A NEW specialist dementia care home in North Swindon is due to welcome its first residents early next month.

Abbey House, which is expected to create 200 jobs once fully operational, will accommodate 73 people over three floors.

On Saturday its owners hosted an open day to give families a chance to see the facilities for themselves.

“We’re excited to be welcoming our first residents to Abbey House, a new state-of-the-art care home which will play an important role in meeting the demand for quality care for the elderly, particularly those living with dementia, in Swindon,” said Erica Pryce, registered nurse manager at Abbey House.

“With the town’s population growing faster than the national average – and the number of those aged over 75 rising by four to five per cent each year – local health and social care services are under severe pressure. While it is possible to develop dementia early in life, the chances of doing so increase dramatically with age, so it is vital that this need for high quality, specialist care is addressed by the opening of new care homes such as Abbey House.”

She added: “Our recruitment drive continues as we look to fill roles that will support all aspects of life at the home, which will include a mixture of full and part-time positions. This is an opportunity to take on a highly rewarding position that can make a real difference to people’s lives.”

Abbey House will specialise in providing both residential and nursing care for people across the dementia spectrum, from those who are physically active, to people who may have medical conditions complicated by living with dementia requiring nursing care and those who require end of life care.