In transition

A former city hospital is a welcome stop-gap measure for seniors awaiting construction of 132 supportive housing units for the Centre of Excellence for Integrated Seniors’ Services.

McKellar Place, renovated and retrofit by architect and developer Ahsunal Habib, will host 75 seniors between now and 2012, when the CEISS units are expected to be completed.

For Bill Sinfield, 84, the decision to move into an assisted housing unit wasn’t an easy one to make. Ultimately he knew it was probably for the best.

"My wife died and I had been waiting to get a one-bedroom place. They said I could have the next one. I waited a year and then I thought, well, it’s too late. My daughter said there’s a place downtown. I asked where is it? She told me and I came over and had a look," Sinfield said.

"We walked around and they said to me, ‘What do you think?’ I said I don’t know. But finally they asked if I wanted to go, and I said, yeah."

Sinfield, who is blind in his left eye, is among a growing number of Thunder Bay seniors who want to maintain an air of independence, but need occasional supportive care from trained medical personnel.

McKellar Place, which Habib will fully privatize when the LHIN-supported residents move to the permanent CEISS facility two years from now, provides the best of both words, said St. Joseph Care Group president and CEO Tracy Buckler.

Buckler said Monday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the beginning of tangible results for a $56.6 million project that ultimately will include more than 500 long-term care beds for seniors in the city. She added the temporary fix is addressing a need that’s been overlooked in Thunder Bay for too long.

Potential residents for the 75 temporary units are being assessed by through the Community Care Access Centre – though some, like Sinfield, have already moved in to the facility, which includes 25 private for-profit units.

"They have to determine eligibility criteria. They have to make sure that people really need the care that we’re able to provide, as opposed to simply going into a senior’s apartment. Supportive housing means that people need a level of care," Buckler said.

To quality a senior may not make more than about $60,000 a year. Rent at McKellar Place is $950 a month, paid for by the resident, as well as a supportive care fee between $300 and $400, depending on the level of care needed.

"These are key to ensuring seniors are able to receive the right care they need in the right setting, said Andy Gallardi, senior director, performance, contract and allocation with the Northwestern Ontario Local Health Integration Network.

The LHIN covers the additional costs of the supportive care costs.

"We’ve been planning this for probably the past year or so," Buckler said. "We talked to the Northwest LHIN and came up with the idea, saying wouldn’t it be great if we could do something in the meantime when our CEISS building wasn’t ready. Is there something we could do to meet the needs earlier than that."

Buckler said St. Joseph Care Group will soon send the permanent supportive housing project to tender. The foundations for the units are already in place.