News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – York Care Centre, a 214-bed nursing home in Fredericton, will receive an investment of $4.6 million for renovations and new beds.

“Your government’s five-year nursing home plan and multi-year aging strategy will help ensure New Brunswick seniors retain the best possible quality of life,” said deputy premier Stephen Horsman. “That is why we continue to make strategic investments to extend the service life of nursing homes, build new nursing homes and create additional memory care beds. These investments will help improve care for seniors, and it will help us create jobs and stimulate the New Brunswick economy.”

Horsman spoke on behalf of Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Lisa Harris.

York Care Centre will be adding 16 new beds, bringing the total to 230.

The 2018-2023 Nursing Home Plan, which will be carried out in three phases, will see the provincial government invest a total of $108 million over the next five years for renovations to nursing homes around the province.

The plan also involves building ten 60-bed nursing homes around the province.

An additional 407 beds for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia will be provided in special care homes.

January’s provincial budget contained a number of investments and strategies to benefit seniors and their caregivers, such as:

• $12 million to increase wages for special care workers and home support workers.

• $1.25 million for a pilot project to help free up acute-care beds.

• $2.1 million for a wage supplement program focused on seniors, to encourage companies to hire seniors.

• $800,000 to begin implementing the New Brunswick Aging Strategy.

• $11.3 million for a program to support informal caregivers.

• $2.1 million in additional funding for specialized beds for people with advanced dementia.

These initiatives are in addition to other programs for seniors, such as the Home First strategy, the Seniors Health, Well-Being and Home Safety Review, wellness clinics and the Age-Friendly Communities Recognition Program, as well as other investments in senior care, such as affordable housing and home care.

Fostering healthy aging and support for seniors is one of the seven priority areas outlined in the New Brunswick Family Plan framework, which also focuses government action on: improving access to primary and acute care; promoting wellness; supporting people with addictions and mental health challenges; advancing women’s equality; reducing poverty and providing support for people living with a disability.