Holy Family marking 60 years of service

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This article was published 20/01/2017 (3502 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As it prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary this spring, Holy Family Home is taking bold steps to make sure it continues to provide the type of care most needed in the community.

Chief executive officer Jean Piché said over its six decades Holy Family Home has grown into a 276-bed personal care home with an adjacent 43-suite independent living seniors tower that is connected to Holy Family Home by an interior link and elevators.

“Our community grew as a result of the presence of a lot of independent living seniors who are now part of our family,” Piché said. “In some cases with married couples one spouse’s condition may deteriorate to the point where they need to be admitted into Holy Family Home.

“How wonderful it is to have a married couple in close proximity to each other as their needs change over time.”

Holy Family Home also hosts an Adult Day Program which provides up to 20 seniors from the community with daily activities and socialization. A couple of respite care rooms are available for seniors in the community whose primary caregivers need a short break, Piché said.

Holy Family Home has also had to adapt to the changing needs of society’s seniors, Piché explained.

“In the last 10 to 15 years the complexity of care has increased because of the increased level of dementia,” Piché said, while estimating 75 per cent of Holy Family Home residents live with dementia-related conditions. More residents also have complex medical conditions featuring multiple issues, he added.

Once completed in spring 2018, Holy Family Home’s new four-storey addition will feature 157, 215-square-foot rooms with bay windows and radiant floor heat around their edges. A communal atrium with plenty of natural light will be the epicentre of the campus, Piché said. Residents with complex psychiatric issues, including aggression, will be cared for in a 10-bed special needs unit where staffing levels are doubled.

The net increase is 41 rooms because residents living in a section built in 1969 will move to the new location. That old section will be repurposed, Piché said. Renovations to existing buildings are also underway.

“We’re really looking at a state of the art facility that will carry us as an organization and allow us to continue doing the work we do for the next generation and beyond,” Piché said.

Life Love Legacy campaign well underway

The total cost of the construction and renovations is currently $66.75 million. While much of that total will be covered by government funding, the Lubov SSMI Foundation has a goal of raising $10 million, chief executive officer Lesia Sianchuk said.

“As of now the Life Love Legacy campaign has raised $7.1 million.”

While Life Love Legacy is designed to engage corporations and other foundations, its focus is on families, Sianchuk explained. Many families have had members from several generations reside at Holy Family Home over the years and those families maintain a strong emotional connection to it.

“It’s reflective of the relationships we have not only in the Ukrainian and Slavic communities but in the overall community too,” Sianchuk said.

The Life Love Legacy campaign offers sponsorship of different areas of Holy Family Home, including the atrium, rehabilitation department and individual resident rooms. Recognition opportunities range from $25,000 to $1 million.

“Those interested in making donations can provide a straight donation or provide pledged amounts over a period of years,” Sianchuk said.

For more information on the Life Love Legacy campaign, phone 204-942-0443 or visit http://www.lubovfoundation.ca/lifelovelegacy

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