A new nursing home at Sólvang will open in the autumn.

Construction of the new care home at Sólvang is now in full swing, and the plan is for the first residents to move in during November.  This is a 60-bed care home, which is expected to be ready for use in mid-2018. There are plans to continue using the existing Sólvangur building for the benefit of the municipality's elderly residents, in addition to operating the care home there. The authorities in Hafnarfjörður have placed great emphasis on Sólvangur becoming a centre for various services for the elderly, and there has been cross-party consensus within the project management.

The project management of the nursing home, together with the mayor and the heads of Family Services and Environmental and Planning Services, visited the building site this week. Gísli Ó. Valdimarsson, the building manager, gave a tour of the basement, where the physiotherapy facilities will be located. The first floor of the building was then inspected, as the second and third floors will be essentially the same. The construction work is progressing well, and the building is expected to be ready for use in the latter half of the year. All the work of the task force is in accordance with the 2006 strategic plan for elderly care, which stipulated that Sólvangur would become the centre for elderly care services in Hafnarfjörður, a plan that was later updated in 2012.

The elderly day care centre is currently operating on the ground floor of Sólvangur, and this activity is planned to continue. In addition, the building is well-suited for senior citizens' social activities, a base for home care services, day training for people with dementia, physiotherapy, a canteen, and more. The location of the health centre at Sólvang further supports these ideas.

Hafnarfjörður emphasises that the older building will continue to be used for residential accommodation, and talks are under way with the Minister of Health, who has responded positively to the proposal. It has been established that up to 33 residential units can be accommodated in line with current requirements.

The minister has responded positively to the request from the City of Hafnarfjörður, as it is considerably more cost-effective than building new premises, takes half the time, and it is therefore hoped that a decision will be reached shortly.