A “vital” Aberdeen dementia centre is set to drastically scale back its operations as its funding stream from the city council comes to an end.
Voluntary Service Aberdeen’s (VSA) Forest Grove health centre was opened in 2013 has been supported by Aberdeen City Council with money from the Older People’s Change Fund.
The centre was the first of its kind in Scotland and offers short-break respite for people aged over 50 with dementia and Alzheimer’s who are being cared for at home.
But the two-year funding deal with the council is coming to an end. The centre will now only open for two days a week instead of its usual five.
The reduction is due to be in place for the start of April with charity chiefs saying they have enough funds in reserve to keep it open for two days a week for up to a year.
They will try and raise funds in the meantime and hope to open the centre full-time again once the year is up.
Alan Reid of VSA said: “We’re a large organisation so we have been able to move some funds around to keep it open for two-days a week for about a year.
“I know from speaking to people how appreciated it is. We are very keen to keep it from closing.”
But one Aberdeen man who works with dementia patients, who didn’t want to be named, said the centre was a “lifeline” for those with the condition.
He said: “I hope they can find some more money soon, there is so little for this vulnerable group in the north-east anyway. Lots of people will be left with nearly nothing if it closes.”
Gabrielle Colston, Alzheimer Scotland regional manager for Grampian, Tayside and Shetland, said the charity were “unhappy” about the reduction.
She said: “We are very unhappy that such significant cuts are being made to this vital local resource. Forest Grove is… greatly valued by people with dementia and their carers in Aberdeen.”
Midstocket and Rosemount councillor Bill Cormie said: “I know that there are also worries in the communities about what will happen to the site if the centre closes.”
A city council spokesman said: “The funding for this initiative came through the Older People’s Change Fund, with the caveat that the parent organisation, Voluntary Service Aberdeen, had to ensure continued resources beyond the funding period or an exit strategy for the initiative.”