Daman congratulated the community on its recent Communities in Bloom win, and gave credit to the council and local committee for their work and foresight on assisted living. He added it is critical to have long-term feasibility for a project like this.
“There are 35 families that will need support, and will say ‘this is my place where I want to live indecently with supports, and I want to remain in my community of choice, to age in place’.” Daman said. “So that’s going to be a 60 to 80 year life on that building.”
He added there are challenges coming in for seniors not only now, but in the future. This is why the long-term facility planned is a good one. We will not be able to afford enough personal care homes for everyone, and we will not need them. Instead, something different is required.
The assisted living model is one where seniors can live in independent suites, but with supports that make it safe and possible. The plan in Boissevain is for there to be 35 suites, ranging from 750 to 850 square feet. The building will be two storeys and have suites with one bedroom, two bedrooms, one or two baths. Rent will range from $1,995 for one bedroom to $2,495 for two bedrooms - per month.
“It will allow people not only to be supported, but also semi-independent.”
Each suite would have fully accessible bathrooms, bedrooms with full closets, living room, and kitchenettes with sink and bar fridge. Plans are for the main floor to have a commercial kitchen with a dining room, activity room, large common pantry and common space. The second floor would have a library, activity room and common area. It will include an elevator and be fully accessible. There is also plenty of room to walk around, very important for winter exercise.
Proposed services would include a daily brunch, supper and night snack. Breakfast would be in-suite. Daman said the meals are a major part of the deal as nutrition is huge for seniors. Good food, with good company is great for keeping people healthy. They will also receive weekly housekeeping, including sheet changing and laundry. All utilities, except phone and internet, are included in rent.
Daman said the whole layout is great for dealing with all aspects of life. Residents can go in the common area for company, retreat into their suites for privacy. They can bake with their grandchildren in the common kitchen, but have their meals prepared for them. Many of the chores are no longer part of their day, but people are still in their own homes. This is really what “aging in place” means.
The board looked at a number of different sites for the facility, Daman said, and negotiated with the RHA to get a great one right beside the Boissevain Health Centre. It will be done with design built concept, where the contractor works alongside the architect to build it on budget. The contractor is Gordon Turner Construction, a local company who won out in an open process. Turner is working on the schematic drawing, which can be priced out to confirm the numbers for construction. The estimate is $6.7 million and this should be confirmed around the new year.
Head of Council Judy Swanson said they decided to go up from the suggested 24 suites to 35 in part because of the interest from other communities in moving to Boissevain, as there is nothing else like it outside of Brandon in the area. People in small towns often do not want to move to the city, so Boissevain could be a great option.
Development Officer Christie Paskewitz-Smith explained suites could be confirmed beginning on January 15. Interested parties must lay down a $1,000 refundable deposit and are put on the list for a suite. When construction is nearing completion and occupancy is on the horizon, the people on the list will be contacted to accept or decline a suite. If accepted, the deposit can go toward rent or damage deposit.
The crowd asked a few questions of the board and Daman. There will be individual thermostats in each room. They are looking at geothermal if the costs work out. If there is a waiting list, there will be a sort of paneling process to make choices based on need. In Niverville, Daman explained, they have a 100-point system. This includes local connections, as well as physical needs. If you were from Boissevain, for example, you would start with 10 points on the system. There is an option to expand in the future, as well as room for a memory care facility in the years to come.
One of the important issues that must be tied up is funding. The local committee needs to raise $2 million to get the project going, prior to the mortgage kicking in. Right now, they are at $1.8 million. In order to help with this, Swanson said they would be holding an Old Fashioned Community Auction at the Legion on November 29. They are looking for donors of auction items, and will be having a bake sale and silent auction as well as a live one held by Wright Auction Services.
Plans are for construction to start in the spring of 2020, with completion in the following year.
by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff