The design for Government's new $19 million East End seniors home was taken from an innovative design from an Atlanta, Georgia area facility and then Bermudianised, Health Minister Patrice Minors said at the start of construction work yesterday.

The transformation by late next year of St. George's Secondary School into a modern rest home ? complete with independent living apartments as well as Alzheimer's friendly 'wandering paths' ? is a direct result of the demand for more diverse options in senior care.

"Government has become acutely aware of the serious lack of all types of elder care facilities, particularly in the eastern parishes," Mrs. Minors told civil servants yesterday. "The need for intermediate care and skilled nursing care beds was identified in the Arthur Anderson Eldercare Report of March 1999."

It was in February 2000, that the old St. George's Rest Home closed after it "was found to be seriously in violation of the fire code", forcing the transfer of the home's 12 residents, she explained.

But with the opening of the new facility nearly four times the number of residents will be accommodated in the new facility which will be incorporated in the two buildings of the former St. George's Secondary School.

The new facility is the product of the coordination of the Health ministry, the Bermuda Housing Corporation, Works and Engineering and the St. George's Parish council.

Each organisation sent representatives to the Atlanta rest home to "get ideas that could be implemented into this new St. George's facility".

Mrs. Minors presided over yesterday's groundbreaking of the new centre which she said was inspired by an "upscale assisted living and skilled care facility for seniors".

From this co-operative approach she said "emerged a Bermuda-specific design for this facility that is capable of housing some 43 clientssignificantly more than the 12 clients in the old St. George's Rest Home".

"In fact, this modern facility will offer 24 suites for those clients who need mixed levels of nursing care, nine purpose-built suites, including a healing garden and wandering paths for those clients suffering from Alzheimer's/Dementia; and three independent living apartments for clients who are able to live independently in a non-institutional environment.

The healing gardens, said the Chief Architect at Works and Engineering, Joseph Galea, will be an enclosed, circular outdoor area designed especially for patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Built in a courtyard style, patients will only be able to access the gardens from inside building thus making it impossible for them to wander off.

The minister also added that there will be Day programme with a range of care options for caregivers. The focus on "home-like" community spaces will encourage residents to socialise, she said, adding that there will also be a hairdressing salon, library and chapel.

The St. George's Secondary, Minister Minors said, "is a perfect location" for the new facility. The school's two larger buildings will be incorporated in the new facility, she said, though the interior design will be updated for the senior care needs.

New purpose-built additions and modifications will be made to the property, which will require the demolition of the two smaller buildings on the property, she added.

Connecting the two pre-existing buildings will be a new, two storey Alzheimer's unit which will also house an elevator and a stair tower for complete access to the facility.

The facility is being built by DeCosta Construction at an expected cost of $19.3 million, the minister said. "We expect this project to take 15 months to complete."

When asked why the cost for the new St. George's facility had ballooned from $5.9 million which was initially set aside for the project by Government in 2003, Mr. Galea said that at that time the design of the new building had not yet been drawn up, making it impossible for estimates to be made.

But he assured that the project had been negotiated under a fair tendering process.