A new supportive living facility has officially opened its doors in Red Deer.
Villa Marie, located at 10 Carrington Dr., opened to residents this month with about 18 currently living there. Officials with Villa Marie expect the facility to be full by March.
The project took two years to construct with a total price tag of about $30 million.
The 80,000 sq. ft. facility has 70 studio suites; six one-bedroom suites for couples and 24 memory care rooms for dementia patients needing specialized care.
“We are a supportive living level four building with a supportive living dementia unit of 24,” said Russell Janzen, the on-site administrator. “The response has been huge to our facility. We are already slated to be full.”
Residents pay $1,785 monthly which includes their room, housekeeping services, 24-hour care and meals as well as entertainment and activities.
“We charge what is in line with provincial standards,” said Janzen.
Each room includes its own washroom with a shower and space for a mini fridge and microwave as well.
Villa Marie also offers electronic charting which reduces charting time for staff at the facility by about half. Janzen added it also allows for better auditing.
Meanwhile, Cal Dallas, minister of international and intergovernmental relations and MLA for Red Deer South, said the opening of Villa Marie will certainly help with the need for seniors’ housing in the City.
“There’s continuous growth that is happening within our community and obviously that component of the population that is aging requires more advanced care and this is part of that address to that capacity challenge that we have. It is very much needed and it’s great to see this coming on line.”
He added more facilities like Villa Marie are needed in the City to address the growing number of seniors’ needing care.
“We’ll continue to look and advocate for continuous expansion of that capacity. We can be both thankful that our community is growing and that people choose to locate here, but there are needs that come with that and obviously this facility is going to help us address those needs,” said Dallas.
efawcett@reddeerexpress.com
