handed over to a another nurse who did not supervise the 12-year-old as she was caring for another child. 'Gross failure' Raihana's allocated nurse returned to find she had gone into cardiac arrest and the alarm was Wilcox said: "This failure to adequately observe her was a gross failure in care by the nursing staff."Following Raihana's death, TCT undertook an investigation which failed to uncover what had happened or to understand the cause of her death, the coroner mother Latifat Kehinde Solomon had also raised concerns to TCT several times after seeing her daughter left unsupervised, the coroner said. Mr Thiedke said the charity, which "unreservedly" apologised for its "failings", had made improvements to its staff training and put a new system in place to make sure families were heard."In partnership with our regulators and the wider health care system, we have changed how we monitor and observe children and young people and increased frontline staffing levels," he says it is considering the report and is planning to submit a response outlining the work that had already being taken, and what was going to change in the March 2024 the trust was warned about inconsistent visual checks during overnight observations at the care facility in Tadworth and seven months later similar concerns were flagged again.
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
New Kirklees dementia care centre to open
A new dementia care facility with specially designed "environments" for service users' different needs is launching later. Knowl Park House in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, has been created according to "dementia design principles" that helps patients to keep their independence and continue living at home or with family. The centre can cater for up to 40 people and includes activities such as baking, gardening, massage, crafts and table-top games, said Kirklees Council. A spokesperson told the BBC: "It's well known that the longer you can stay in your own home, the better life you lead for longer." Council leader Carole Pattison said the centre aimed to help service users develop new skills, relearn old ones or find "new ways of doing things".She added that the setting would be informal and relaxed, saying no one would be "jogged along" with activities but would be offered new ways of being to cope in their own homes. The centre is divided into four zones, with different options in each - ranging from peaceful reflection to table tennis to watching a film in the cinema room. A spokesperson from the Dementia Services Development Centre at the University of Stirling, who partnered with the council on the project, said: "Designing for an ageing population, and people living with a diagnosis of a dementia, has never been more important."Incorporating simple, evidence-based, design recommendations can allow individuals living with a diagnosis of dementia to be more independent and can reduce some of the symptoms of a dementia." Pattison said the centre would also offer a break for families and loved ones. "They may have other responsibilities to other family members or a job or just maintaining their own health," she said."So the centre offers that respite - even if just for a few hours."Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
