Close to 100 visitors gathered outside the new Trout Creek Senior Living facility on Wednesday morning.
Belisha Ke is the chief operating officer for Dynamic Health Management Inc. which is operating the Trout Creek senior living facility in the old Lady Isabelle building which closed in 2017.
She says the new transitional housing is about creating a good home for seniors.
"All of us have a safe home to go back to, but these residents need our care and some residents don't have a family and they are all alone," said Ke.
"So in order to provide that warmth and care, the home must be safe. It must meet the standards and compliance and Trout Creek Senior Living is a transition home which is geared towards seniors in low-income housing in order for them to live in a safe, warm environment."
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The grand opening included a ribbon cutting with North Bay Regional Health Centre CEO Paul Heinrich.
A total of 20 to 25 staff have been hired with the potential to hit as many as 65 employees at the high end of employment.
Ke says they hope to have as many as 49 residents once the process is complete.
Ke says they will start admitting new residents after the Thanksgiving weekend.
"Because we have very strong infection prevention and control standards, we will only accept three residents per week until we fill the 49 beds and the reason being we want the residents to feel comfortable, we want to start to interact, communicate and mingle with our residents before new admissions come in," said Ke.
The beds at this facility should not be confused with the provincially funded long-term care home which is expected to have 96 beds at another Trout Creek location nearby.
"We advocate for seniors, we care for them, this facility is a home," continued Ke.
Ke hopes that with additional funding from the province that this building can also be defined as a long-term care home and not just a transitional home.
