More Long-Term Care Rooms for Yarmouth

More seniors in the Yarmouth area will have access to long-term care as 21 single rooms at assisted living complex Yarmouth Heights are converted to licensed long-term care spaces.

“Nova Scotia seniors should be able to access long-term care if and when they need it,” said Service Nova Scotia Minister Colton LeBlanc, MLA for Argyle, on behalf of Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Barbara Adams. “We’ve demonstrated our commitment to expand access to this needed care with a promise to build 5,700 long-term care rooms across the province. We continue to explore opportunities, like the one presented here in Yarmouth, to add more rooms so that seniors can get the care they need faster.”

Residents will begin moving into the new spaces next week. The Province is working with facility owner and operator GEM Health Care Group to make upgrades to the first floor of Yarmouth Heights. This includes adding new beds, ceiling lifts, accessible dining room tables and a medication room, as well as making other upgrades to meet nursing home licensing requirements.

These added rooms will help free up hospital beds for surgeries and other medical treatments in western Nova Scotia.

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 applaud the Nova Scotia government’s commitment to enhancing long-term care access in the Yarmouth area through the conversion of 21 rooms at Yarmouth Heights. GEM Health Care Group is honoured to collaborate with the provincial government on this project, supporting our shared goal of ensuring seniors receive quality care in their community.”
— Mahmood Hussain, Director of People Relations, GEM Health Care Group

Quick Facts:

• assisted living facilities are private facilities where seniors live independently with some assistance with daily activities, while long-term care facilities are licensed and funded by the Province to meet the assessed care needs of residents
• the rooms at Yarmouth Heights are all single rooms with private bathrooms
• the Province is investing about $1 million to upgrade the space to meet requirements for long-term care
• the annual operating costs to the Province will be about $140,000 per room
• more than 1,500 single rooms will be built or converted to long-term care in the western health zone by 2032

Additional Resources:

Progress updates on long-term care rooms: https://novascotia.ca/long-term-care-rooms-progress-updates/

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

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