Home-like manors have future residents at heart

Investing in infrastructure

You could say that Prince Edward Island’s newest long-term-care manors are being built around the residents who will live there.

 “When you design a building you have to start with the people who will use it and the reason they will be there,” says Raymonde Arsenault-Mackenzie, the provincial government’s architect overseeing construction of the 49-bed Riverview Manor in Montague.

Riverview is one of two new manors now under construction and anticipated to open in early 2019. The other in Tyne Valley, and will have 24 total beds. Both of the new buildings will offer Island seniors care and comfort in a home-like setting.

Rooms are grouped in households that include a kitchen, dining room, and a living room with fireplace, as well as private rooms and bathrooms for each resident.

“On this project we began with the understanding that every resident will have their own private room and private bathroom,” Arsenault-Mackenzie said of the Riverview Manor project. “The people who come into these facilities can know that when they come into long-term care here, their room is their room for as long as they will need it, that they won’t have to move if their needs change.”

Space has also been allocated for an Adult Day Program as well as for families supporting end-of-life care for residents within the facility.

The unpredictable Island winter won’t slow down the construction’s progress, Arsenault-MacKenzie added.

“We have the building enclosed now, which is very important because it allows us to provide temporary heat throughout,” she said. “That will allow almost all of the interior work to go ahead regardless of the weather.”

Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy Minister Paula Biggar said she’s pleased with the progress.“Our department approached this project with the goal of providing comfortable efficient housing to meet the needs of our Island seniors,” she said. “I’m very pleased to see how well these important projects are proceeding.”

Prince Edward Island has nine long-term-care manors, and four have been newly rebuilt over the past seven years as part of the provincial government’s manor replacement strategy.