Historic long-term care institution reaches out for help in funding a much-needed expansion
For close to a century, the Résidence Wales Home has graced a hilltop in Cleveland, a town in the Eastern Townships area, making it Quebec’s oldest long-term care facility. Now this venerable institution, which continues to provide up-to-date services to an aging Englishspeaking population, needs help to finance a vital expansion.
“We must increase the number of beds in our longterm care units from 84 to 96,” said Brendalee Piironen, executive director, “and since the government funding we receive does not extend to such a project, we are reaching out to the public.”
The Wales Home may be a victim of its own success. Word has spread about the excellent care delivered with a highly personal touch. It also enjoys status as an institution sanctioned to offer services in the English language. The result is a residential facility in which up to 200 seniors can truly feel at home. Small wonder Piironen is flooded with inquiries from across the province.
To accommodate increased demand and meet government requirements, the first spade has been turned on a new three-storey wing. It will include 42 modern private rooms with ensuite bathrooms, and expanded living and dining rooms. Improved energy efficiency and a large solarium, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the valley, are among the other improvements. With a total estimated cost of $6.5 million, the project will also see many existing units get some much-needed updates.
“We want to continue to offer all levels of care, from independent living quarters to end-of-life or palliative care,” Piironen said.
An indication of this private, not-for-profit organization’s importance to the local community: the impressive number of volunteers that help it operate so smoothly. They outnumber employees at over 200 to 160 respectively. Those involved with the Wales Home Foundation that supports the institution will be involved in raising the needed funds.
But the Wales Home’s influence is wide-reaching. As of last August, the Quebec Ministry of Health appointed it the go-to English-language Centre d’hébergement de soins de longue durée (CHSLD) for the Townships and beyond. This means that available beds are open to anyone residing in the province; many recent admissions are from the Montreal area.
Piironen, who also sits on the Wales Home Foundation board, is hoping for support from the wider community and is now reaching out to a number of private foundations.
“This expansion project is vital to our growth and every dollar counts,” she said. “We welcome individual donations, no matter how small.”
Anyone wishing to contribute to the Wales Home project may do so through the foundation. Online donations are easily made through CanadaHelps.org. Cheques should be sent to: The Wales Home Foundation, 506 Route 243 North, Cleveland, Quebec J0B 2H0 — and donations in the form of shares are also welcomed. For more information on transferring investments to the Wales Home Foundation Portfolio, please contact Brendalee Piironen at bpiironen@waleshome.ca. You can also call 819-8263266 or 877-826-3266, or visit www.waleshome.ca for more information.
THIS STORY WAS CREATED BY CONTENT WORKS, POSTMEDIA’S COMMERCIAL CONTENT DIVISION, ON BEHALF OF WALES HOME FOUNDATION.