New, Modern Long-Term Care Rooms to be Built in Caledonia

People living in and around Caledonia, Queens County, will have access to a new, modern long-term care facility with the replacement of the North Queens Nursing Home.

The new North Queens Nursing Home, which is expected to open in 2032, will provide care to about 48 seniors.

Kim Masland, Minister of Public Works and MLA for Queens, on behalf of Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Barbara Adams, made the announcement today, November 28.

“At some point, almost of us will have a loved one in need of long-term care,” said Minister Masland. “We are planning today to ensure that the appropriate facilities are in place so that everyone we care about can have a safe and welcoming place to receive the care they need, when they need it.”

The new facility is 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:

“I am thrilled to receive the news of a replacement facility for North Queens Nursing Home. This will ensure even greater opportunities to provide the care our residents deserve in a modern facility designed at the current standards. It is great to see the investments for our residents, our staff and our community.”

– Lisa Gallant, Executive Director, North Queens Nursing 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 for the Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care: https://novascotia.ca/exec_council/letters-2021/ministerial-mandate-letter-2021-SLTC.pdf