OROMOCTO VALLEY CO-OPERATIVE LIVING
BACKGROUND
Atlantic Canada has the fastest growing seniors demographic in the world!
Oromocto and area are experiencing this same expansion of residents in their senior years but with a unique twist. The original village of Oromocto was suddenly re-established as a ‘model town’ [planned town] in response to the rapid creation of Canadian Forces Base Gagetown beginning in the mid-1950s. Many of its now aging residents moved here as military families at that time and remained, bought homes, raised their families and retired. Those who came as young adults are now in their 70s and 80s and are now facing unpleasant quandaries.
When they reach a point where remaining in their own home is no longer feasible they realize they must, in most cases, leave this community to find the resources they require. This is not acceptable to them, their friends, their families, or their community.
The Oromocto Co-operative Housing Ad hoc Committee [OCHAC] came together in late 2009 and early 2010 under the leadership of Rev Robert McDowell to initiate a conversation about what plans of action can lead to the establishment of a comprehensive non-profit, community based, aging in place, equity backed co-operative, primarily but not exclusively, for seniors. A 2010 community wide survey resulted in over 100 written expressions of interest from Oromocto alone! The survey returns identified that many have the equity required to establish a ‘state of the art’ aging in place co-operative of living and care options responsive to the complex needs and wishes of seniors.
This aging in place concept represents a continuum of care [sometimes called continuing care] and living options whereby supportive and assistive services first come to people where they live. When appropriate, such as in more complex or intensive situations, people move within the facility to where the service can best be provided. All needs, accepting acute medical care will be provided within the same co-operative institution.
The Goal is to build an extensive and comprehensive network of independent, supported, assisted, living options accompanied by a 100 bed special care facility and a large [100 bed] nursing home.
The accompanying goal is to build this with a green renewable energy infrastructure all within well built, highly insulated, quality units, inclusive of predictive needs configuration and amenities, with numerous common spaces and services all set within exceptional landscaped and secure grounds.
In April 2011 the OCHAC Board members took the step to incorporate with the support of Co-operative Enterprise Council and especially David Daughton. A basic set of by-laws were chosen and three members, Jocelyn Doucet, Ian Andrews, and Tony Ratliffe, agreed to be the provisional directors of the Association now known as Oromocto Valley Co-operative Living Limited (OVCL). In May memberships were solicited first from those who submitted expressions of interest. On 22 June 2011 our first AGM was held at which time directors were elected from amongst the membership.
GENERAL PROJECT OVERVIEW
Some older adults no longer wish to live in the large house where they raised their now-grown children. Some don’t want to cut grass, worry about the roof or meet the ever present requirements of private home ownership. Or maybe they desire to move to a new neighborhood where they can socialize with other people their age more regularly and easily. Older people have desires to live meaningful lives, explore new opportunities and meet new needs in life while taking a measure of comfort in knowing they have options and security when their care needs change, as they will.
The location for the OVCL it is proposed to be adjacent to Sebani Street on the East side of Oromocto. The location places it in the central district of the Town close to many amenities such as the hospital, recreation facilities, parks, shopping mall and more.
Independent living is an option for those who currently live independent lives but recognize that they are approaching the time they can anticipate a change in their needs and want to be pro-active in establishing themselves at a time of good health in this co-operative living option. This will present a number of benefits for such people including:
- contributing to and benefiting from the strengths of co-operative living,
- aquiring an element of security [or reduce angst] through knowing that whatever life may bring to them moving will not of necessity be required beyond internal relocation,
- relieving themselves of the pressures of maintaining a private property,
- reinvesting their equity in a new innovative sustainable community project,
- in the case of couples, knowing that the other will be cared for even should separation be required and will not require distance travel.
- in the case of those living with a dependent [child, parent, sibling or other] knowing that if they are unable to continue to look out for the interests of their dependent, they are in a facility that will respect pre-arranged care agreements.
Assisted and supported living may well constitute the largest component of the whole project. It is anticipated that 300 or more people will be living in the garden homes or apartment type units either at the main site or one of the satellite communities. Most of these will predictably take advantage of the supportive and assistive opportunities.
Assisted living is used here to refer to those situations where a regular [usually daily] or other routine plan of care is in effect and provided or administered through the co-operative or another agency [i.e. VON, extramural]. This can range from assistance in personal care and dressing, to medical therapies, managing oxygen support equipment and more.
Supported living refers to those flexible or irregular extra services the strengths of a co-operative can provide. These can range from the straightforward services such as lifting, snow and garbage removal through to more complex services such as managing personal financial affairs for someone confused or unsure about the management of personal business affairs, advocacy on behalf of vulnerable members, application assistance for grants and other entitlements. Many older people still capable of independence may not be able to accomplish certain tasks such as cooking because of a visual impairment, perform a certain fine motor skill because of arthritis, or shop because of pain, etc.
Co-operative living will provide opportunities first for members to support one another in new ways because of proximity, or for the co-operative to support by compensating through negotiated agreement planned provision of services such as weekly grocery shopping or food preparation when a person with a chronic condition is ill.
Satellite developments of co-operative, independent, supported and assisted living will be created as interest can be cultivated in outlying communities within a feasible radius of Oromocto, extending to the north, east and south. One of the innovative concepts of this project is to identify strategies whereby the strengths of the main site can be leveraged to empower seniors in smaller communities to remain in their own communities and ‘age in place’ as long as desired.
