Construction is underway for a brand new dementia care home village in Comox.
The village is being built through a partnership between Island Health, the Town of Comox and Providence Living. The care home was announced in February 2020, and will feature 155 publicly funded beds and one private pay bed.
Health officials say the care village will have a new care staffing model called Home for Us. The model will shift from the traditional care home model to a new “social/relational model that integrates a person-centred approach to care.”
Parliamentary secretary for seniors services and long-term care Mable Elmore says it’s good to see the project underway and getting ready for the new model.
“It’s exciting to see construction starting at Providence Living Place, Together by the Sea,” said Elmore. “The project’s innovative physical design around a secure, one-acre courtyard will offer a new model of long-term care based on the de Hogeweyk dementia village in the Netherlands.”
The care home is being built on the site of the existing The Views long-term care home and the former St. Joseph’s General Hospital. Construction is expected to be completed in 2024.
Comox mayor Russ Arnott says the construction is welcomed as the town continues to change and more care is needed.
“The town has a critical need for seniors services, which is expected to increase over the next two decades and this project fits well within our demographics,” said Arnott.
Arnott adds that with the new facility, infrastructure changes including the addition of a roundabout will be added on Comox Avenue.
A childcare facility will be added to the village and the community. It will have 32 new child care spaces for infant-toddlers and 2.5 years old to kindergarten.
Minister of state for child care Katrina Chen says the childcare spaces will help provide seniors with a better environment.
“I think this fabulous approach combining seniors’ long-term care and child care will really lift seniors up, bring them joy and benefit Comox families for years to come,” said Chen. “These new child care spaces will enable more parents to pursue work, school and other opportunities and also help make life more affordable.”
In collaboration with the Komoks Nation, a stand-alone dedicated Indigenous space will be constructed in the style of a traditional Big House.
