New Lowestoft day centre hopes to provide activities to help elderly people socialise more
The Dell Residential Care Home has opened a new day room. Operations manager Tim Weller, Lowestoft's outgoing deputy mayor Mary Rudd, manager Joy Andrews and director Farooq Patel. Picture : ANTONY KELLY - Credit: copyright ARCHANT 2017
A new day centre aims to reduce loneliness and isolation among elderly people in Lowestoft.
The Dell Residential Care Home opens a new day room. Picture : ANTONY KELLY - Credit: copyright ARCHANT 2017
The facility was built next to The Dell Care Home on Cotmer Road, but is open for the whole community to use.
Tim Weller is the operations manager at Wellbeing Care, which runs both The Dell and the new day centre.
'Socialisation is really important,' he said. 'And linked to that, we will be providing activities to give people motor skills, we'll be doing seated physical activities, board games, we'll probably have a film afternoon as well to stimulate conversation.
'I know there will be plenty of people in the community who have grown up with residents in our care home.
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'The sessions will give them something meaningful to do in the day and introduce the socialisation aspect too.
'It's ideal for people who are sitting at home alone for much of the day, or even much of the week. It's intended to be a community service and we hope the older community will want to come and use it, make friends, have a great two-course hot lunch and enjoy the activities.'
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There will be two activity sessions a day, and other services such as a hairdresser and chiropodist will also be available.
The official opening of the day centre was held on Monday, although it was first built two years ago. Mr Weller said Wellbeing Care was focussed on improving the care home before they opened it and felt the time was now right to launch the new facility.
It was opened by outgoing deputy mayor Mary Rudd in her last official engagement.
Residents from the care home and representatives from organisations such as social services were invited to a buffet lunch to look round the new facility.
Mrs Rudd said: 'This is a fantastic facility which is much-needed. It's light, it's airy, it's just what the doctor ordered.
'It's brilliant that it's connected to the care home and I'm sure it will be well used.'
Anyone interested in attending sessions at the day centre can call The Dell Care Home on 01502 446600.
