CANADA, September 9 - Seniors in Squamish and area are one step closer to improved and expanded long-term care as Vancouver Coastal Health prepares to build a new home with 152 beds.
“Our seniors deserve accessible and timely health care that meets their needs as they age,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “The Hilltop House has been a great home for their residents for over three decades. We will add a new state-of-the-art building to replace the existing 90 beds and increase the number of long-term care and hospice beds to 152 to meet the increased demand of the communities in Squamish. This will benefit seniors and the overall health system significantly.”
The new five-storey home, which will be located at 42000 Loggers Lane, will add 58 new long-term care beds and four hospice beds. It will also replace 90 beds at Hilltop House, including 85 long-term care beds, one respite bed and four hospice beds. The new home will also offer a 10-space day program for older adults and child-care space for 37 children.
“This new long-term care home in Squamish will provide support for seniors in the region, helping them remain close to their loved ones and community, while receiving the quality care they need, if and when they need it,” said Harwinder Sandhu, Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors’ Services and Long-Term Care. “By also offering an adult program, this will allow more seniors in the community to age in place, in their own homes for longer.”
The new long-term care home will be designed as “households,” each accommodating 12 residents. Every resident will have a private single bedroom and bathroom within households that include social and recreational spaces, such as living rooms, dining rooms, activity areas and access to outdoor spaces.
“Vancouver Coastal Health is pleased to expand services for seniors and their families in the Sea-to-Sky corridor,” said Darlene McKinnon, vice-president, coastal community at Vancouver Coastal Health. “We are grateful for the support and look forward to working with our partners, including the Ministry of Health, Squamish and Lil’wat Nations, and District of Squamish.”
The capital cost of the project is estimated to be $286 million and will be funded by the Province. Construction is expected to start in 2027 and be complete in 2030. The care home will be built, owned and operated by Vancouver Coastal Health. Planning for the new home has been underway for several years, based on identified facility, clinical and community needs, and will be further refined through the Health Vision Sea to Sky community engagement process.
Long-term care homes provide care to individuals with complex care needs who can no longer live safely and independently at home. Long-term care homes provide 24-hour nursing care delivered by a team of well-trained staff, including allied health staff.
To meet the increasing demand witnessed over the past five years, government has invested more than $3.5 billion to expand and improve quality of care for seniors in British Columbia. This funding includes improvements in primary care, home health, long-term care and assisted living.
Learn More:
For more information about senior service in B.C., visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/family-social-supports/seniors
To learn more about Health Vision Sea to Sky, visit: https://engage.vch.ca/health-vision
