Graduated care for seniors

Changing levels of care are available at Columbia Garden Village—from independent living to around-the-clock nursing

1 of 3Phase 1 of Columbia Garden Village is in full use; construction of Phase 2 has begun. — Marie Milner photo

2 of 3This is the entrance to Columbia Garden Village in Invermere, B.C. — Marie Milner photo

3 of 3Pace Setter Construction is building the expansion at Columbia Garden Village in Invermere, B.C. — Marie Milner photo

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Invermere's Columbia Garden Village, a seniors facility sitting cheek-to-cheek with the Invermere and District Hospital, is growing.

The existing building has 63 independent and assisted-living suites. Construction on the addition of 34 residential care suites funded by B.C.'s Interior Health Authority (IHA) began in the spring of 2012 and should be wrapping up at the end of this year. The project is being built by Pace Setter Construction—the development arm of Golden Life Management and the Kootenays’ largest provider of seniors housing—in partnership with the IHA. As much as possible, local trades and local businesses have been contracted to do the construction.

Here's how it works

Celeste Mullin, chief operations officer of Golden Life Management and daughter of developer Endre Lillejord, described the project.

“In the big picture, when the whole building is done, it will form what’s called a ‘campus of care,' ” she said. “In this campus there are three types of accommodation: independent living, assisted living and residential care.”

The independent living suites are market housing suites and are month-to-month rentals for seniors wanting a little extra support in their lives. The assisted living suites are funded by the IHA; clients contemplating a move into that area are assessed to determine if they are appropriate for the program and then services are delivered through Golden Life Management.

IHA manages the wait-list for residential care, deciding which clients need 24-hour professional nursing care. Golden Life Management then delivers service to those clients.

“I think the biggest challenge we faced with this expansion was that our start was delayed by the upgrading and re-activation of the hospital’s helipad,” said Mullin. “Now that we’re in the ground and running, we’re right on schedule with where we should be.”

A personal interest

Mullin described how Golden Life Management came into being 13 years ago. When her father was looking for housing for his elderly but independent mother, he found that there was a gap in seniors housing options.

“There was nothing available where people could feel safe and secure but still have enough independence to make their own choices and live their own lives,” Mullin said. “So he built Joseph Creek Village in Cranbrook, and my grandma was one of our first residents there. We’re celebrating our 13th anniversary this month.”