Local Mayor Opens New Dementia Suite At Family-Run Birmingham Care Home

A West Heath care home welcomed the Lord Mayor of Birmingham to officially open its brand new dedicated dementia suite – further enhancing its reputation as a beacon for dementia care in the region.

Austin Rose recently invited the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Chaman Lal, to cut the ribbon on its new 29 bedroom Memory suite.

Located on the first floor of the care home, the new community hub features a designated sports area, music area, garden area, and a quiet area with two lounge and dining suites to offer something for everyone.

The Lord Mayor of Birmingham announced the opening of the new suite through his social media channels, saying: “I had the pleasure of opening the newly furnished dementia community centre at Austin Rose Care Home. I am sure that it will make a tremendous difference to the people living with dementia and the families that are supporting them. Thank you to Macc Care for all your work.”

The decision to open the new Memory suite came after the home noticed a rising number of enquiries from individuals living with dementia, with there being a noticeable scarcity of dementia specific suites in the West Heath area.

In an effort to support the community and raise awareness, Austin Rose has taken steps to address this gap. Additionally, the home is planning to host a dementia café to further contribute to community support.

Deena Heaney MBE, Dementia Lead at Macc Care, said: “The newly opened Memory suite at Austin Rose provides a stimulating, orientating environment for residents living with dementia. It displays excellent signage containing word and pictorial information to explain a rooms’ usage and purpose, individualised bedroom door signage to help with orientation, and way finding to support a person to locate their own room independently.

“It also features delightfully themed corridor areas relating to sports, gardening and music, which are adorned with interesting, stimulating items to see, touch and enjoy whilst exploring the community. The suite is a place where people can spend time either relaxing, meeting with friends and chatting to staff, and reminiscing about the themed items. We look forward to enriching the opportunity for activity and socialisation to enhance quality of life and well-being.”