4 days ago
New long-term care beds in Tignish, P.E.I., give seniors the chance to move home
(L-R) Penny McLeod, president of the board of directors for Tignish Seniors Home, and Mark McLane, Minister of Health and Wellness, with Alma and Vincent Doucette, residents of Tignish Seniors Home. (Source: Province of Prince Edward Island)
Prince Edward Island approved 12 new long-term care beds at the Tignish Seniors Home. The beds will allow more residents who require long-term care to stay in their community, said a provincial news release.
The Minister of Health and Wellness Mark McLane said the government worked with the home to recruit health-care professionals.
'From call outs to consultations, the Department of Health and Wellness and Health PEI helped make this day a reality,' McClane said.
Nine of the 12 beds are already filled with three pending. Families and friends are welcoming the new residents back to Tignish after being cared for in hospitals and other facilities around the province, said the release.
'We are seeing emotional reunions as our residents who have been waiting patiently for us to open finally return to the community,' said Penny McLeod, president of Tignish Seniors Home. 'There are so many stories of our elders who had to go elsewhere when their needs exceeded our ability to care for them. We are so grateful they can return home and that we can care for them now.'
Tignish Seniors Home is a non-profit owned and operated by the members. The facility has 52 community care beds. The new wing with the 12 news beds is the result of generous donations and volunteer hours, said the release.
The home opened following staff recruitment in June, the province said.
The Nursing Home Association of P.E.I. (NHAPEI) said they are please to welcome the Tignish Seniors Home into the group of private, non-profits providers in the province.
'Having these new beds will keep more Islanders closer to home,' said Darlene Oakes, Executive Director of the NHAPEI.
Prince Edward Island added 54 long-term care beds over the past year. The province has 11 private, long-term care homes that provide 1,315 beds for seniors across the province and requests for proposals have been issued for 175 more. The province will spend $11 million to add new, long-term care beds at Colville Manor in Souris and Stewart Memorial Home in Tyne Valley.
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