The White and Yellow Cross Care Foundation broke ground on Thursday September 22 to start the much anticipated construction of its new Elderly Care Homes.
Plans for expansion started already in 2014, when a growing waiting list showed the urge for more capacity. Currently 21 seniors reside in the Sint Martin’s Home, which they share with 44 Nursing Home Clients. They will move to the new homes in late 2017. These homes will consist of 3 buildings, with 10 fully equipped studio’s each, catering to at least 30 clients. Each studio has a living room, bedroom and bathroom and per building there is a large kitchen, living and covered patio to share and meet with fellow residents. After the completion of the construction, 9 extra clients can be admitted. This is urgently needed as the waiting list for elderly care is long.
On the grounds there will be a vegetable garden, managed by the clients of the Sister Basilia Center, who live right next door. The idea is to grow their own produce to use in the kitchens and offer the seniors the option to do some gardening themselves.
When the clients move from the current Sint Martin’s Home to their new studios, expansions can take place in current care products of the foundation. The nursing home will expand from 44 to 55 beds, with 1 bed reserved for respite care. This is temporary care for clients who are cared for at home by their families who need a short break for example for medical or a brief vacation. The WYCCF will also start a 2-bed hospice center, caring for clients who need palliative care in their last stage of life. The physical rehabilitation center will expand from 4 to 8 beds, an increase that is very much needed with the amount of clients on the island who have had a stroke, amputation or spinal cord injury. Lastly, the psychogeriatric daycare can move to ground floor in the Sint Martin’s Home, creating extra space to place up to 20 new clients in the Sister Basilia Center Daycare.
The expansions were made possible by the close working relationship with Minister Lee and his cabinet staff. When the first presentation was made by WYCCF to Minister Lee, SZV and the team of Public Health, the plans were supported and all effort was made to get the process completed. Realizing that the construction would not only mean more seniors can access care, but so many other types of care could expand, Minister Lee and his team committed to the expansion and ensured that all was in place, according to the regulations that govern healthcare expansions.
At the groundbreaking event Minister Lee congratulated the board, management and staff of WYCCF, SZV and VSA, noting that without the cooperation from all stakeholders, this groundbreaking would not be possible.
“During my time as Minister, I have seen far too many of our senior citizens living in unacceptable situations.
One of Governments core responsibilities is to adequately care for those members of our community that are most valuable, especially our sick and elderly.
Every person deserves to be able to live their life with dignity and respect.
The planned expansion project brings much needed extra capacity for the white and yellow cross to be able to accommodate more senior citizens in a professionally managed and safe elderly care facility.
This expansion project compliments the ministry’s goal to improve the quality of life for all of our citizens. As a next phase, we would like to see Training and certification programs for home care providers to assist elderly to be able to live as long as possible in their own homes. “