Earth moves for latest rest home
‘‘It's like their own home. They can bring their own stuff.’’
Summerset is ‘‘really excited’’ to be including a 20-apartment memory care centre at its new Rototuna retirement village.
The village will offer residents living with dementia their own onebedroom apartment in a secure environment.
Chief executive Julian Cook said Summerset is the first in New Zealand and Australia to offer this style of apartment living for people with dementia.
The same centre was opened by Summerset in Levin last November which had been warmly received by residents and their families, Cook said.
‘‘These centres provide residents with the dignity and respect of having their own home within a secure centre, which is purpose designed for their needs.’’
The residents will get their own lounge, dining room, bathroom and bedroom.
‘‘It’s like their own house,’’ Cook said. ‘‘They can bring their own stuff and hang their photos on the wall.’’
The individual apartments also make it easier for families to visit, according to Cook, because there is more room.
People with dementia can become quite agitated if there are too many people they don’t know around.
But in the individual apartments ‘‘people are more settled’’ which makes it easier to run.
There are seven more memory care centres planned for around New Zealand.
The $123 million village will be built on a 6.4ha site on Kimbrae Drive, adjacent to the future Rototuna Sports Park and close to the soon to be developed Rototuna Town Centre.
The village will offer over 264 homes.
These include a mix of two and three-bedroom villas, townhouses, and apartments as well as onebedroom serviced apartments and residents can receive state-of-the-art rest home level care in their own homes.
There will also be an indoor swimming pool and spa pool, cafe, lounges, hobbies room and residents bar, a communal vegetable garden, residents’ workshop, barbecue facilities, and a combined croquet lawn and bowling green.
This is the second Summerset village in Hamilton.
Earthworks have already begun on the Rototuna site and construction will start this month with the first homes available in mid-2018.