Call to subsidize the construction of small care homes

The Alberta government is being urged to fund smaller care homes as the population ages and demand for long-term care grows.

A new report (New window) (in English) from National Institute on Ageing (NIA) recommends that provinces urgently prioritize the model of small care homes, which accommodate 10 to 12 residents.

We ask governments, including that of Alberta, to get started indicated the D^r Samir Sinha, geriatrician and director of health policy research at NIA.

The public system must be able to offer this possibility so that it is not only an option available to people who can pay in private establishments.

Small care homes can be built in residential areas. They can have individual bedrooms and bathrooms as well as shared living spaces, including kitchens, living rooms and dining rooms.

Services offered there can range from personal and medical care to meal preparation and laundry.

With a smaller number of staff taking on a wider variety of roles, they can spend more time with residents and build stronger relationships argues the D^r Sinha.

The model can also be adopted in larger establishments by creating small individual houses within the building.

It’s like living in your own house this David Thompson-Uptonwhose 92-year-old mother, who suffers from dementia, moved into a small private care home in Edmonton last year.

Waiting for grants

A report (New window) (in English) Continuing Residential Care in Alberta 2021 recommended funding for more resident-centered living options, including the creation of 1,600 small nursing home spaces by 2030.

Following the release of this report, the province proposed a capital grant program in 2023 to stimulate the development of small, self-contained care homes that would accommodate between 4 and 14 residents.

Dawn Harshwhich has campaigned for years for the province to adopt this model, has applied for public funding to build eight small care homes in rural central and northern Alberta, where the need is great.

She already runs three small private care homes in Edmonton, including the dementia home where M’s mother lives.^meThompson-Upton.

More than a year after filing her application, she is still waiting.

If the Alberta government announced these capital grants, we could meet the need in approximately 18 months she said. The construction of the tiny houses takes approximately 12 months.

A fund of $654 million

Launched by the Ministry of Health, the grant program was open between April and November 2023.

A total of 74 applications were received from 33 different applicants.

The government says the program is being reviewed now that continuing care has been transferred to the Ministry of Seniors, Communities and Social Services.

The minister’s office Jason Nixon indicates that $654 million has been allocated over three years to its entire long-term care investment program in order to develop new spaces or modernize existing homes.

How much of this funding will go to small care homes depends on which projects are approved, according to the release.

Waiting for, Dawn Harshwho previously worked as a nurse, says such places have many advantages: there are fewer falls, better nutrition, fewer trips to the emergency room and a better quality of life for the people who reside there.

With information from Jennifer Lee