By Kathryn Stocks
The Tony Stacey Centre has until 2025 to update its building to the significantly revised standards mandated for all long-term care facilities by the Ontario MInistry of Health. Seeing this as an opportunity to not only build an exemplary care facility but also a community hub, the centre invited its neighbours to attend a meeting on October 3 to discuss possibilities for the rebuild.
About 50 people came out, including representatives from all levels of government. After a short presentation on the 50-year-old centre and the changes that have been mandated, such as width of doors, type of bathroom fixtures and number of people in each area, board member Vito Greto said the new facility would like to house about 200 residents (right now it has 100) and include a therapy pool and a state-of-the-art PTSD centre for veterans and others who need help with trauma. Then he opened the floor to the audience and asked what they would like to see in the rebuilt centre.
Here are some of their suggestions:
- Day care for kids and seniors.
- City services that are lacking in the area.
- More respite beds.
- Centre for excellence in geriatric care.
- Holistic palliative care.
- More services for residents such as dental and pharmacy.
- Place for therapy for those suffering from PTSD/training facility for therapy dogs.
- Create gardens for growing produce.
- Larger area, including safe outdoor space, for residents with dementia.
- Incorporate an area that can be rented by the community.
Going forward, the Tony Stacey Centre will be asking the community for its help with ideas, fundraising and patience during the rebuild. The next steps will include summarizing input from the meeting, sharing it with politicians and creating a community committee. If you have anything you’d like to add to the discussion, contact Diana Leblanc at dleblanc@tonystaceycentre.ca.