Construction is due to last 720 days
Albufeira Council has announced plans to build an €8 million retirement home in Fontainhas, which will also provide home care and act as a day care centre.
The contract for the construction of ‘Lar, Apoio Domiciliário e Centro de Dia – Fontainhas’ (Retirement Home, Home Care and Day Care Centre – Fontainhas) was signed on Thursday by Albufeira Mayor José Carlos Rolo as well as a representative from construction company Telhabel – Construções SA.
The new facility is expected to help 131 senior citizens by providing accommodation for 61 people, house support for 20 and a day care centre for 50.
The contract has been sent to the Court of Auditors for approval and construction is expected to begin in September and last 720 days, meaning it could be up and running by the second half of 2025.
“This is of great importance to our municipality, as it addresses a long-awaited social need,” said José Carlos Rolo, praising the “notable work” carried out by Telhabel which has already been responsible for the several projects in Albufeira, such as the Olhos de Água Elderly Care Home, Creche, and Day Centre, as well as the Guia Creche.
“The month of August this year marks a significant milestone for our municipality, as we are set to inaugurate the Olhos de Água Elderly Care Home, Creche, and Day Centre on August 20, while simultaneously signing the contract for a new facility of the same nature,” added the local mayor.
The project envisions the construction of a main building and an annex with technical support areas, along with access roads, parking, and landscaping of the surrounding outdoor spaces. The main building will encompass residential structures for the elderly (ERPI), the day care centre, and the home care area, incorporating communal and support areas.
A single-story annex will house technical support spaces for the main building, while the exterior areas will feature water reservoirs (for firefighting, consumption, and irrigation), an emergency centre, and a power substation.
Says the local council, the land allocated for this new facility spans 28,356sqm and comprises three parcels: one for the facilities, another as rural space, and a third designated for agricultural use. It adds that “this social complex will strive to preserve the existing trees on the site.”
“We are dedicated to promoting sustainable ageing in Albufeira, which entails vigilant attention to all forms of care,” said Rolo. “One of these approaches materialises in physical structures, while the other involves support to ensure that social welfare organisations foster ageing that maintains the functional capacities of senior citizens, allowing them to continue pursuing what they value. To achieve this, it’s imperative to combat ageism and recognise our elderly as valuable sources of wisdom. For this, our senior citizens, which we will eventually become, must have quality living conditions.”
