By Nathalie Sturgeon, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, St. Croix Courier
Two Charlotte County long-term care facilities will be replaced as part of New Brunswick’s new long-term care strategy.
Premier Susan Holt announced the Passamaquoddy Lodge in Saint Andrews, and Lincourt Manor in St. Stephen will be two of six being replaced by 2028-2029.
It is welcome news for Caroline Davies — a member of the Passamaquoddy Lodge Foundation (PLF).
“I’m almost too stunned to feel anything,” she said, speaking with The Courier at the event. “These years of work have sort of been all-consuming and … now we’ve got some results.”
Eight years ago, the board was examining how to move from 40 beds, 20 of which are shared, to 60 individual rooms. Davies said the province instructed the board at the time to build new.
Davies has held multiple open houses and a letter-writing campaign recently to spur a formal decision from the government. She said the new model, building five individual homes with 12 beds in each, was solidified during the COVID-19 [pandemic] when many seniors were separated from loved ones for extended periods of time.
“I’m pretty euphoric actually,” she said. “Up until today, we couldn’t do anything. We couldn’t borrow money to start, we couldn’t finalize our designs, but we’ve committed to fundraising $20 million and couldn’t start that because we had nothing to offer.”
She said there are aspects to the proposal that will help further inform how long-term care is delivered in the province. The new facility will also incorporate a child care facility.
“This is breathing new life into our energy and into our vision and it is going to breathe new life into the community as a whole,” Davies said.
The Town of Saint Andrews has committed to selling the foundation a plot of land off the Barr Road for $1.
Coun. Steve Neil said this is a good week for Saint Andrews, noting the $1.7 million for a collaborative care clinic at the Wellness Centre inside the W.C. O’Neill Arena Complex.
“The announcement is long overdue,” he said, speaking with The Courier. “We are so excited to hear this announcement from the Premier, the investment in Saint Andrews. The Passamaquoddy Lodge, as we all know, has been aging for some time.”
He said the Passamaquoddy Lodge Foundation has worked tirelessly for many years to finally get to this moment.
Holt confirmed that the proposal submitted by the PLF will be the one the government supports building.
Other replacements
Lincourt Manor is a 60-bed facility in St. Stephen, and will also be among the first six long-term care facilities up for replacement.
“If you talk to the team there, there is a significant need to replace that nursing home because the infrastructure and the conditions need to be improved and they have submitted a proposal,” Holt said.
Roni-Sue Moran, executive director of Lincourt Manor, said today brings positivity and relief. She spoke to the immense challenges of the facility on Chipman Drive.
“Our bathroom doors are so narrow, we have curtains hanging on them,” she said.
Moran said since she joined the facility two years ago, Social Development has been at the table with them, meeting with them monthly. She added the department has been good at helping to take care of urgent needs as they come.
Often one issue can compound another, she said.
“When you’re aging, this is their home,” she said. “When someone is told they are going there, deep down, they know they are never leaving there. It’s like grieving before you’ve passed.”
She said being positive is important for both staff — who work closely with residents — but also residents, which in the end improves outcomes for New Brunswick seniors.
Moran said it is hard for staff to maintain morale and positivity in a facility not meeting the needs — and that can in turn impact the residents.
“These residents, their quality of life depends a lot on the culture, and the autonomy in the building and staff, and this is going to make a huge difference,” she said, speaking with The Courier.
She hopes to be part of the future planning when the process gets underway.
Other facility replacements include:
- Campbellton Nursing Home, 85 beds
- Foyer Assomption, Rogersville, 50 beds
- Résidences Lucien Saindon, Île-de-Lamèque, 52 beds
- Résidence Mgr Melanson, Saint-Quentin, 42 beds
“We listened to seniors, their families and care professionals. Their lived experiences guided us to focus on what matters most: helping seniors stay socially connected, age with independence, and receive the right care at the right time, wherever they may call home,” said Minister of Seniors Lyne Chantal Boudreau in a statement.
The government also plans to add additional beds to several facilities across the province.
Villa Providence in Shediac will remain open, the government said, and 24 new beds will be created as part of the renovations.
Another 240 beds are expected to be added to existing Shannex facilities, including 120 in Fredericton, 60 in Riverview and 60 in Quispamsis.
It also announced 360 long-term care beds, with those locations being announced later on following an open request for proposals.
The long-term care strategy
The province said it is investing $998 million in the strategy, including 624 beds. Holt said more than 23 per cent of New Brunswick’s population is over 65 years old.
“New Brunswickers deserve to age with dignity, to have the right support and the ability to make the choices about where and how they live,” she said during her speech.
It will track five “over-arching measures” in the plan, Holt said. She said some measures include the long-term care assessment cycle time — which currently sits at 54 days. It will look at the percentage of people with access to home care and the level of satisfaction with those services, and the number of people waiting for nursing home care.
“We have a plan to increase our support and our investments over time,” she said.
Holt told reporters that some of the facilities could be replaced and operating by 2027 because they are on provincially owned property and have reduced barriers.
“Some of those are expansions,” she said, adding some initiatives in the plan could reduce the need for long-term care beds by 180, accounting for five long-term care facilities.
She said the cost of construction for some of the long-term care facilities is to be determined through a tendering process, but partners are finding ways to make the process more affordable.
As for Moran and Davies, this moment is a step forward in caring for New Brunswick seniors. Moran looks at how she can bring an environment to Lincourt Manor that reintroduces quality of life.
After seven years, Davies can remove the sign on the grass of the new permanent Passamaquoddy Lodge.
The full long-term care strategy is available online.
