Dementia Centre To Ease Load
Illawarra Mercury
Saturday July 19, 2008
A $1.65 MILLION upgrade is expected to slash demand for dementia day care in the Illawarra, making weekly support a reality for up to 90 people.
In the region on Wednesday, Federal Minister for Ageing Justine Elliot stopped by the 52-year-old converted church hall at Mt Ousley, where dementia day care is provided through Anglicare's aged care arm Chesalon Living.The site will be converted into a dementia day care facility using state and Commonwealth funds, Ms Elliot said."It's going to make a huge difference to the local community in terms of the number of people who'll be able to access it," she said. "NSW currently has approximately 73,000 people with dementia and that number is going to double in the next 20 years, so dementia day care centres are vitally important in terms of servicing the local community." Member for Cunningham Sharon Bird said the upgrade would double the service's capacity.
© 2008 Illawarra Mercury