Elim breaks ground to begin new seniors’ care centre

Complex Care facility new addition

SURREY, British Columbia – The long-term goal to provide ‘complex care’ to its aging residents and others in the community is taking a giant step forward with the recent groundbreaking ceremony at the 20-acre location of Elim Village, a multi-faceted seniors’ community founded by Dutch Canadians. The $25 million project will be build directly behind Elim’s assisted living centre and will facilitate 118 new complex care (extended care) beds in the 100,000-square foot Complex Care Building.

Marten Van Huizen, Elim Housing Society’s Chief Executive Officer, who plans to return to his own business, says that realizing the Complex Care phase of Elim Village will allow it to fully serve the needs of the immediate community as well as the broader community of which we are a part.

The region’s healthcare provider Fraser Health will be funding 80 of the 118 beds. Fraser Health also has a contract with Elim for nearly 50 beds in the assisted living building.

The building, scheduled to be completed by summer 2008, has been configured into ‘neighbourhoods’ of about 14 beds each with three neighbourhoods on a typical floor. The three storey Complex Care facility has a group floor planned for 28 beds plus space for personal services and administration offices. Also included in the construction phase will be a connecting link to the existing assisted living building which houses a state of the art kitchen and laundry facilities. The kitchen is capable of handling all dietary requirements for Elim, including the new complex care facility.

To ensure that Elim has the necessary experience and skills to meet the requirements of complex care residents, it is augmenting its team with Pacific Congregate Management Inc. to provide strategic management and care services.

Elim’s current facilities include 127 independent living units comprising duplexes and three-storey apartments, a 109-unit assisted living building and an additional 70 units together with a 15,000-square foot amenity building.