New care home in Meadow Lake partially open but still searching for nurses - Action News
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Saskatchewan

New care home in Meadow Lake partially open but still searching for nurses

Residents of Meadow Lake in northwestern Saskatchewan are celebrating the long-awaited opening of a new long-term care home, but must wait longer for it to operate at full capacity. A shortage of nurses means only 48 of 72 beds are open, for now.

Sask. Health Authority needs to find more nurses to open 72-bed NorthWest Community Lodge at full capacity

Arlene Schuler, 80, has moved into the much-anticipated NorthWest Community Lodge in Meadow Lake, Sask.. It replaces the aging Northland Pioneers Lodge, built in 1955, where Schuler used to live. (Bonnie Allen/CBC )

Eighty-year-old Arlene Schulersays she couldn't have imagined how nice her new home would be.

Schuler cut the ribbon at Thursday'sgrand opening of the newly constructed NorthWest Community Lodge, a long-term care home in the northwestern Saskatchewan city of Meadow Lake.

"I love everything about it," said Schuler."The rooms are magnificent."

The newlodge will eventually have capacity for up to 72 residents but currently, only 48 beds are open due to a nursing shortage.

It replaces the Northland Pioneers Lodge, which was built in 1955 andhoused 53 residents. According to the local fundraising committee, the aging facility wasn't large enough to meet demand, nor was itdesigned to offer privacy, independence, or state-of-the-art care to residents.

Schuler cut the ribbon to officially open the NorthWest Community Lodge on Thursday. She was joined by the Saskatchewan Health Authority's interim CEO, Andrew Will, volunteers from the NorthWest Community Lodge Association Alannah Farr and Crystal Murray, Meadow Lake MLA Jeremy Harrison, Rural Health Minister Everett Hindley, and Meadow Lake Mayor Merlin Seymour. (Bonnie Allen/CBC)

The new homeoffers a"small house" model of care, first introduced to Saskatchewan in a Swift Current care home, with design features that improve quality of life and feel less clinical.

Essentially,the Meadow Lake building is split into six houses, each home to 12 residents who live in individual rooms and share a patio,open-conceptliving room, dining space, kitchen, and a cook.

The houses have their own names, including Eagle Nest and Wolf Ridge.

Two of the lodge's six houses aren't yet open, but each will have space for 12 residents, and its own kitchen with a dedicated cook. Meals are made fresh on-site and residents are welcome to sit at the kitchen counter and watch their food being prepared. (Bonnie Allen/CBC)

The building has lots of natural light, family visiting rooms,and a ventilated space for Indigenous pipe ceremonies and smudges.

"We're really trying to move toward a more home-like atmosphere," said Rural Health Minister Everett Hindley, who attended the opening.

"We're really trying to get away from thatsort of old style of institutionalized facilities.These are their homes, for these folks, and we really want them to be that."

Nursing shortage

Two of the six houses aren't operational, though, due to a staffing shortage.

Specifically, the Saskatchewan Health Authority needs to recruit registered nurses for nearly three full-time positions, as well a licensed practical nurse and some continuing care aides.

The health authority's interim CEO, Andrew Will, said part of the reason for the shortage is that the new lodge is larger than the old one.

"We're growing the service here in Meadow Lake, which is really good news. At the same time, we're certainly facing staffing recruitment challenges," said Will.

"Our hope is to recruit additional staff as soon as we possibly can so we can open the full 72 beds."

A dining room inside Eagle Nest house at the NorthWest Community Lodge. It's currently vacant due to a staffing shortage. (Bonnie Allen/CBC)

Hindleysaid the province isrecruiting across Canada and abroad, as well as bolstering training opportunities for local residents who are interested in pursuing careers in health care.

"These [shortages] are challenges we face right across the province,whether it's long-term care homes,whether it's hospitals, health centres,EMS services,paramedics.We know we have some challenges," the minister told CBC News after touring the lodge.

This is one of several recumbent tubs at the lodge, each worth $26,000. The NorthWest Community Lodge Association, a charity run by 10 volunteers, raised nearly $2 million to buy furniture, fixtures and equipment. (Bonnie Allen/CBC)

There's a wait-list for the care home.

"I think there is a lot of optimism about how this is going to continue to serve the community for a long time into the future," said Meadow Lake MLA Jeremy Harrison.

"You saw such commitment to making sure we got this right. A lot of the folks who were building this facility are from town here and really,withthat in mind, went the extra mile."

The province contributed $30 million, while the city and rural municipality came up with the other $8 millionto build the lodge.

A group of volunteers called the NorthWest Community Lodge Associationspent years raising nearly $2 million to pay for furniture, fixtures, and equipment.