ARTHUR – The Arthur Caressant Care long-term home will see 80 of its existing beds upgraded and 48 new beds added as part of the province’s initiative to create 30,000 new beds, and to upgrade another 28,000 within the next six years.
“More seniors will get the care they need. This will remain a major priority for us,” stated Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece in a press release.
The allocations include 38 new and 90 upgraded beds at Hillside Manor in Perth East, 36 new and 60 upgraded beds at Wildwood Care Centre in St. Marys, 48 new and 80 upgraded beds at Caressant Care Arthur; and 44 new and 52 upgraded beds at Caressant Care Listowel.
“Our government has a plan to fix long-term care and a key part of that plan is building modern, safe, and comfortable homes for our seniors,” said long-term care minister Paul Calandra.
“When the construction at these homes is complete, it will be a place for local seniors to call home, near their family and friends,” he added.
The upgrades and new beds to come to the Caressant Care’s Arthur location are in response to the business’ application for redevelopment, earlier submitted to the Ministry of Long Term Care.
Hybrid project
“Caressant Care Arthur’s redevelopment project is a hybrid,” stated Caressant Care communications and marketing manager Stuart Oakley in an emailed response to questions from the Advertiser.
“That means we are going to be redeveloping the existing 80 beds and adding 48 new beds to create a licensed 128 bed long-term care home and significantly improve access to long-term care in the community,” he explained.
Without any certainty, Oakley said the new beds are likely to require an addition to the current building.
He was unable to speak to costs or timeline, saying it’s “early days and there is still a lot to do to finalize the process.”
“We are just very pleased to see things moving forward and to be part of a good news story for Arthur and the surrounding community,” Oakley said.
The province has at least 25,000 new and 21,000 upgraded beds in the development pipeline, according the press release.
“Over 86 percent of the 30,000 net new beds being delivered are in the planning, construction and opening stages of the development process,” states the release.
