A new long-term care home coming to Prince George is using a different model for long-term care.
Back in November, Health Minister Adrian Dix and Providence Living announced the facility would be coming to Prince George.
“What makes this home special is the model of care we expect we will have in the new building in Prince George,” said Providence Living Executive Director of Quality, Practice, and Program Development Jennifer Gibson.
Gibson said this care model moves away from the “institutional approach,” to a “social relational approach.”
“A social relational approach is very resident and family centred,” Gibson explained.
“This means we move from an emphasis exclusively on medical care to an emphasis on living and care. The big piece here is that we have more flexibility in the day.”
Gibson said the model moves away from scheduled routines that are typically influenced by the institution.
“A lot of the time we build the day around things such as when the kitchen has food ready,” she explained.
“In a social relational model, we’re going to a model that’s very flexible, and residents and their family members are the people who set the rhythms and the patterns of the day.”
Providence Living is piloting this project at two ten-bed households in Comox.
“The pilot project was created with the goal of both creating and testing the social relational model so we could learn from the residents who are in the pilot, and continue to refine the model, with the goal of having the model ready for when we move into a new building in Comox in July, and for when we move into a building we expect to see in Prince George.”
The new care home is expected to include:
- single-bed rooms with private washrooms;
- units designed in a resident household concept consisting of groupings of 12 rooms with social and recreational spaces found in a typical home;
- indoor and outdoor spaces for social and leisure activities for residents and family
- amenities for cooking meals on site;
- non-denominational space for worship, reflection and spiritual practice, including Indigenous ceremonial practices;
- a staffing model that supports person-centred care and values seniors in care.
At the time of the original announcement, it was stated construction is expected to start in the fall of 2024.