Vancouver Islanders caring for loved ones with dementia may soon have some much-needed help.
On Wednesday, the province announced that a new, state-of-the-art long-term care centre will be opening its doors in Comox soon.
The 156 bed care centrewill specialize in caring for seniors suffering from dementia.
“I look forward to seeing the significant impact this project will have on the lives of the seniors in the Comox Valley who will call this place home,” said Ronna-Rae Leonard, MLA for Courtenay-Comox.
“I know that the team at Providence Living has worked hard to realize this new vision for safe, quality dementia care and I am excited to see it unfold in our community.”
The new dementia-care centre has been named Providence Living Place, Together by the Sea and it is being built on the existing site of the Views long-term care home and the St. Joseph’s General Hospital at 2137 Comox Avenue.
Construction for the project was funded in part by the province, Island Health and the Providence Living Society.
Ground was broken on the ambitious three-storey oval-shaped building in March of 2022 to bring 156 long-care beds to the Courtenay/Comox area.
“Providence Living is bringing to life its new vision of long-term care in Comox that will enable seniors to live meaningful lives with freedom of movement, access to nature, interaction with the community and intergenerational connections,” said Mark Blandford, interim CEO, Providence Living Society.
“We are grateful for the financial support and the like-minded partner we’ve found in BC Housing.”
The 156 beds will be located within 12 small self-contained ‘households,’ each with its own bathroom.
“Island Health is excited to be a partner in this new dementia-care facility in Comox, which will offer a social and relational model of care that allows residents to access nature, move freely within the facility and interact with the community,” said Leah Hollins, board chair, Island Health.
“It takes partnership and collaboration to implement a new way of delivering long-term care, and this project is a perfect example of how we can work together to help seniors live to their full potential.”
This project is meant to give peace-of-mind to families who are taking on the burden of caring for their loved ones with dementia when the building is completed and open.
Beds in the Views at St. Joseph’s General Hospital were all publicly funded and the new beds will be as well, so access and admittance to the new facility will be handled by Vancouver Island Health Authority.
