Oxford County council members have decided to move forward with a funding application for a new long-term care facility in Ingersoll that will offer at least 160 beds.
Following Wednesday night’s council meeting, Oxford County Warden Marcus Ryan, Ingersoll Mayor Brian Petrie, and Alexandra Hospital President Nadia Facca issued a statement about the pending project.
The idea is to “leverage the resources and staff expertise of Alexandra Hospital and the existing 34-bed Woodingford Lodge in Ingersoll under a ‘campus of care’ model, providing exemplary service to seniors and others,” according to the letter.
“These are our grandparents, our aunts and uncles, and we want to look after them properly and provide a level of care that frankly we’re proud of,” Ryan commented. “In terms of patient-to-caregiver ratios, in terms of quality of diet, in terms of facilities themselves, we wanted to deliver a service we would be proud of.”
Ryan explained how this new development would be a “broader consideration of care” than a traditional long-term facility.
Ideally, the new care home will serve people at various stages of life – not just the elderly. For example, this facility could offer a place to stay for someone who requires medical supervision for a few weeks, but doesn’t necessarily need a full-service hospital bed.
Currently, Ingersoll has the smallest number of beds among the Oxford County communities that provide long-term care. The area has a higher-than-average senior population and is the fastest-growing county in southwestern Ontario.
“There’s already waitlists that are too long, 1,200 day waiting lists for some people – that’s four years. Four years is a long time to wait for anything,” said Ryan. “If you’re dealing with health issues and having trouble looking after yourself everyday, it’s just not okay.”
Ryan said that 160 beds in the minimum number they are looking for.
Oxford County Council unanimously endorsed submitting an application to the Ministry of Long-Term Care for provincial funding. The Ontario government previously made a commitment to add 30,000 new long-term care beds by 2028.
