Dúbravská oáza: A facility for senior citizens that your parents deserve

Even a lot of the locals do not know about the quiet complex. At first glance, few would think that the buildings, which look more like a hotel, would be a home for senior citizens. Thanks in part to investors from the Crowdberry investment platform, however, this facility has been created with a modern concept that lets its residents grow old with dignity.

A few minutes’ drive through a forest and then I get out in front of a facility that looks like a hotel at first glance. It is a warm and sunny day, just before noon. On the lawn in front of the buildings, a group of seniors, not hotel guests, is seated on benches, chairs and wheelchairs. A nurse is walking around them, they are talking. A large sign, “Dúbravská oáza” (Dúbravka Oasis), can be seen on the façade.

I used to walk past this facility on my way to the observation tower on the nearby hill in Bratislava, but I didn’t know what it was used for. Now I know that it is a modern retirement home catering to those who need almost no help as well as to those in poor health.

Simple improvements that make a big difference

The facility is operated by the non-profit organisation Dúbravská oáza klidu a odpočinku (Dúbravka Oasis of Peace and Relaxation), which leases the building from its owner, Griffin, s.r.o. I meet the Director of the facility, Jaroslav Jakubčík, and a representative from Griffin, Ľuboš Piroha, who is one of the people behind the idea to build this centre. While we make our way through the dining room, which already has the tables set for the clients, each place with a name tag, he tells me that the centre opened two years ago and today there are four facilities located under one roof: a day care centre, a facility for senior citizens, a nursing facility and a specialised facility for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. “The centre is designed so that seniors who are still active can come and, as they age, they can pass through the individual departments depending on their state of health,” explained Jaroslav Jakubčík.

The hallways are lively. A senior, who greets us sprightly, heads to the inner atrium, where she joins a group resting in the shade. Behind the atrium there is a quiet zone meant for patients with Alzheimer’s.

We go take a look at the accommodation. The individual wings are marked with easy-to-read letters and a coloured band at eye level on the wall (hospital wards in western countries work on a similar principle). The doors are marked with names and decorations or notices hang on some of them. We enter a sample room.