Summerset Palms retirement village in Napier opens ‘memory-care’ centre

A Tovertafel table in the memory care centre, for dementia residents. It is an interactive sensory table for mental stimulation. Photo / Supplied

The main building at the centre of the $150 million Summerset Palms Te Awa retirement village in Napier has officially opened, boasting a state-of-the-art “memory care centre”.

The retirement village is being built in the suburb of Te Awa and includes a $50 million village centre, which is the main building in the middle of the village.

An opening ceremony was held on Friday for that three-storey main building which is visible from much of Te Awa.

As well as a cafe, gym, indoor pool, bar, hair salon, library and movie theatre, the $50 million village centre includes 119 apartments or suites, with 20 of those apartments in the new memory care centre.

The memory care centre is for residents living with dementia.

Summerset Palms Te Awa has opened its main building (pictured), called the village centre. Photo / Paul Taylor

“We have created something special, with apartments instead of single rooms, a communal kitchen and lounges for residents to use, and an interior courtyard for enjoying the sun or gardening,” Summerset general manager of operations Eleanor Young said.

It also has a sensory room featuring a Tovertafel - an interactive sensory table to help dementia residents with mental stimulation.

The memory care centre has been designed using research from Scotland’s Stirling University with features to help with wayfinding such as circular design, wall murals, personalised apartment doors, and colour-coding for amenities like bathrooms.

Staff in the memory care centre are specially-trained.

Young said the entire village centre was the “beating heart of our vibrant retirement communities” at Summerset Palms.

“It’s a place where our residents, their families and friends, and the community can come together to relax.”

The company purchased a 9-hectare site on Te Awa’s Eriksen Rd in 2018 which it has been developing into Summerset Palms Te Awa.

Just over 250 residents have moved into the village. The next stage of the Summerset Palms Te Awa development will be rolled out over the next 18 months.

Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.