Schlegel Villages to Develop a New Campus of Care in Oakville to Provide a High-Quality of Life and Person-centred Service delivery model to its 640 Village Neighbours
Innovative design includes a Health Centre, Living Classroom, and a central Main Street and Town Square to help residents maintain community connections
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oakville, ON – October 13, 2021 – Schlegel Villages has received approval from the Ontario government to begin development of a new Campus of Care in Oakville that will initially provide innovative LTC care and living arrangements to 640 persons.
The new Campus will feature two, 320-bed long-term care homes, which will ultimately benefit from their connection to one another via the creation of a “main street” that will span the entire length of the building and provide retirement and independent living options. The simplicity and familiarity of our main street acts to gently orient people of varying cognitive strengths to encourage the ease of passage across the continuum, requiring almost no wayfinding and enhanced by the many facades and amenities encountered along the way. At the heart of the Campus will be a Main Street and Town Square, where residents and their families can make trips to the pub, corner store, pharmacy, Health Centre, the Riverstone Spa, or the rooftop Ruby’s Restaurant, where casual and refined dining can be accessed by all, regardless of whether they are a resident of the Village.
“Community is at the heart of everything we believe in at Schlegel, and our family knows from personal experience how important maintaining personal connections, relationships and a sense of independence can be to the well-being of our elderly loved ones,” says Jamie Schlegel, President and CEO of Schlegel Villages. “This new Village has been designed not only to reflect these important aspects of healthcare, but will also create opportunities to innovate how we educate team members on delivering that care.”
Through partnerships with local colleges, the new long-term care home will also include a “Living Classroom”, a physical space within the Village where students can receive in-class and clinical teaching, as well as participate in real interactions with residents.
“Our seniors have a lot to teach us, and as the ones receiving care, we believe they are one of the most important voices in educating us on how to do that most effectively,” continued Schlegel.
The home will also exceed standards set out in the Ontario government’s Long-Term Care Home Design Manual by offering exclusively private bedroom spaces, a significant investment towards supporting enhanced dignity, minimizing personal expressions while also benefitting from a design feature that will improve infection prevention and control (IPAC) conditions. The community will also benefit from the approximately 2 1/2 times the amount of activity and lounge space being built in excess of existing LTC Home Design standards.
“We recognize that the pandemic has shone a light on what hasn’t been working in long-term care, especially in regard to IPAC measures. It’s why we feel strongly that this new home should go beyond current standards and offer residents the best care possible based on these lessons learned,” added Schlegel.
Schlegel Villages is also actively working with the Sikh and Hindu communities in Oakville to support more culturally-appropriate long term care and living approaches and approaches to healthcare that reflect the communities increasingly diverse population.
“The most wonderful thing about caring for seniors is the lifetime of experience they bring with them to our Villages. We want to do more to incorporate their culture and experiences into our Villages and the care we provide, and we are so proud to be working with the Sikh and Hindu communities to achieve this,” concluded Schlegel.
The project is currently anticipated to be completed by 2025
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Media Contact:
communications@schlegelvillages.com
About Schlegel Villages
Canadian owned and operated, Schlegel Villages manages quality long-term care and retirement Villages across Ontario. It was 1953 when Wilfred Schlegel bought the family’s first nursing home and today our Villages benefit from a legacy of many years of direct experience co-owning, managing and operating Long-Term Care and Retirement Communities in Ontario.
