BACKGROUNDER
2008HEALTH0065-000963 June 23, 2008	Ministry of Health Fraser Health
FACTS ABOUT LAUREL PLACE

·        Laurel Place is a 215-bed residential care facility built and owned by Laurel Place Investments Ltd., of which the Ahmon Group is a building partner and operator.

·        The 12,000-square-metre (130,000-square-foot) facility is located at 9688-137A Street, Surrey, about half a block north of Surrey Memorial Hospital.

·        The building was designed to reflect a unique west-coast feel with hand-hewn cedar poles and trim on the exterior.  It also features an inner courtyard with three pools and treed landscaping and plantings.

·        Each room has a memory box outside the door to help friends and family locate their loved one and honour the special persons living here.

·        Social recreation programs are provided seven days a week from morning to evening and include outings. Other specialized services include geriatric psychiatry, music therapy, occupational therapy, dental hygiene, foot care, art therapy and clinical nutrition.

·        The main floor has a bright art studio, a hairdressing spa, a large recreation room with dance floor and a fitness centre with a full-time and part-time physiotherapist on staff.

• Recognizing the importance of pets, the facility supports residents who wish to bring a beloved cat, dog, bird or other animal to live with them as long as provisions can be made to safely care for them.

·        The Ahmon Group will be operating facilities caring for 967 clients in British Columbia by the end of 2008 including Morgan Place and Fleetwood Place in Surrey, soon-to-open Selkirk Place in Victoria, Sunridge Place in Duncan and Stanford Place in Parksville.

·        The Ahmon Group “family way” philosophy of care applies the principles of the Eden alternative, gentle care, person-centred care and its own principles of care in its residential care facilities.

 

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Media contact:	Michelle Stewart Communications Director Ministry of Health 250 812-5571 (cell) 250 952-1889 (media line)	Fraser Health 604 450-7881 (media pager)
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