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Seniors Care

Grande Spirit Foundation hoping to add second new seniors facility in Spirit River

Sep 8, 2020 | 5:30 AM

The Grande Spirit Foundation hopes to soon send an application to the province to build another new seniors facility.

If approved, the 24-unit self-contained senior’s building would go in Spirit River near where a 92-unit Designated Supportive Living Facility will also be built.

The Foundation’s Steve Madden describes what these units would look like.

“They’re going to have a kitchen suite inside. Hopefully, it will be nice and bright and open, likely one bedroom. There will be two-bedrooms in there as well, but mostly one-bedroom units. Senior self-contained basically means that its a unit a person can live in without any support, so they are able to support themselves.”

He adds there are currently 180 people on a waiting list for an apartment like this.

“We’re thinking in that area that there is going to be really good interest. We know that there’s already apartments in the area that seniors are living in and they’re comfortable with us (with) what we already have there. We’re hopeful to provide something new to the area to compliment the 92-unit building that’s going in as well.”

Madden says officials see this being a separate building right now.

“It is possible they could be together, but I think we’re hoping at this time it will be a separate building with its own functions. It would make really good sense to have separate areas to work with. Certainly, the building itself, even if it isn’t separate from the other building, would have its own common area, a smaller common area than you would see in a lodge, but it would have its own common area.”

Madden says such a building would provide what he calls “age-in-place” for seniors.

A request for proposals has been posted. Madden says it would be three to four years before it would open. He is hoping the Foundation could partner with the province on the construction of both buildings.