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BEHCHOKO/RAE-EDZO
The Jimmy Erasmus seniors home in Behchoko will be replaced with a new facility offering twice the capacity by September 2014, government officials announced last week.

Elder Francis Williah, left, Health and Social Services Minister Tom Beaulieu, Public Works and Services Minister Jackson Lafferty and Tlicho Community Services Agency acting chair Joseph Mackenzie participates in the ground breaking ceremony for the new long-term care facility being constructed in Behchoko. Once the building is completed in September 2014 it will house 18 long-term care residents and employ 27 people. - photo courtesy of the GNWT

The new long-term care facility for the Tlicho community broke ground on April 12. Once completed, it will house up to 18 elders and employ approximately 27 people, said Tom Beaulieu, minister of Health and Social Services and minister responsible for seniors. The cost of constructing the building is estimated at just under $12 million.

"Seniors are the fastest growing population demographically," he said. "What we're discovering is that there's a demand, a greater and greater demand for long-term care."

Currently, the Jimmy Erasmus seniors home employs 13 people and can house eight elders at a time.

Once a portion of the new facility is completed next August, residents and staff will move to the new building and the Erasmus home will be demolished. When the entire facility is completed, new residents, as well as 14 new employees, will join them.

Beaulieu said he will be working closely with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, as well as Aurora College, to see what kind of training programs can be offered to ensure local people are qualified to apply.

There will be job opportunities for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, care aids, activity co-ordinators, cook helpers, laundry and administrative support, and a facility manager, he said.

"Hopefully we'll have a lot of people from the Tlicho area that will be filling these positions," the minister said.

The facility is meant to serve the entire Tlicho region, Beaulieu added, and will last upwards of 50 years.

"By building facilities that are long-lasting and energy efficient, the GNWT is making sure that the needs of our residents will be met for years to come," said Jackson Lafferty, minister of Public Works and Services, in a statement released on April 13.

Chief Charlie Football of Wekweeti said the new long-term care facility will fill a gap in the community and better serve the region's elders.

"I'd be the first one to go in there," joked the 61-year-old chief.

Football said he has heard from many people in the community who are seeking better services for elders. In addition, he said many people are hopeful it will provide much needed jobs for local people.

The Department of Public Works and Services awarded the design-build contract for the facility last December. Beaulieu said the government decided to replace the Jimmy Erasmus seniors home instead of update it because it would be more economical.

A name has yet to be chosen for the future facility, but Beaulieu said the decision will likely be left to the Tlicho Community Services Agency.

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