Despite finding out two week ago that Rainycrest Home for the Aged here would not get 32 long-term care beds for a special needs unit, administrator Kevin Queen said yesterday “things are looking pretty good” for reallocating some or all of the home’s 21 empty beds.
“We may be getting beds on an interim basis. I have to do a little checking with the Ministry [of Health and Long-Term Care],” he revealed, following up on his statement May 16 that “something could be happening very quickly.”
While Queen stressed nothing has been confirmed, he already is looking into the process of preparing for the beds. “Dietary and environmental specialists may have to come in but they should only be technicalities,” he noted.
Interim beds, as opposed to long-term care beds, are ones that may only be funded for a short while, depending on the demand. But with 36 people waiting to get into Rainycrest, getting such beds to be continually renewed, or made permanent, is a real possibility, Queen remarked.
He noted he may hear a confirmation from the ministry within a month or two, but added it may be slightly longer after that “everything will be in place.”
In related news, plans for a special needs unit are still in the works as options are being examined.
“We need it,” Queen had said previously. “We will work our resources to see it happen. I’m not out of the running–I’m just looking plan B or C.”
Such a unit would be used to tend to the cognitively-impaired residents in an area separate from those not in need of the specialized help.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
