Mom’s finding the stairs are getting steeper and Dad’s having trouble keeping the heavier, modern snow shoveled.

It might be time to talk to your parents about moving out of the old homestead.

That doesn’t mean they have to go straight from a suburban bungalow to a care centre.

Only about four per cent of Alberta seniors live in continuing-care centres, and most of those are more than 80 years old, says a report the United Way commissioned from the University of Calgary faculty of social work.

Shannon Oatway, Business Edge
The 175-bed Carewest Colonel Belcher will be connected to 175 private rental apartments when it opens this spring in northwest Calgary.

According to the United Way, Calgary faces a growing need for seniors’ accommodation and services.

The U of C report for the United Way points out the over-65 age group is the fastest-growing age group in Alberta. The proportion of seniors in the population will grow over the next four decades, it adds. By 2012, the oldest boomers will reach 65.

Many seniors depend on federal pension payments, which make up 54 per cent of retirement incomes. Work pensions from former employers make up 21 per cent of retirement incomes, and savings and investments other than RRSPs make up 12 per cent, says the report.

Shirley Reddy, housing co-ordinator at the Kerby Centre, says it can be overwhelming for seniors when they first have to move. The Kerby Centre’s housing directory helps thousands of people a year, with 17,000 calls and walk-in clients. It’s also on the Internet.

The co-ordinator says the first question is whether the seniors can stay in their own home. The health region and home care enable people to stay in their places longer – they may just need help with maintenance or grocery delivery.

If seniors can’t stay in their own homes, the next questions involve the options the person may have and what each type of housing offers, says Reddy.

Seniors look at affordability first, and then at square footage, since some units are quite small. They also want to know how much light there is and how “airy” the place is.

They also check hours that staff are in the building and how much support is provided. Family members tend to ask about meals and activities.

In the northwest neighbourhood of Parkdale, the new Carewest Colonel Belcher is being built with room for 175 seniors, mostly veterans.

It’s scheduled to open in May, says Marg Marlin, site leader for the facility.

The care centre offers 135 beds for veterans and another 40 for other seniors from the general population. The care centre is being built in 15-room segments so it will be more like a home than an institution.

There will also be a 175-unit Apex Lifestyle community connected to the care centre by a Plus-15. Thirty of the apartments will be assisted- living units, 20 of them reserved for veterans. Carewest will run the care centre and act as property manager for the lifestyle community, which Apex will own.

Marlin says Carewest will have a “campus of services” at the site, with the care centre, assisted living, independent- living apartments and a day-support program for veterans still living at home.

As the need for seniors’ accommodation has grown, the private sector has responded – Apex also has two other seniors projects on the go.

Another private-sector company, Canadian Seniors Housing Corp., is putting up a six-storey assisted living project in Mission. Fountains of Mission will open this spring with 96 suites, says Jan Jamieson, general manager of the project.

John Stoddart, president of Canadian Seniors Housing, says the units will range from studio apartments up to a few two-bedroom models.

The building is south of the old Holy Cross hospital next to William Aberhart Park.

The mix of tenant ages is expected to range from the 70s to the 90s, with the average about 83.

The company calls it a full- service retirement community, with three meals a day and housekeeping. Suites are just under 600 sq. ft. but there is “20,000 sq. ft. of living room” in the building, says Stoddart. That includes a business office with computers and fax machines, exercise room and crafts room.

Jamieson says the suites don’t have kitchens, just a sink and provision for a small fridge, coffee pot and microwave.

“We expect them in the dining room one or two times a day for nutritious meals and socialization,” she says.

Most of the building is designed for independent living, with at least one floor of assisted living.

There will also be a full-time nursing staff reporting to a director of care.

CORRECTION:

Parchoma & Jones Design Inc. recently won the Maple Leaf Award from the International Council of Shopping Centres for the best store over 10,000 sq. ft.

It is currently working on Sport Chek at Sunridge, not Market Mall. Incorrect information appeared in the Dec. 12, 2002 issue.