A PLAN to provide respite care at a Whitchurch centre could have huge benefits for people living with dementia, a manager has said.

A planning proposal for internal and external alterations to an existing physiotherapy unit to provide four health care suites, consultant rooms, a new day room, and ancillary facilities at the Bradbury Care Centre in Claypit Street was submitted last week.

Mandy Silvester, centre manager, said that while the plans were in their earliest stages, the hope is that she and her staff can begin a new journey of supporting dementia patients.

“This is the start of an exciting period for the Bradbury Centre – massively,” she said.

“We have a good team and we do provide the very best of care.”

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Mandy added: “It is to provide short-term respite care.

“We’re looking to create four short-term respite care beds that would benefit service users from the Bradbury Centre.

“It’s so we can provide the continuation of care because there is a shortage of beds in the local area and people are getting where they are having to be moved out of town or county, through nobody’s fault.

“Care homes are full – it’s just really that we can provide a continuation of care.

“We will still be able to continue the care that we provide to local people.

“Primarily we are dementia carers now – 90 per cent of our service users have Alzheimer’s or a dementia-related illness.

“It causes family pressures, care breakdowns etc so this is when the respite is needed, and because there is a lack of beds locally, it means moving them out of town, sometimes.

“This then causes stress on both the service users but their families too.

If they get distressed, it can accelerate the symptoms resulting in full-time placements, which is really hard so we hope to alleviate that pressure.”

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Mandy added that the next steps for the proposal are to get the green light from Shropshire Council and then source the cash to do the work.

She added: “We hope that some of it will come from the Bradbury Trust, who we have the backing off, and other fundraising ideas and events too.

“If there are people with deep pockets who want to help, we absolutely want that.

“You can go on our website and there is a Just Giving page on there and we have a new website up-and-running.”

To support the Centre in all of its activities, head to  https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/mandy-silvester-2activitytable?utm_term=ka5xEVNxZ

Or head to www.bradburycarecentre.co.uk for all details.