Michelle McDonagh visits state-of-the-art Village nursing care facility in Co Galway, described by Mary Harney as the way forward in care for the elderly
Situated on a seven-acre landscaped site, the Village in Ballygarriff near Craughwell, Co Galway is no ordinary nursing home. As well as having access to a wide range of medical facilities including physiotherapy, rehabilitation and chiropody, residents can unwind in the wine bar, soak in the hydrotherapy pool, have a spa treatment, watch a movie in the cinema and have their hair and nails done in the beauty salon.
Founder and owner Dr Hussain Bhatti spent more than nine years researching nursing care facilities in Europe and the US.
Struck by what he terms the "lack of joy and happiness" in most centres he visited, he decided to provide a facility that housed "not only the best in technology and medical services", but also gave residents a nurturing and loving home environment.
Bhatti says the 78-bed development is the first nursing care centre in Europe to offer an extensive range of services under one roof including nursing, medical, rehabilitation, holistic, sport and leisure facilities.
He explains: "The idea of the Village draws on the many positive aspects of a 'real' village, where people live full, vibrant lives with the support of a community and benefit from the range of services offered in their village."
To encapsulate the feeling of a village, the development includes treatment and special therapy rooms, beauty and massage rooms, a hair salon, shop, cinema, indoor and outdoor concert areas, roof gardens, a day-care centre, a fully licensed wine bar and a health spa with a jacuzzi, steam room and sauna.
Speaking at the opening of the €6 million centre earlier this year, Minister for Health Mary Harney said: "I don't think you would get better facilities in a hotel, never mind a nursing home. I have never seen a nursing care facility as developed before in Ireland. This is the future of care for the elderly."
Bhatti claims a high standard of care is provided to all clients at competitive prices. The weekly rates start at €575 for a semi-private room (of which there are 54), and go up to €900 for a luxury room en-suite with a conservatory or private garden. The more expensive rooms subsidise the cheaper ones.
Bhatti denies that the inclusion of the "extras" will drive the price of the nursing centre out of the range of most people, saying there will be prices to meet every budget.
One of the first things that strikes you while walking around the centre, which has been decorated by an interior designer in a classical modern style, is the lack of that distinctive nursing home smell.
The Village is a pleasant place to visit and family members often join relatives staying there to eat in the restaurant and walk in the gardens. Meals are subsidised for non-residents to encourage more visitors to come and dine with the patients.
Food is a very important part of life at the Village, and senior chef Kieran McGrath provides international menus with healthy options for vegetarians and people with food allergies or intolerances.
"Nutrition is my driving force but people cannot get nutrition unless they can eat a balanced diet. As people get older, their appetites tend to diminish so we put a lot of effort into preparing food that is appetising and tasty as well as full of nutrients, minerals and vitamins," says Bhatti.
A full day-care service is provided at the Village for people who need nursing care during working hours. Unlike many day-care facilities where there is very little to do, Bhatti points out that the Village provides a range of activities, from chess and bridge lessons to pottery classes.
The day-care patients can use any of the centre's facilities, including the hairdresser and spa. For those who need a rest during the day, snooze rooms are available.
Treatments at the centre's spa include a full range of body and massage treatments, acupuncture, reflexology, reiki and colonic hydrotherapy. A new beauty programme called "growing together in beauty" aims to help older people "reignite passion and vitality" in their lives.
Plans are also in progress for a pet farm where patients can bring their own pets - leaving pets behind when they have to go into a nursing home is often a source of great anxiety for older people.
Every room has a computer point and a lap-top computer, as well as a telephone and television. A number residents are currently being trained in computer literacy so that they can keep in touch with family.
Bhatti stresses that the Village is "definitely not a nursing home, it is a nursing care facility" that caters for people from the ages of 18 to 108.
"Nursing homes are not for everybody. I would be the last person to say you should live in a nursing home. The best place for a person is at home but sometimes this is impossible with the family and social conditions we live in today," says Bhatti.
For further information on the Village Nursing Care Centre, tel: 091-507884, e-mail info@thevillagecare.ie or check out the website at www.thevillagecare.ie