New Day Care Centre Opens In North East Glasgow

A new day care centre for older people in North East Glasgow has been officially opened by the Leader of Glasgow City Council, Councillor Frank McAveety.

Wallacewell Day Care Centre in Balornock has been built as part of an overall £100m Glasgow City Council Project to transform residential and day care services for the city's older people.

The centre on Wallacewell Road will provide day care support for up to 30 vulnerable people each day, Monday to Friday, to help them to continue to live independently at home for as long as possible.  Older people using Wallacewell previously attended at former-council facilities, Pinkston Day Care and Forge Street Day Care Centre.

Equipped with activity rooms, lounges, a treatment room, hairdressing salon, quiet room and dementia-friendly garden, the new centre has been purpose built to meet the increasingly complex needs of older people. This modern and high quality environment will allow for flexible and personalised support to be delivered for service users

Councillor McAveety, who unveiled the commemorative plaque at the official opening, said the investment in the new centre demonstrated the council's commitment to delivering the best possible support to older people in North East Glasgow.

Councillor McAveety said: "This is a fantastic new facility for the people of North East Glasgow.  Everyone who has played a part in opening Wallacewell Day Care Centre deserves the fullest praise.

"It is a bright and modern building and the design will help ensure the needs of service users can be meet here for many, many years to come.  I'm fully confident this centre will play a major role in helping vulnerable older people to continue living at home for as long as possible.

"I am proud to say Wallacewell Day Care Centre has been opened by the council on behalf of our older citizens. I have no doubt the centre will become a much valued asset for the community in the years ahead."

At the opening ceremony, speeches were also heard from service user, Robert Howatt and Catriona Blacker, whose father Jimmy McGlynn attends at Wallacewell.

Robert, who has received a day care service for four years, described how he'd been 'very impressed' with the new facilities and how he wished 'to celebrate the opening of our new day centre with all 'mod cons'."

Robert said: "This centre allows more room for activities and more facilities to care for service users with varying degrees of disabilities and to top it all, a beautiful, safe garden area.

"Glasgow City Council has exceeded themselves with this beautiful purpose built centre. All staff are very well trained and go the extra mile for service users, ensuring their safety and treating them with respect at all times.

Catriona Blacker explained that her father previously went to Pinkston Day Care and he was apprehensive about the change.

But Catriona said: "Every day since his first day, he has been totally chatty and animated. He and I are loving the way it makes him feel. It is amazing to see them relax in a comfortable environment having their best interests looked after so well."

Wallacewell is the fourth day centre to open as part of the Tomorrow's Residential and Day Care Programme, with six day care centres and five residential homes planned in total.

North Glasgow is already served by Hawthorn House Care Home and Day Care Centre in Possilpark.  Orchard Grove Care Home and Day Care Centre opened in Toryglen last year and Glenwood Day Care opened in Castlemilk in 2013.

David Williams, Chief Officer of the Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership, said: "Our investment in this kind of high quality, future proofed facility fully supports our vision for future services. Wallacewell Day Care Centre is older people who will benefit from extra support so they can continue to live independent, active lives.

"Many older people living at home do experience poor health, have to deal with the impact of dementia, have mobility problems or are excluded from activities enjoyed by others. The facilities at Wallacewell will help support services to address all of these issue and help people to live at home for as long as possible."

Pic shows (l-r) Catriona Blacker, Robert Howatt, Councillor Frank McAveety, Senga Hughes (centre manager) and David Williams in the dementia-friendly garden at Wallacewell Day Care Centre.