Plans for new £5million specialist dementia care home for Horsham unveiled

Care UK say the centre in St Mark’s Lane, off North Heath Lane, will offer specialist dementia care and create around 80 full time jobs for local people.

The existing Evelyn Lancaster House would be demolished and replaced by a new facility which would near enough double resident capacity from 42 to 80.

Earlier this year families were left ‘unnecessarily distressed’ when previous owners Southern Housing Group told residents they would have to leave the home.

David Madden, who attended a public exhibition last week on behalf of the head of care home development at Care UK, said: “Evelyn Lancaster House provided sheltered accommodation for older people, this would be a specific care home which would be providing a mix of residential nursing and also dementia care in one single location.

“It provides a care pathway for older people which enables them to remain within the same site as their care needs change.”

The forecasted number of dementia cases across Horsham and Mid Sussex for 2011/12 was 3,247, with a diagnostic rate of 4.3.3 per cent, according to figures from the local clinical commissioning group.

By 2014/15 cases are due to climb to 3,459. The diagnostic rate is not forecasted to change.

Globally, someone is diagnosed with the disease every four seconds and cases are expected to soar from 44 million now to 135 million by 2050.

Dementia already costs the world £370billion each year.

Mr Madden said there is ‘huge demand across the country’ for specialist dementia care that the new home would offer.

He continued: “The proportion of the elderly population who are developing dementia is increasing all the time.”

The company promises to offer personal dementia care plans for residents which will be regularly reviewed and updated.

Activity based care, a safe and secure home and strong family involvement are key to Care UK’s ethos.

Mr Madden added the care home would not rule out taking in people from outside the area.

The news of a new home with specialist dementia care has been welcomed by the Sussex Alzheimer’s Society.