After a needs assessment showed the Bow Valley is desperately lacking certain levels of assisted living for seniors, the local housing authority is proposing to do something about it.
Bow Valley Regional Housing (BVRH) commissioned the needs assessment last year and chief administrative officer Ian Wilson said this week it shows the area is lacking in level three and level four housing.
Without those options available locally, Wilson said he has seen members of the community leave to find the right services.
“We have had people who have had to leave the community and their families to find services elsewhere and to me that is the biggest tragedy,” he said.
BVRH board chair Ed Russell said another issue is that those who can be accommodated within those levels of care are also in long-term care spaces.
“That is a big driver right now to get this going,” Russell said. “It fills a need that doesn’t exist and relieves the pressure at the upper end and is a real community project.”
Wilson said levels one and two of seniors housing is reserved for those who are functionally independent and may need some home care.
Level three begins to see additional assistance needed with level four entering into the realm of Alberta Health Services, with 24-hour medical supervision, significant assistance with daily tasks and decision making.
“With level three you start to get into (residents) needing more assistance with daily tasks,” he said.
Wilson said he asked the consultants of the needs analysis to characterize the Bow Valley’s gap for level three and four and, of the other eight assessments it conducted, this region is the only one with absolutely no current inventory.
“That puts us at the top of the list in terms of our need,” he said.
The regional housing group is looking at adding 61 units and renovating the Bow River Seniors Lodge.
“We have an aging facility that is older than the average lodge in Alberta and it needs some attention,” Wilson said, adding there is also a growing need for seniors housing.
Part of the issue is that the design standards of the ‘60s don’t necessarily work efficiently for today’s aging population.
“We are hoping this desired new facility will take this all into account,” Russell said.
The regional housing group has the first right of refusal on the municipally-owned land to purchase it or enter into a long-term lease.
Wilson said if the project moves forward the site will hopefully serve the needs of all levels in creating what is called a campus of care.
That would allow for the needs of residents that have to change levels of care to be easily met.
Russell said the group is in the process of submitting a grant proposal to Alberta Seniors to fund half the capital costs of the facility.
While the consultant report put a rough estimate of $20 million on the project, Russell said he is confident it can be built for much less given some recent examples of seniors housing built in Alberta in Tofield and St. Albert.
“We think that’s high and we think the industry can build it better,” he said. “We are working full speed ahead to get the grant process completed.”
Community support is also starting to be seen, he added.
At the same time, Spring Creek Mountain Village is proposing to build seniors housing, but both Wilson and Russell said while that is a great project, it serves a different client base than Bow Valley Regional Housing, which is for low to moderate income seniors.
