Les Amis is planning to open the Island’s first elderly and complex needs nursing care unit for islanders with a learning disability. Jersey dementia nursing facilities are currently full, and the island faces an increasing older population. Jersey has very limited capacity in long-term care for adults with complex needs; these individuals are often delayed in hospital because there is no appropriate long-term care for them in the island.
Les Amis’ new unit will provide long-term residential accommodation to adults with learning disabilities who have nursing needs, complex health needs or dementia. Les Amis’ highly trained staff, alongside registered nurses, will provide 24-hour care. Les Amis are currently fundraising to build, furnish and equip the Complex Needs Unit. The unit will include en-suite bedrooms, a sensory room, an atrium and garden and will be suitable for high-dependency end-of-life care.
We know that around 1,600 people are currently living with a form of dementia in Jersey, but probably only half of them have received a diagnosis. We also know that the number of people with dementia is likely to double in the next 20 years.
If we consider that people with learning disabilities are five times more likely to suffer dementia related illnesses and conditions much earlier in their lives than the general population, the above statistics are very worrying for Les Amis’ residents and the island in general. Therefore, the new unit is not just desirable, but essential.
Les Amis, which provides essential services to people with learning disabilities, has taken possession of the former Hampshire Hotel with plans to convert it into a specialist nursing care facility and sheltered accommodation.
‘Maison des Amis’, as it will be known, will offer long-term residential accommodation to adults with learning disabilities who have nursing or special care needs including those with early on-set dementia which particularly affects those with pre-existing learning disabilities. The buildings will include several self- contained apartments for those able to maintain some independence into their later years.
Thanks to a very significant private donation, the charity was able to announce earlier this year that it had agreed to buy the property in Val Plaisant. The sale went through the Royal Court this afternoon and plans to repurpose the building are continuing.
You can see the plans to repurpose the building here. - Please view on a desktop, laptop or tablet (Large File).
Les Amis deliver and develop quality services, in partnerships, to support people with learning disabilities and/or associated conditions and their families. We also provide safeguarding training and information services, alongside our growing gardening and recycling services teams.
Les Amis Limited Registered Charity No. 232 | LA Incorporated No.231 | Association of Jersey Charities Number: AJC 113