MacLeod Cares has opened its new Mahone Bay Nursing Home which is replacing its old 65-bed facility.
“Today is an exciting day as we open this new facility that’s been built to the current standard and will provide safe, quality care for seniors for years to come,” said MacLeod Care CEO Ramsay Duff. “The old facility was an old hotel so it was missing many of the key components that our now expected in our care homes.”
The new facility is located just a few hundred metres from the core of Mahone Bay on Main Street.
It is set in a tree-lined, park-like area. The three-storey building has six wings, each with 16 single rooms. The residents in each wing share a common space that has a kitchen, dining tables and a living area to enjoy social activities. The facility also has an occupational therapy and physiotherapy treatment room, a hair salon for residents, outdoor spaces and the Irene MacLeod Community Room – a large space for the use of residents, families, staff and community members.
MacLeod Care CEO Ramsay Duff at the grand opening of the new Mahone Bay Nursing Home. Photo: Evan Taylor.
Duff says residents from the old facility began moving in a week before their grand opening despite some remaining work to be done on the ground like paving and landscaping. “There is obviously a lot of pressure, specifically from hospitals to get our beds open so although we still need things like sod and asphalt the facility has everything it needs to care for these seniors now.”
The 65 Seniors living in the old Mahone Bay Nursing Home moved into the new facility last week, and the surplus 31 rooms will be filled in the very near future.
The construction of the new facility was funded entirely by the province who provided an initial $40 million investment.
Duff says that number has grown due to rising costs and delays during the pandemic and a final budget will be released by the province upon completion.
“This beautiful new home will allow residents to live with dignity and in comfort and provide a state-of-the-art workplace for the exceptional staff who work there,” said Lunenburg MLA Susan Corkum-Greek. “By adding more long-term care spaces, it will help meet the care needs of Lunenburg County residents for generations.”
Duff estimated that 97 per cent of the work on the new facility is currently done and the remaining final touches will be completed over the next few months.
An open house will be held to show the community the new facility later this summer when it is fully complete.
The old Mahone Bay Nursing Home was recently replaced by a new facility less than two kilometres away. Photo: MacLeod Cares.
The old facility which is also located on Main Street had many limitations including small common areas, limited natural light, accessibility issues and multiple shared rooms.
MacLeod retains ownership of the old facility and its fate remains uncertain, though Duff indicated that demolition was the most likely option as it is not suitable to house seniors any longer.
