With Alberta’s population increasingly aging over the last few decades, care and services available for seniors is an important topic of conversation.
As more and more people reach the age of retirement each year, they begin to consider whether their community can support them throughout their retirement and senior years.
This is the first installment of the Cochrane Eagle’s Aging in Place series. Over the next few weeks we’ll be taking a look at what the community has to offer seniors in terms of housing, transportation, healthcare, and other services.
When it comes to choosing where you’ll end up, you have to take into account a number of factors: the level of care you need, what you can afford, what services you’d like included and where you want to live.
On April 5, the Connecting DOTS (Dementia and Other Therapy/Services) and the Town of Cochrane Family and Community Support Services hosted the Housing Choices as We Age panel at the Nan Boothby Memorial Library. Presenters spoke about various retirement/senior facilities in the area and provided information specific to their facilities.
Judy Tomlinson, who attended the panel, was concerned with the level of care she could receive in her home versus a facility.
“I wonder what the forecast is for students taking homecare – is it going to be available? What’s going to happen if Alberta Health Services keeps getting cutbacks?” Tomlinson asked.
“There’s a big need for homecare with the aging population the way it is,” she added.
Janet Waddell, another Cochrane resident who attended the panel, recognizes transportation is a key factor for people when choosing a facility. She said a lot of people need to make trips into Calgary, which can be challenging to co-ordinate when they can’t drive themselves.
“Proximity to what’s around here as well is a factor for me,” Waddell added.
Janet Yurchak, who was also in attendance, is crossing her fingers that the proposed developments go up as planned because she’s worried there aren’t enough housing options currently in the community.
So what does Cochrane have to offer in terms of living facilities for seniors and retirees?
Currently, the town has three retirement/senior facilities – The Bethany Care Centre, Evergreen Manor, and Big Hill Lodge.
The Bethany Care Centre provides both long-term care and supportive living. It offers a variety of social and recreational activities for both its residents and seniors within the community.
Residents also have access to nominal services such as a hairdresser, a Victorian Order of Nurses foot care clinic, and a tuck shop. On-site laundry services are also available for an additional charge and some recreational day trips are available though may require a fee.
For more information about the services and care offered by the Bethany Care Centre, visit their website at http://bethanyseniors.com/community/bethany-cochrane/.
Evergreen Manor is a seniors’ subsidized housing building within the town, which was founded by the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 15 in 1982. The building is now managed by Legion West Heritage Society and offers one-bedroom apartments for seniors in need.
The building contains: a main floor social room, a piano, shuffleboard, on-site laundry, a hair lounge, and a sunroom among other amenities. Recently, the building had new windows, new siding, and new roofing installed.
For more information about Evergreen Manor, call 403-932-6489.
Big Hill Lodge offers supportive living to its residents. Under the Rocky View Foundation, the lodge is made up of 74 suites. The subsidized housing facility employs 24-hour staff in case of emergencies.
All meals and housekeeping are provided at the lodge. Residents have access to a number of activities including: exercise classes, music, crafts, Wii games, pool tournaments, shuffleboard, cards and other games, movie nights, computer access, and a library. It also offers a shuttle service and a number of off-site activities.
For more information about the Big Hill Lodge, visit http://www.rockyviewfoundation.org/.
Cochrane Society for Housing Options also provides subsidized housing within the town. However, the society serves the entire community, not just seniors, so preference is given to those in need using a point system.
The society owns and operates the HomeStead, a 21-unit apartment building, for which the rent is set a minimum of 10 per cent below market value. The sizes for each unit vary from bachelor to three-bedrooms and each unit is allotted an outdoor parking space and a basement storage unit.
For information about the society and the requirements for renting, visit http://www.csho.ca/.
Coming soon to the area are three more retirement/senior facilities – Points West Living, Golden Life, and Hunt Coulee Village.
Points West Living will be developing three buildings within the Fireside community. One will be for supportive living, one for independent living, and one as a lifestyle community.
The first building being developed will be for supportive living and is scheduled to be open in Fall 2017. Thanks to a grant from the Government of Alberta, under contract with Alberta Health Services (AHS), the building will contain 122 units and all residents will be appointed by AHS.
The independent living building will start construction later on in 2016 and will feature a range of services from housekeeping to meals and a variety of on-site activities. The lifestyle community will be the last development and will include condominiums that will allow seniors to age in place if their health should change.
For more information about the Points West Living development and the other services it will provide, visit http://www.pointswestliving.com/cochrane_home.php.
Golden Life will also be developing a retirement village in Cochrane in the near future. The independent living facility is being built in the core of downtown and is scheduled to be completed by Summer 2017.
The facility will be comprised of studio, one and two-bedroom suites. Services offered will include: meals and snacks, 24-hour emergency monitoring, housekeeping, transportation, and social and recreational activities. Comfort, non-medical, and personal care services will also be available for residents as requested.
For more information about Golden Life, visit http://goldenlifemanagement.ca/.
Finally, Hunt Coulee Village is currently under development in the Lochend area of western Rocky View County. It will be a low density, energy efficient facility for seniors who wish remain rural residents.
It is anticipated the community will contain: a community amenity facility, gardens, a greenhouse, and self care support services among other things. The development will be designed with walkability in mind and will likely provided a car-pool or shuttle service for its residents.
The project has been in the works since 2006 and anticipates construction starting in April 2017.
For more information about Hunt Coulee Village, visit http://www.huntcouleevillage.ca/.
