Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I talked about the elders facility in Fort Resolution and the need to have the department take a serious look at working with the community to maximize the use of this facility.
Today I have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell me when this facility was built?
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t have it exactly here, but I understand the building was built by the NWT Housing Corporation in, I’d say, the last ten years or so.
Mr. Speaker, as I understand it, this facility was initially planned to be a centre for 24 hour elderly care. Can the Minister tell me what the initial plans were for this facility when it was first built?
My understanding is that the building was built by the NWT Housing Corporation to be sort of the gathering centre and to support independent units surrounding the Great Elders Facility. Historically there has been no programming determined or O&M funding provided for that facility.
Having said that, Mr. Speaker, I have been working closely with the Member to increase the services there for seniors. Recently we had an initiative to provide $22,000 to run a day program there; we have a contract with the seniors society there. As well, we have confirmed funding from Aboriginal Diabetes programming where we’ll be able to provide meals for seniors five days a week.
I understand that that’s not 24-hour care, but it is certainly a big step toward having that centre used more as a gathering centre and a support centre for the seniors in the community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I talked about the costs incurred when an elder is transferred to another community, like Hay River, Fort Smith or Yellowknife. Can the Minister tell me what the total cost to the department is for one elder to be taken out of Fort Resolution and cared for in Hay River, Fort Smith or Yellowknife?
The elder in question who was taken away was in need of intensive care. We did have him in the community with the family, but his needs were so high that he could not be taken care of there.
I do understand and appreciate the need for the community to keep their elders, especially in their last years. We want to be able to accommodate that as much as possible. But there are some seniors with acute needs that need to be taken care of, and those services are not available except in major centres.
My understanding in terms of 24-7 care for seniors is that in order for us to provide those services economically, we need to have at least a ten-bed facility in order to have enough of a staff makeup and to use resources wisely. The Great Elders Facility has about four bedrooms. I want to tell the Member that I am trying to see what we can do in that facility to use those units. I’m looking at all options and working with the Member on that.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final supplementary, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not really getting the answers I’m looking for. However, if the Minister has looked at all options, would it be possible for the Minister to tell me if they have looked at the option of what it would cost to the department to upgrade this facility to be used for 24 hour care?
Mr. Speaker, we would then have to add six more rooms. There are four rooms in there right now. For the YACCS dementia centre that we’re building, we’re spending $500 per unit. Second of all, in order to accommodate ten seniors, we would need at least 12 to 15 staff. That would be about $1.5 million to $2 million of O&M funding. Right now that is not what we have planned for the Great Elders Facility, but I am looking at all possibilities to see that that facility is used as an elders centre and that programming is increased there. We have already introduced two more programs in that area. I am committed to working with the Member to see that that facility is used as much as possible to serve the needs of seniors in that community.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