These one level garden type home developments will feature similar characteristics as the main site and will benefit from and be dependent upon the administrative support and services stemming from the Oromocto centre.
Members of the satellite sites will be full members of the co-operative with all the rights, privileges and responsibilities of membership. They would have access to priority applicant status at the main site should these members choose to relocate into Oromocto because of either preference or need.
The fact of dependents is an added challenge for the planning phase of this co-operative to strategize for. One of the interesting [and surprisingly not uncommon situations], are the growing number of aging persons looking to their own future needs while simultaneously being responsible for a dependent child, sibling, parent or other. How this will be accommodated remains unclear yet the imperative is that this be accounted for in the membership plan and design.
At the simplest end is the option to just build units capable of housing three. But what happens when, in time, three becomes one and that one is not capable of being alone? Would it be better for the dependent to live as an independent entity where preferable? For example could disabled persons be offered a common unit with one dedicated care giver? It is predictable there will be a unique best solution for each with commonalities shared amongst some.
Co-operative living will offer members a range of selected services, developed and maintained by the decisions of the membership through its democratic decision making structures.
The main co-operative will feature a dining room and daily food preparation. Residents will have the options of preparing their own food and occasionally using this service, to daily use for some meals, or all meals.
Housekeeping, laundry and similar services can be contracted through the co-operative if required or desired, while regular grounds work such as grass cutting, cleaning of common spaces, security, snow removal and general maintenance will be provided and paid for through monthly co-operative fees.
Additional interests such as gardening, cooking, wood work, exercise gym, beauty salon, computer room, wine and beer making, on site learning facility, spa, and many more can be added by the members through the membership decision making provisions.
It will be encouraged that when the initial membership meets to approve plans that the strategies of wise, socially responsible stewardship [best practice and sustainable development] through adopting a critical approach of evidence based, peer reviewed research in decision making be considered a priority.
For example each set of garden homes [say 6] could include an additional common unit easily or directly accessible by all where larger common sitting spaces would be provided, perhaps with large screen TV, tread mill, fireplace and other features chosen by the membership, with a large central kitchen with large common freezer, laundry facility, shared equipment storage such as vacuum cleaners, private secured storage and include two or more guest bedrooms with private bathrooms for visiting family/friends.
In this manner each unit can be designed smaller, more efficiently, less expensively and maximize the benefits of co-operative living in the common spaces.
Renewable energy will be built into all designs. Heavy use of insulation will be incorporated to lessen the energy requirements. Sustainable values will be preferred.
Elder Day Care can be a tangential variation or addition to the respite care theme [see below]. Families using this model would be similar to those using a child day care model in that seniors would arrive as arranged for a ‘day’ program that might include activities, stimulation, physical fitness, education, interaction, rest, assessment etc. under a staff trained in such care issues. This would be especially beneficial to a spouse still caring at home for a partner with early Alzheimer’s but who could benefit from a daily “break” for a unit of time [a morning or afternoon] to rest, socialize and conduct personal affairs.
ADVANCED CARE COMPONENTS
In this concept the co-operative may ‘own’ the bed through a person’s equity and the service provider will be responsible for the care components, receiving a fee for this service under provincial guidelines and in negotiation with the co-operative membership.
The inclusion of Palliative Care represents a response to a growing need for some families and persons who want a ‘dignified death’ but for whom a home death is not possible and who cannot find a suitable option outside of the hospital setting.
The co-operative can feature, in conjunction with the health care system, a specialized palliative care component whereby families can live with their loved ones while benefiting from the support a staffed situation can bring to this life passage. Co-operative members would have priority for these facilities while others [non-members] who find themselves in a position to benefit would pay a rate for service either privately or in conjunction with the health care system, as negotiated.
Respite Care is another growing area of need and opportunity. As more and more families find themselves caring for a loved one at home they are simultaneously experiencing their own health compromised and the quality of their lives diminished through stress and ‘not enough time’. These families will be able to become members of the co-operative with an eye to those times when for various reasons, they need a break [holidays, other family events, a rest, another illness etc]. The respite care rooms will be situated in the design such that these can be used for this purpose or some other if the beds are otherwise going unused.
The Nursing Home may have to be an independent entity on the campus operating as per provincial standards. With this being the case the members would retain the privilege of having priority status for admission as a condition of this shared linkage. The question remains open if there is not an unexplored option here to create a win/win/win with the province as a partner.
There are, as the name suggests, two components to ‘nursing home’. In the past it could be generalized that nursing homes were characterized by providing a HOME with some nursing. Currently the institutionalized model and the associated expenses has resulted in an experience that is more akin to a NURSING home wherein the home feature may be in name only.
We would like to explore how a co-operative model can be used to establish a better balance between nursing and home. In this regard it is acknowledged that the nursing care component will be best and rightly represented by direct oversight by the provincial health authorities. However, looking at the power and flexibility offered by available equity and the precept that an individual’s equity accompanies them wherever they are in the co-operative, could it follow that the physical features of the nursing home could fall within the scope of the co-operative’s membership. In this manner the province will not see as great an expense in creating each new bed as this equity would offset a portion of this expense on the taxpayer. In return for this investment the options this opens could be administered by the membership and could enhance the ‘home’ aspects, and thus the quality of life for those who have the awareness and the ability to benefit from these added home attributes.