Health Minister Leo Glavine met with municipal leaders in Pictou County earlier this week to discuss the possibilities for replacing the aging nursing home.
Glen Haven currently has 200 residents and it is one that is in line for replacement.
The NDP government had actually announced a replacement plan, but when the Liberals took government, they cancelled that plan as it didn’t fit the direction they wanted to take, which favours smaller homes.
“We need to take a look at how we can go about that replacement,” Glavine said. “We’re very unlikely to rebuild a 200-person home. We need to make them much more homelike and therefore smaller.”
That would naturally mean smaller and multiple buildings, and part of the discussion this week centred on what the possible distribution in Pictou County would be.
“Perhaps one of the other municipal units or two could benefit from having a nursing home in their community,” Glavine said.
The eventual location would depend on finding land that suits the size and requirements for a nursing home.
Glavine was planning to meet with Premier Stephen McNeil to discuss options and which nursing homes in Nova Scotia are a priority in the near future. He said they are not far from announcing the next group of nursing homes for replacement.
Glavine also wants to promote assisted-living concepts in association with nursing homes.
“That concept is proving to be extremely valuable in reducing the length of time that a person will spend in a nursing home. As a senior becomes a bit more frail or ill if you can bring care to them in assisted living then that helps in a major way to transition to a nursing home.”
New Glasgow CAO Lisa MacDonald wasn’t at the meeting but was aware of the topic being discussed. At the Town of New Glasgow they’d like to see whatever replaces Glen Haven stay within the town. She said she believes it is best suited because of its proximity to the hospital and other medical clinics that are frequented by those living at Glen Haven.
“We certainly have lots of land to accommodate having the beds remain in New Glasgow,” she said.
Kelly Rice CAO for Westville said it’s a bit premature to discuss where the location would be saying that the focus of the meeting was more on the new approach to senior care in the province.
”We’ll wait and see,” she said.
