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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2015-09-30, Page 13Wednesday, September 30, 2015 • Huron Expositor 13 Retirement home venture is expected to help the Alzheimer's community Shaun Gregory Huron Expositor A unanimous vote by the council of Huron East will put the construction pro- cess of a massive retire- ment home in Seaforth that much closer. It is believed this will be a valu- able asset to seniors bat- tling Alzheimer's. The progressive disease known as Alzheimer's is a form of dementia that spe- cifically affects parts of the brain that slowly impairs thought, memory and lan- guage. At this time, the cause of why people con- tract this is unknown and currently there is no antidote. Public education coor- dinator for the Alzheimer Society of Huron County, Jeanette Sears indicated she could not comment about the specific 10 acre, three-storey, 80 -unit pro- ject, which also includes 40 multiple attached lodgings. Granting she did men- tion, "it's fantastic that peo- ple are starting to put the needs of persons with dementia right into their building plans." This dwelling for the aging population comes at a monumental time for the disease. According to the Rising Tide, which is a study conducted by the Alzheimer Society that states, in 2038 roughly 1,125,200 Canadi- ans will have the cognitive illness as well as an eco- nomic burden of $872 billion. "It's partly because of our population grid, there are so many baby boomers get- ting to retirement at 65, after we get to 65 our risk of getting dementia really increases. It repre- sents the demographics of our society as well," Sears explained. If everything goes as planned, JL Retirement Living, the company responsible for the bidding stated, this home -care facility will decrease the disease process, by keep- ing the seniors who are liv- ing with cognitive like dis- orders healthier for longer by continuing the lifestyle they're accustomed to. In hindsight, that Ariztve 11/4Frn woRK5! CAILL LIS TO PLACE YOUR AD HERE is specifically why the organization is building the townhouses across from the main complex. It is meant for couples to live in and for one's who are having difficulties manag- ing the other spouse with diseases such as Alzheimer's. Jessica Lunshof, CEO and president of JL Retirement Living said the primary goal for all the 40 multi attached townhouses, is for couples to stay with their significant other as "long as possible?' "They move in that home when they're pre -demen- tia, so the very early stages, then they know that by chance their spouse gets to the point where they can- not physically take care of them anymore, they just travel to the centre," Lun- shof said during a phone interview September 23. "They can be involved in their life and have the care right on the site?' From the document pre- sented to council on Sep- tember 22 at Huron East town hall, this establish- ment will be located at the end of Centennial Dr. and is bounded by a future extension at Centennial Dr. and Duke St. It will also expand to the west and backs on the Seaforth Public School property. As outlined in the document, the retirement home loca- tion is currently on land owned by the municipality of Huron East and the Sea - forth Community Hospi- tal. Presently, JL Retirement is responsi- ble for putting a land package together. "In getting to this stage, there is a lot of informa- tion that must be provided in terms of services," Huron East CAO Brad Knight told the Expositor in the council chambers a day after a town hall meeting. "Like what can be done as far as roads, sewers and water. Storm water was a big issue:' For now, before any- thing can move forward there is a 20 -day appeal period beginning Septem- ber 23, where anybody can reject the zoning by filing an appeal. Knight said SF People that are from Seaforth and Huron are retirees, they want to come there to retire, but what happens when one gets sick, they don't want to have to move back to Kitchener or where ever they came from he's in favor of the project and considers this "instru- mental" for the commu- nity of Seaforth. "I think this supple- ments the hospital very well, it's a pretty good two-way relationship," Knight said. Lunshof said she chose this precise location because it will play a hub to Kitchener, Stratford, Water- loo, London and Toronto. After driving past the site a few years ago on a stormy winter night, she knew right then that this was where this venture would end up. — commented Lunshof "People that are from Sea - forth and Huron are retir- ees, they want to come there to retire, but what happens when one gets sick, they don't want to have to move back to Kitchener or where ever they came from," com- mented Lunshof. Seaforth Coun. Bob Fisher. said "this is huge" for Seaforth and with all the construction and employ- ment this can only benefit the town. "The idea of a centre partly focusing on dementia, it's the foresight of these people, (we're) lucky to have been picked," he said. t „411 1_4_144 Core &-'Join Oct 19th •1 , a o 3a 1 ?Pro s... get 4Ominutes Free! 3crj!?%lohth RED LIGHT 1 Oct 24th 3tl 3 sp r get Terris... MADICA AN I I N 1. One Lucky Client Will Win a Month of Free Tanning and a Sample Gift Bag! get 1 month FR[[!LOTS OF DOOR PRIZES ICA 1• g N L 1 IN 3. S 11 Main St. Seaforth, Oft NOK 1WO 519-600-2826 One FREE! , Rei K,,,,�na„One FREE! Pitts 15 All Lotions...off