Extra beds for dementia care

Families affected by Wairarapa's dementia care crisis have breathed a sigh of relief over news the number of beds for Level 3 patients will be boosted.
After an agreement between Wairarapa District Health Board and Presbyterian Support Central, the Enliven Kandahar Court Home Wairarapa's only dementia care facility will provide up to 12 new beds.
The Masterton facility, which has been running at full capacity, will convert its independent living area into a safe care unit, with the new rooms expected to be up and running within the next eight weeks.
Presbyterian Support Central chief executive Chris Graham said he is happy to have worked with the DHB to address the shortage.
"Too many Wairarapa families have had to settle their loved ones out of the region because there have been so few beds available," he said.
"We are very proud of the dementia services we offer and we're looking forward to offering these services to Wairarapa residents for many years to come."
DHB chief executive Tracey Adamson also welcomes the move.
"The opening of additional dementia beds will allow people to be cared for in a safe environment closer to their family," she said.
"It will also allow some people with dementia to relocate from other areas back to Wairarapa."
The chief executives said negotiations concerning the new unit have gone smoothly and that they will be working together over the next few weeks to prepare for the opening of the beds.
Wairarapa Alzheimer's community co-ordinator Liz Garden said the situation had been worsening over the past six months and was rapt the extra beds would help clear the group's backlog.
With Kandahar filled up, some families had been forced to send loved ones with Level 3 dementia out of the region to Feilding, Palmerston North, Wellington and the Hutt.
"I'm absolutely delighted to hear about the agreement and I suppose the next thing is to see how many people will be brought back to the region. It will make a huge difference."
One Masterton woman, whose 85-year-old mother has just been assessed as having Level 3 dementia, said the agreement meant there was now "light at the end of the tunnel".
Her mother has been living at home with support from carers and she had been dreading having to put her into a facility in another region.
"It's good news for me and I'm sure all the other families will be very pleased."
Despite the Masterton resolution, the situation remains tight in northern Wairarapa after Midcentral Health Board turned down a bid by Waireka Home in Pahiatua to reopen its dementia unit.
The facility's manager Wendy Newman said despite the bad news she will continue to appeal for the unit to resume service.