Northwood kicked off a $3 million campaign on November 24 for its new 144-room continuing care centre in the Parks of West Bedford.

The provincial government is paying for the necessities, but the goal of the Celebrate Living campaign is to provide funds to transform each resident’s room into a home.

Bedford community member and campaign chair Ed McHugh says the campaign will make a real difference to the residents of the new centre. “The Celebrate Living campaign will pay for the items that we would normally take for granted. Things like artwork, televisions, library materials, patio sets and greenery will make it feel warm and comforting in an otherwise empty building.”

The first leg of the campaign has been very successful, with $1.9 million already raised. Northwood CEO Rick Kelly is pleased with the support and is looking forward to continued success.

“I am very honoured to see donors stepping up to help Northwood provide the best quality of life to those in our community. We believe in providing more than basic care, the funds from this campaign will help create a more welcoming environment and a greater sense of community.”

During a tour of the centre, Public Relations Officer Holly MacLean explained to the Bedford Beacon that Northwood will provide all different levels of care.

The spacious main building will have a cafeteria, hair salon and a community room. There will be unused space that will be made available to the public to use as meeting rooms.

An adult day program will allow seniors to be dropped off during the day.

Fireplaces throughout the building “create a homelike environment,” explains MacLean. The centre is striving hard to create a cozy and comfortable feel all around, just like home.

The upstairs level holds the bedrooms, situated 12 to a cluster. Each pod is a different colour, making it easy to recognize.

Each cluster has its own dining and living room. One out of 12 rooms is for couples or larger sized seniors.

Each pod also has a calming and bright greenhouse area, and a “quiet room” (a non-denominational chapel).

Perhaps one of the most appealing features of Northwood is its family dining room and family overnight room. Families can celebrate a birthday and spend the night if they so wish.

The 148,000 square foot continuing care centre has already gained attention for its colourful exterior and unique architecture. It is slated to open in the Spring of 2010.

Since 1962, Northwood has responded to the needs of older adults by promoting an independent lifestyle while providing care and support to those in need.

Backgrounder and Fact Sheet

As part of the province’s response to the need for more long-term care spaces, Northwood is opening a new 144-room continuing care centre in West Bedford in April 2010.

The planning process for the facility has received input from staff, outside resources and the surrounding community.

The Cobequid area was identified as a priority by the Department of Health because they were lacking continuing care services.

The new centre also allows Northwood to look at new approaches to care and service delivery.

Here are some facts about the Continuing Care Centre:

-Located in the Parks of Bedford West, at 123 Gary Martin Drive.
-The centre is 148,000 square feet.
-Resident’s rooms: 190 square feet (private rooms), and 250 square feet (bariatric/couple’s rooms).
-Washrooms: 40 square feet.
-Over 20,000 square feet of wheelchair accessible outdoor space, including rooftop terraces and courtyards.
-144 rooms, arranged in 6 small neighbourhoods with two households of 12 rooms each.
-All rooms have a high-speed internet connection, a view of the outside, and a private bathroom.
-Will offer Level I, Level II and Residential Nursing Care, and includes areas for physio/occupational therapy, Adult Day program, and leisure recreation.
-Cost of construction is $43 million, which is paid for by the provincial government.
-Construction began in late 2007, and will be completed in April 2010.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was West Bedford chosen as the ideal site for the Northwood Continuing Care Centre?

As part of the government’s Continuing Care Strategy, Northwood’s new building located in the Parks of West Bedford will serve the Cobequid region of Bedford, Sackville, Hammonds Plains, Fall River, Waverley, Wellington, Windsor Junction, Beechville, Lakeside and Timberlea.

Planning for the new site began a number of years ago with the creation of a committee who worked in consultation with the Department of Health and the Cobequid Community Health Board, as well as over 100 community members and groups. After a role study was completed, Cobequid was seen as a priority for the new construction of a long-term care facility.

What levels of care and features are offered?

This new facility has 150-156 beds and offers Level I, Level II Care and Residential Nursing Care.

There will be opportunities for community Outreach and an Adult Day program.

Residents will be living in clusters, 12 rooms per cluster and two clusters per neighbourhood. Each cluster will have access to kitchenette, dining room, and living area. There is a special area for families if they need to stay and one larger room per cluster for beriatric residents or couples.

The layout and design helps create a new model of care, and encouraged better one-on-one relationships with residents and staff members.

Why is the building so bright and multi-coloured?

As innovators in the healthcare industry, we wanted to move away from a large institutional-like building that would be neutral in colour.

After much research and looking at buildings throughout Canada and Europe, we realized that many people identify home with colour rather than a room number.

By incorporating the colour scheme into our building, residents are able to point to their room when approaching the multi-colour exterior.

How large is the building? How big are the rooms?

The building is 148,000 square feet and over 20,000 square feet of wheelchair accessible outdoor space.

Residents rooms are 190 square feet and Betriatric/Couple Rooms are 250 square feet.

Who will live there?

Long-term care space is designated by the Provincial government. The people who will move into the new Centre have applied to enter long-term care and are currently on a waiting list, living at home with assistance or in transitional care.

There will also be opportunities for people to move from other long-term care facilities so that they may live closer to family and loved ones.

What is happening with the adjacent land?

Northwood has purchased the adjacent land and we are currently exploring development opportunities. One of the options we’re considering is a seniors’ apartment complex.

Will there be community meeting space?

There is a community meeting room that will be made available for a variety of community programs when not in use by the residents.

When will it be open?

The new building is slated to be open in April of 2010.