Demolition of the former St. Joseph’s General Hospital has begun as a new seniors’ village is set to come in.
Providence Living Place, Together by the Sea will feature a 156-bed seniors’ village at the site of the hospital, according to a press release from Providence Living Tuesday.
They say the new village will replace the existing The Views long-term care facility.
Together by the Sea is supposed to open in 2024 and is inspired by the dementia village in De Hogeweyk, Netherlands. They say it will have small, self-contained households of 12 residents where each will have their own room and bathroom.
Smaller resident groups will be determined through cultural bonds, friendships and social activities, according to the release. They say residents will take part in daily activities like food preparation, cooking and laundry.
Providence Living says they would like the village to be a new example for other care homes.
“Our new Comox village will be the model for future redevelopment projects around BC,” said Candace Chartier, President and CEO of Providence Living. “We are so very close to showing BC and the rest of Canada how we can re-imagine publicly funded seniors’ care to create whole communities where people want to live.”
Construction of the facility was marked today by the removal of the emergency room via a wrecking ball.
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