News release

More Long-Term Care Rooms for Musquodoboit Valley

Seniors and Long-Term Care
Long-Term Care Facilities

More seniors in the Musquodoboit Valley and surrounding communities will have access to needed long-term care with a new, expanded facility.

The Musquodoboit Valley Home for Special Care (Braeside) will be replaced with a 48-room facility, providing care for an additional 19 seniors. The new home is expected to open in 2032.

Tom Taggart, MLA for Colchester North, on behalf of Barbara Adams, Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care, made the announcement today, November 30.

“Most Nova Scotians want to live and age in their own homes as long as possible. But if or when the need for more care and support arises, Nova Scotians and their families can have the peace of mind knowing that state-of-the-art nursing homes, staffed with the highest levels of care, will be available to them in our communities,” said Mr. Taggart.

The new home 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:

“This investment in infrastructure will provide staff and volunteers the space to provide the excellent care they strive to provide each and every day. The expansion of beds will have a wonderful impact on accessibility to care for the Musquodoboit Valley and surrounding communities and the system at large.”

– Tara Rutherford, Health Service Manager, Musquodoboit Valley Home for Special Care

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