It is often said that when one door closes, another opens.
And that is exactly the case for Upper Canada Lodge, a long-term care home in Niagara-on-the-Lake that will shut its doors for good this late spring.
The 80-bed facility on Wellington Street will be shuttered on June 19, the same day a new Gilmore Lodge is slated to open its doors in Fort Erie.
The new Gilmore Lodge will double its capacity from 80 to 160 beds and for all intents and purposes, replace the beds being lost in NOTL.
Construction on an expansion of Lindhaven Home in St. Catharines, increasing its capacity from 248 to 261 beds, is also happening now.
Henri Koning, director of senior services for Niagara Region, which operates Upper Canada Lodge, confirmed the closure date in an email to The Lake Report and said that the province’s Home and Community Care Support Services is coordinating new places for the residents to stay.
“Home and Community Care has been working closely with residents and families at Upper Canada Lodge since April to help each resident find an appropriate home to relocate to,” Koning wrote.
She said that some of the residents have chosen to move to the new Gilmore Lodge, while others will be moving to other retirement homes in Niagara-on-the-Lake including Pleasant Manor, which is in the midst of its own 160-bed expansion, or other homes in the region.
“Upper Canada Lodge is working with residents on a case-by-case basis to support the move and transition to an alternate home,” Koning wrote.
Programming for seniors that is currently offered at Upper Canada Lodge will continue to be offered in town, she added, indicating community programs, including an adult day program, will be offered at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Community Centre.
Upper Canada Lodge is one of three senior homes offering long-term care services. The others are Pleasant Manor and Niagara Long-Term Care Residence.
The new Gilmore Lodge and expansion of Lindhaven are a part of the $175 million being spent to improve long-term care facilities in the region. The provincial government has chipped in with $66 million over 25 years.
