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Ministry of Forests and Range and Minister Responsible for Housing |
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NEW CAMPUS OF CARE BREAKS GROUND IN SURREY |
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SURREY – Representatives from the Province and Fraser Health celebrated the official groundbreaking of Rosemary Heights Seniors Village, a new 151-unit campus of care in Surrey, scheduled to be completed in February 2008.
The village will be a community of
61 assisted living units and 90 residential care beds. The Province will
supplement the rent for 42 of the residential units up to $239,400 per year
under the Independent Living BC (ILBC) program. ILBC meets the needs of
lower-income seniors and people with disabilities by providing a middle option
between home support and residential care.
“These new units will give residents the support and care they need to live independently,” said Kevin Falcon, MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale, who was on hand to mark the occasion. “Assisted living fills an important need in our community and is an integral part of our continuum of care for seniors in Surrey and across the province.”
The new units will provide residents with personal care, hot meals, housekeeping, laundry services, recreational opportunities and a 24-hour response system. Fraser Health will provide $712,000 annually in personal care and hospitality services for the residents.
“Assisted
living provides today’s seniors with the opportunity to live independently,
while at the same time offering the specific supports to meet their individual
needs,” said Fraser Health Interim CEO Keith Anderson. “By providing a
range of housing and care options on a single campus, we can better respond to
a senior’s changing care needs.”
The campus of care model
offers independent housing, assisted living and complex care in one place.
Campuses of care minimize the transition for seniors when their care needs
change. Aging in place allows couples, family members and friends to remain on
the same site when their levels of care are different.
Rosemary Heights Seniors Village
will be operated by Retirement Concepts, a privately held company based in
Vancouver with operations throughout the province and in Quebec. The company
provides a full spectrum of quality services for seniors through retirement
communities, assisted living residences and skilled nursing facilities.
“We are pleased to be starting construction on Rosemary Heights Seniors Village here in Surrey, and are proud to work with our partners to provide increased accessibility to affordable housing and a campus of care to meet the unique care needs of seniors in the community,” said Azim Jamal, president and CEO of Retirement Concepts.
The Province of British Columbia, through the Independent
Living BC program is committed to providing more than 4,000 affordable assisted
living apartments for B.C. seniors and persons with disabilities. To date, more than 3,900 ILBC units have been
allocated in communities across the province. These
units are part of the government’s commitment to provide 5,000 intermediate and
long-term care beds by 2008.
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contact: |
Communications Specialist BC Housing 604 439-4758 604 417-1298 (cell)
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Communications Fraser Health 604 587-4611
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Director of Hospitality Services & Marketing Retirement Concepts 604 581-2391
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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