A new dementia residential facility, hailed as a ’care home of the future’, is set to open its doors later this year.
Vida Court has been designed to optimise wellbeing potential for residents, and facilities include a 12-seater cinema, convenience store, hair salon, florist and coffee shop.
The home, in the hamlet of Harlow Carr on the outskirts of Harrogate, has also taken design inspiration from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with each bedroom having a large glass window and every house within the home having a garden room to ensure good ventilation. Air exchange has been included to ensure clean air constantly flows throughout the building.
Vida Court – which will have capacity for 100 residents – also makes use of the latest technology with sensory TV, windows, walls and artwork giving residents opportunities to interact with different environments and stimulate memories and positive behaviours. 
Circadian lighting has also been installed to help residents prepare naturally for sleep and waking to maintain a regular routine, and a continuous walkway has been incorporated into the design of every house within Vida Court to enable residents to move freely throughout their home.
The home, from specialist dementia care provider Vida Healthcare, is set to welcome residents in November.
The 68,000sq ft home will create over 200 jobs in North Yorkshire.
James Rycroft, managing director at Vida Healthcare, says: “At Vida, we’re committed to delivering the highest quality care to people living with dementia from across the UK and beyond.
“We hope that Vida Court, which integrates the most cutting-edge facilities and technology, will end the perception of care homes as a last resort.
“We’re really looking forward to welcoming our new staff members and residents to our home of the future and leading the way
in care delivery to some of our most vulnerable people.
“We hope that as more care home operators develop cutting-edge care homes, the UK will become the global leader for high quality care for people with chronic conditions and the elderly.”
Vida Court has been designed by specialist interior designer, Nanu Soda, and built by Caddick Construction.
Alongside providing people living with dementia with specialist environments and care, Vida Healthcare also ensures that its staff are supported with a bespoke professional development training pathway.
James adds: “We believe that our staff are the lifeblood of Vida Healthcare and it’s essential that we continue to support them.
“The 200 new staff members who will be working at Vida Court will have access to the best training and development, which we provide in partnership with Vida Academy.
“This promotes lifelong learning across our homes and establishes our staff as true dementia ambassadors.”
