A new long-term care home in Belle River is now officially open.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Monday to celebrate the opening of Lakeshore Residence at 1628 Essex County Road 22 near Willowood Drive.
The approximately 99,995-square-foot home adds 160 long-term care beds to the community and is also expected to employ approximately 235 people.
The over $70 million new home in Belle River is operated by Riverdale Living, which is owned by Arch Corporation.
Chairman and CEO of Arch Corporation Dan Argiros says it’s really a vision come true.
“We got into this business 10 years ago, and the idea was to build the next generation of long-term care homes, one where you walked into the front lobby and you felt comfortable. You didn’t feel like you were walking into an institution that was cold and harsh,” he says.
60 per cent of the rooms will be private rooms, while the basic rooms will have a maximum of two people.
Argiros says the old generation of long-term care homes were smaller and less efficient.
“We took a modern approach here. The idea here was to make it bright, airy, and open. Even though you’re inside, you feel like you’re outside. Given our climate, it’s a little cooler here than normal,” he says. “We built courtyards here in the middle of the building where you can go outside and be sheltered from the wind. We tried to extend the outdoor season as much as we can.”
Lakeshore Residence offers 24-hour nursing and personal care, recreation and social programming, restorative nursing, palliative care, and specialized dementia care.