New centre and service hub at St. Jó's Centre for Wellbeing
At the autumn meeting of the Oddfellow Order's Welfare and Relief Fund in Iceland, it was decided to grant funding to both the Alzheimer's and Parkinson's associations for the development of a service centre and day care facilities on the 3rd floor of the St. Jó Centre for Quality of Life in Hafnarfjörður.
A Parkinson's Centre and a service centre for the Alzheimer's Association are to be built at the St. Jó. Centre for Quality of Life.
At the autumn meeting of the Oddfellow Order's Charitable and Relief Fund in Iceland, it was agreed to grant both the Alzheimer's and Parkinson's associations funding for the development of a service centre and day care facility on the 3rd floor of the St. Jó Life Quality Centre in Hafnarfjörður. The Lífsgæðasetur today is home to a creative community of individuals, non-profit organisations and businesses, united by their commitment to enhancing the quality of life for their clients through a focus on health, community and innovation.
The St. Jó Wellbeing Centre is a self-contained unit run by the City of Hafnarfjörður, and the premises at Suðurgata 41, which formerly housed St. Joseph's Hospital, have been owned by the municipality since 2017. Since then, great ambition has been invested in building an open community and a desirable platform for all kinds of health promotion. This beautiful building has thus been given a new and important role in creating a unique identity for Hafnarfjörður as a health-promoting community.
„It has long been the dream of the Alzheimer's Association to establish a service centre for those diagnosed with dementia, and with the support of the Order of the Odd Fellows, that dream will become a reality. The arrival of the centre will be a revolution in the service for people with dementia and their families.“ says Vilborg Gunnarsdóttir, managing director of the Alzheimer's Association.
„It is a major milestone in the history of the Parkinson's Association to be able, in the near future, to offer better facilities for advice, support, training and day care with specialised rehabilitation for people with Parkinson's. The support from the Oddfellows is invaluable and changes the entire operations of the association.“ says Vilborg Jónsdóttir, chair of the Parkinson's Association.
„It is a privilege to be part of a development like this. We have familiarised ourselves with the work of Alzheimer'sWe have become familiar with the work of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's UK over the past year, and we feel it is incredibly important that this vital service for ill individuals and their families can be run, and that the two organisations can be permanently established in this magnificent building that the City of Hafnarfjörður has given new life to. For us Oddfellows, the project is extremely rewarding and we are truly proud to belong to a fellowship that can contribute to projects in such a powerful way now, no less than with previous projects such as the development of the palliative care unit in Kópavogur, the establishment of Samhjálp in Hlaðgerðarkot, and the expansion of Ljósið, the rehabilitation centre on Langholtsvegur.“ says Steindór Gunnlaugson, chairman of the Oddfellow's Endowment and Relief Fund.
„The pleasing outcome that both the Alzheimer's and Parkinson's associations will expand their activities at the Centre for Quality of Life in the coming years is an incredibly positive and important step, both for the St. Jó Centre for Quality of Life and, not least, for Hafnarfjörður as a health-promoting community. This step gives the Wellbeing Centre strong foundations for its daily operations, which is a fantastic addition to the diverse range of services already available in the building.“ says Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, Mayor of Hafnarfjörður.
Photograph: Olga Björt Þórðardóttir