Inglewood Care Centre works COVID-19 lessons into its new design

It’s really only been with us for about 15 months, but the global pandemic has left a permanent mark on how we will care for seniors in long-term care now and into the future.

The well-worn ideas of shared rooms, mass dining halls and a dormitory approach to housing long-term care (LTC) residents was fully reinvented when Baptist Housing created its redevelopment plans for the 58-year-old Inglewood Care Centre on Taylor Way.

The plan, now submitted to the District of West Vancouver for consideration, will be one of the first to “bake right into the design” several newly mandated infection-control methods that have just been developed by Vancouver Coastal Health.

These COVID-inspired changes will be included from the ground up, not just added as afterthoughts.

The aging 230-bed LTC building at Inglewood is to be totally replaced with two new state-of-the-art buildings in the first phase.

This creates new replacement housing for the current residents whose care is funded by Vancouver Coastal Health Rooms. In addition, 10 more private-pay LTC suites will also be built.

Gone will be the dormitory-style room layout and single-dining area downstairs seen in many LTCs. Residents in the two new Inglewood buildings will be organized into “households of 12”, each with its own common dining, living and activity area all on the same floor.

This creates a more communal, and less institutional feel while making infection control easier to implement during a time of viral outbreaks, like flu season.

The Inglewood team members who provide services for residents in each household will enter from a separate, back of house entrance not frequented by residents.

All residents will have a private room of their own, including a three-piece washroom. Common areas will have controlled entrances for health screening of visitors and team members, and purpose-built visiting rooms for each household will help prevent the spread of viruses.

The development permit application for the Inglewood site is built around the notion of creating a new overall “campus of care” with affordable seniors’ housing added to the mix in subsequent phases along with more LTC beds. New, affordable housing for seniors in the Taylor Way Corridor is identified as a specific need according to West Vancouver’s Official Community Plan.

The range of housing proposed is one of many significant social, economic and environmental benefits that Inglewood’s redevelopment will provide for the community.

This unique, integrated variety of housing options creates a continuum of care that enables seniors to live long-term on the same property in the kind of residence best suited to them, even if their housing needs change as they age. Residents will be able to age within the same community, while remaining close to friends and family. Amenities are to include a salon, café, town hall, bistro, dining room, gyms, activity rooms, walking paths and courtyards.

Baptist Housing has a rich history of serving seniors in British Columbia since 1964, with more than 2,750 residents supported by 2,500 team members in 21 senior living communities across the province.

As a non-profit faith organization, Baptist Housing reinvests all surplus dollars into charitable purposes for community benefit.

The Inglewood development permit application may be viewed at baptisthousing.org/inglewoodredevelopment