More than a dozen rural Saskatchewan communities are planning for new long-term care facilities after the government announced last week it would spend $152.8 million to replace 13 buildings.
“In many cases the condition of the existing facilities is simply not up to the standards that seniors deserve,” said health minister Don McMorris.
The new construction will benefit 540 residents living in buildings that desperately need updating.
“They’re aged. There’s no question they’re old buildings,” said Kelsey Trail Health Region chief executive officer Glen Kozak.
The government funding will cover 65 percent of the replacement cost. Each community is expected to supply the remainder.
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Kelsey Trail region will see new buildings in Tisdale and Kelvington to replace Sasko Park Lodge and Kelvindell Lodge, respectively.
The Tisdale facility has 33 long-term care beds and was first built in 1958. In 1972, office areas were added, and in 1987 a pitched roof was built over two wings. Further mechanical upgrades 10 years ago helped but still left the building in poor shape.
“There is a fire alarm system but no sprinkler system,” Kozak said. “The mechanical systems are starting to fail.”
In Kelvington, the 44-bed lodge was built in 1976. It also contains a 14-bed dementia unit and two respite care beds. It, too, has seen various mechanical upgrades and additions but is still considered to be in poor condition.
The list of deficiencies in both buildings ranges from inadequate bathroom facilities to limited emergency power capability to outdated equipment.
Kozak couldn’t say at this point how much the construction would cost. He expects that by fall the planning will be complete and construction could start.
In both cases the new construction could be added to other buildings. Tisdale has another long-term facility, Newmarket Manor, which was built with an addition in mind.
Two facilities in Kelvington, the lodge and an acute care hospital, are quite a distance apart, Kozak said, and it might be possible to join the new nursing home to the hospital.
That could offer some advantages in terms of staffing, he said, although each operation would still need an administrative head.
Kozak said it’s exciting to be in the planning stage and developing wish lists for things that couldn’t be accommodated in the dated buildings.
The health district will soon meet with the two communities to discuss their capital requirements and how the money will be raised. Kozak said it could be a tax levy or fundraising or both.
He added that Kelsey Trail has a short waiting list for long-term care but at the same time doesn’t have empty beds.
“We’re not in a desperate situation from month to month,” he said.
The other communities that will see new facilities are: Maple Creek, 48 beds; Rosetown, 47; Kerrobert, 36; Biggar, 59; Meadow Lake, 55; Prince Albert, 50; Shellbrook, 34; Watrous, 35; Redvers, 24; Kipling, 28; and Radville, 52.
The provincial spending is part of the $500 million accelerated infrastructure funding announced by premier Brad Wall Feb. 2.
