The Good Samaritan Society’s new 280-bed care home will be located northwest of the city and will house adults with complex medical needs
Article content
A new continuing care home will begin construction in Edmonton this fall with a three-year completion date.
The Good Samaritan Society’s new 280-bed care home will be located northwest of the city and will house adults with complex medical needs. The facility will be replacing the not-for-profit’s Southgate Care Centre which has 149 beds. The organization intends to sell that building.
Advertisement 2
Article content
Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said in their initial look the province needs to add at least 3,000 beds over the next five to 10 years to meet the need for continuing care services but said much more is needed.
“Right now one in seven Albertans are 65 years of age and older. Within the next 20 years that’s going to be one in five and then take into account that we are growing quickly as a province. That has to factor into the equation as well,” LaGrange said.
The province has contributed $126 million of the $165 million needed for the new facility. The remaining $39 million is being funded by the Good Samaritan.
Katherine Chubbs, CEO and president of the Good Samaritan Society, said she wants the facility to act as both a centre for seniors and a hub for further programming.
“We really want to change the course of how seniors care is going to make it more resident-centred and more efficient and really just a higher quality of care all the way around,” Chubbs said.
The new facility will be the organization’s largest care home capital project in its 75-year history and will be able to house 280 people.
Headline News
Article content
Advertisement 3
Article content
A personalized living environment is at the forefront of the new care home, which will comprise the Good Samaritan’s “small-home model of care” with 20 independent households, each housing between 10 and 14 residents in private rooms.
The purpose of this model is to emulate a home while still providing access to the proper services within reach. The homes will be designed like a regular house with kitchens, common rooms, private bedrooms and bathrooms, and outdoor spaces. Each home will be seven storeys. Five of the floors will be used for housing purposes but the other two floors will be for continuing care services and programming.
“We want to work with schools and churches (in the area) to really bring services and opportunities to the residents and provide opportunities to the people who live here as well,” Chubbs said.
The homes will also allow couples to live together and right now Chubbs said they are exploring having homes designated for certain groups of people such as Indigenous, or members of the LGBTQ+ community.
In the coming months, the organization is looking for broader community support for its capital campaign to furnish and enhance the services for the facility.
Advertisement 4
Article content
The project is set to be completed in fall 2027.
X: @kccindytran
Recommended from Editorial
Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.
You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.
Article content
