The Sharon Home and Aging in Place

Thursday morning this week, I attended the groundbreaking of the Bringing it all together project. This project will bring together the Kanee and Simkin Centres at one location at one Falcon Ridge Drive, the present location of the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre.

Of particular interest is the design for this project. I had the chance to meet with Jacqueline Jasinski and Jeff Penner with Stantec Architecture who were involved in the design of the new facility. The design is based on the concept of aging in place. Living accomodations are designed so that individuals who live in the facility will be able to stay in one place as they get older no matter what the extent of their disability (with the exception of when they need acute hospital care) .

All rooms are designed so that they are fully accessible for wheelchairs, for lifting devices and for a variety of other supports that may be necessary as a person ages. Older people do better when they are in familiar surroundings. Older people do better when they do not have to move repeatedly and do not have to make continuing adjustments as a result. This is the reason behind the concept of aging in place and the design of this facility. I am looking forward to seeing the facility when it is fully completed.