Two New Long-Term Care Facilities for Sydney Area

More Cape Breton seniors in need of long-term care will have access to new, modern facilities with the replacement of both Northside Community Guest Home and Miners Memorial Manor in 2032.

Northside Community Guest Home in North Sydney will be replaced with a new 144-room home while Miners Memorial Manor in Sydney Mines will be replaced with a new 64-room facility, adding 14 more long-term care rooms to the area.

Addictions and Mental Health Minister Brian Comer, MLA for Cape Breton East, made the announcement on behalf of Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Barbara Adams today, November 27.

“Nova Scotians deserve to have access to the care they need in all stages of their lives,” said Minister Comer. “These new living spaces will ensure that more of our loved ones can get the care and support they need, when they need it, right here in Cape Breton.”

The new Cape Breton facilities are part of the recent addition of 2,200 rooms to the Province’s long-term care infrastructure plan. This plan expansion includes new long-term care homes that will add about 800 rooms to the long-term care system and the replacement of older homes with new, modern facilities that will have about 1,400 rooms. All of these new homes are expected to be ready by 2032. The original plan included homes with about 3,500 rooms expected to be ready by 2027. Together, these new spaces will help to meet the care needs of the province’s aging population.

All new living spaces will be single rooms, each with its own private washroom. The government is contracting with several long-term care providers for new facilities and to replace existing ones.

More announcements about locations of new and replacement rooms will take place in the coming weeks. Information and progress updates on all 5,700 rooms are available at: https://novascotia.ca/long-term-care-rooms-progress-updates/

Building and improving more long-term care rooms is part of Action for Health, the Province’s strategic plan to improve healthcare. Building and renovating new facilities with single-bed rooms and ensuring seniors live with dignity and can age well are also commitments in the Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister’s mandate.

Quotes:

“We are over-the-top excited about receiving a new modern-day facility for all who live and work at Miners Memorial Manor. This new facility designed with private rooms and improved infection control will allow us to continue to provide safe and quality care to those individuals who call long-term care their home. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a new nursing home in the community of Sydney Mines and surrounding areas.”

– Nancy MacKinnon, Administrator, Miners Memorial Manor

“Today’s announcement means we are going in the right direction in the delivery of long-term care to the people of the Northside. This plan will address the much-needed resources needed in our infrastructure, addressing quality care and living spaces for our aging population. We are delighted to be a part of this plan going forward.”

– Wes Stewart, board Chair, Northside Community Guest Home

Quick Facts:

• the long-term care infrastructure plan was announced in January
• current wait lists for long-term care spots vary across the province; as of November 15, there were just over 1,700 people waiting at home for placement in long-term care
• of those waiting at home, more than 70 per cent receive home care
• seniors make up close to 22 per cent of Nova Scotia’s population; this is expected to climb to more than 25 per cent by 2032
• the Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment, Department of Seniors and Long-Term Care, and the continuing care sector are working together to recruit the staff needed to support the delivery of care that will be required for these new rooms

Additional Resources:

News release – Province Adding, Replacing More Long-Term Care Rooms: https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20231120001

News release – First Long-Term Care Replacement Home Opens: https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20230929006

News release – Construction Beginning on Long-Term Care Homes in Central Zone: https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20230517001

News release – Province Building More Long-Term Care Rooms: https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20230111001

Action for Health, the government’s plan for transforming the healthcare system: https://novascotia.ca/actionforhealth

Mandate letter of the Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care: https://novascotia.ca/exec_council/letters-2021/ministerial-mandate-letter-2021-SLTC.pdf