QUESNEL – Minister of Health Services Kevin Falcon and others officially opened the $20.6-million expanded and renovated Dunrovin Park Lodge, providing seniors in the North Cariboo with a greater range of care options.
“Dunrovin Park Lodge provides seniors in Quesnel and North Cariboo with high-quality, state-of-the-art care,” said Falcon. “To better meet the demands of an aging population all across British Columbia, we are providing our seniors with compassionate and innovative care options, which meet their changing needs. This includes building new additional beds as well as updating and modernizing thousands of existing beds.”
Project funding for renovating and expanding Dunrovin Park Lodge was shared by the Province through Northern Health ($12 million) and the Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District ($8 million). The City of Quesnel assisted in gaining necessary approvals for the project to proceed, including land acquisition and rezoning, and the Quesnel and District Palliative Care Association raised and contributed over $600,000 to develop palliative care beds and purchase furniture for the hospice unit.
“Redevelopment of Dunrovin Park Lodge, including the addition of the new hospice palliative care unit, is part of Northern Health’s ongoing work to provide a range of health-care services that meet community needs,” said Cathy Ulrich, Northern Health president and CEO.
The renovated and expanded Dunrovin Park Lodge is home to 117 residential care beds, including three palliative care beds, four respite/convalescent care beds, and a revitalized adult day centre. The project replaced outdated care facilities at Baker Lodge, adding six net-new residential care beds and upgrading the beds to care for seniors with more extensive health needs.
The 117 new and replacement beds at the expanded Dunrovin Park Lodge meet up-to-date standards for the highest level of residential care for seniors needing around-the-clock nursing care in a home-like environment. The expansion includes full wheelchair accessibility, appropriate space for clients and caregivers, and the ability to include patient lifts and support devices.
“The Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District is pleased to have played a part in bringing this project to fruition,” said CCRHD chair Rick Mumford. “This is another great example of what can be accomplished working together with our partners. The expansion and renovations to Dunrovin Park Lodge have provided a comfortable, modern and safe facility for our North Cariboo seniors, now, and into the future.”
The expansion also features a new hospice palliative care unit that was officially opened in August 2009. It includes three palliative care beds and four respite/short-stay beds. Palliative care focuses on making the last stages of life as comfortable and as peaceful as possible for patients with life-limiting illnesses. Respite care aims to ease the strain on family caregivers supporting loved ones.
The project began with an official groundbreaking in July 2007, and was originally scheduled for completion in the summer of 2009. The phase one expansion was completed in November 2008, and 48 residents moved into the new space in February 2009. The phase-two renovation of the original facility required more extensive work than originally expected, and was completed in December 2009. Residents from Baker Lodge moved to their new home at Dunrovin Park Lodge in February 2010.
“Through working closely with the other partners in this project, the City of Quesnel was able to assist in making it a reality by assisting with land acquisition and road closures,” said Mayor Mary Sjostrom. “We believe that outstanding facilities such as Dunrovin make our community more accessible, more senior-friendly and more livable. On behalf of council, I offer congratulations to the Ministry of Health Services, Northern Health and the Quesnel and District Palliative Care Association on this showcase of a facility.”
Since June 2001, the Province has built 6,327 net-new beds/units and created a total of 13,780 new and replacement beds/units. Northern Health has increased their total number of residential care beds and assisted living units by 39 per cent since 2001, with a total of 1,409 beds today.
For those facing end-of-life, government has opened new hospice palliative care beds across the province, increasing the number of subsidized beds by more than five times – from 57 in 2001 to 296 today.
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