Residents at Kuujjuaq, Que., elders home to be relocated
By Samuel Wat
Residents at a care home in Kuujjuaq, Que., could soon be relocated because of heating and other technical issues with the building.
In a news release Wednesday, the Ungava Tulattavik Health Centre (UTHC), which runs the Tusaajiapik Elders Home, said it’s working on alternative housing options for the facility’s 13 residents, 10 of whom are either bedridden or in wheelchairs.
“Where possible, solutions in the Nunavik region will be preferred. If certain clinical situations require it, partner resources located in southern Quebec could be considered to ensure continuity of care,” the news release reads.
Larry Watt, UTHC’s executive director, told CBC’s Tuttavik the move is precautionary. However, the building – built in the 1990s – is in need of a fix-up.
“The home wasn’t originally intended for hospital care nor for elders from other communities, however due to circumstances over time and lack of infrastructure, the UTHC maintains the services,” he said in Inuktitut.
He couldn’t provide a timeline for the move, or say when building repairs will begin. However, the UTHC said it is completing individual assessments to determine the best care transition plan for each resident.
For residents transferred to care facilities in southern Quebec, UTHC is offering special measures for relatives. They include up to six plane tickets a year for visits, plus coverage for accommodation, meals and local transportation.
As for the 35 staff working at the Tusaajiapik elders home, UTHC said it’s working on alternative employment within other parts of the institution.
Watt said the heating issues include renovations to a furnace, and most parts for repairs still need to be shipped from the south. He estimates the cost of that work to be up to $15 million.
However, the Nunavik Housing Bureau’s director general, Lupin Daignault, said the housing authority does regular maintenance of the building, and he isn’t aware of any heating issues.
He said the housing authority currently manages the building, though that will soon be the UTHC’s responsibility as well.
Daignault said he started raising concerns two years ago that the building was not up to code to operate as a care home, so he’s glad to finally see some action from the UTHC.
“I’m happy about this [announcement] that the hospital and the health board did today because it will just make things go forward a little faster, probably,” he said.
He said the disruption from these renovations exposes an underlying issue – the lack of long-term care facilities in the North.
Once renovations begin, Daignault believes it could be at least another year before residents can move back into the building.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: How VR is helping some N.W.T. elders reconnect with tradition, CBC News
