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Spanish politicians visit UK care homes
02 August 2005
Following a visit by six Spanish politicians to Bupa Care Homes in the UK, Sanitas, the Spanish care home provider and Valencia’s regional authorities have agreed to develop Spain’s first young persons disabled care home. The facility is due to open in December this year and will be the first of its kind in Spain.
Mr Domènec Crosas Lopez, managing director of Sanitas Residencial, said: "The trip to see the Bupa UK homes was extremely useful for Sanitas Residencial in gaining insight into caring for the young physically disabled. It was also a very significant factor in clinching the deal with the Valencia regional authorities for Mas Camarena care home."
Sanitas, the Spanish arm of Bupa, operates 21 care homes in Spain but a young disabled persons unit was previously unknown in the country. The Spanish politicians visited several of Bupa’s 253 care homes to find out more about caring for the young disabled during their visit to the UK.
Mas Camarena care home in Valencia is developing a new module to accommodate 24 young physically disabled patients. The care home is already suitable for wheelchair users but the new unit will be adapted to specifically suit the wider chairs used by the young disabled.
"We saw that the young disabled persons group was not accommodated for and that there was a need for this kind of facility in Spain," said Mr Crosas. "Often the alternative for the young people would be staying in a hospital or in their own homes, which are not adapted to their needs and do not have all the specialist facilities."
The specific adaptations to be introduced in the Sanitas Residencial home will include; spacious bathrooms, bedrooms and lifts that accommodate the special wheelchairs, a gym designed for wheelchair users plus audiovisual equipment, computers and internet facilities. The home will offer 24-hour nursing and medical assistance, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and personalised diets. Transport facilities will further increase the level of independence for the young people.
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