Jubilee is meant to represent happiness and a time of celebration. Unfortunately, that is not the overwhelming feeling around the centre.
Read more: Lloydminster council heads to SUMA
Built in the mid-80s as a 50-bed long-term care facility by the Saskatchewan Health Authority, the Jubilee Home is showing its age and no longer meets the needs of our community.
The Lloydminster Concerned Citizens for Seniors Care Society meets every Tuesday at the Legacy Centre and advocates for healthcare improvements in our community. Their primary goal is to secure more long-term care beds on the Saskatchewan side of Lloydminster.
I’ve been covering them since Geoff, our long-time reporter, retired, and I’ve never met such determined and tenacious group of seniors in my life.
They’ve created a proposal to replace Jubilee, which is currently sitting on multiple desks across the provincial government. The proposal outlines plans for a new facility with over 150 beds, and they make a compelling case.
Saskatchewan hasn’t invested in any additional long-term care beds in Lloydminster since 1958, while the Alberta side has added over 150. On a per capita basis, Lloydminster has 4.22 spaces per 1,000 people. In comparison, Maidstone has 19.85, and North Battleford has 18.29.
The last needs assessment, completed in 2013, recommended that Jubilee be replaced within 15 years. That deadline is now just three years away.
Yet, there is no land, no plan, and no commitment from SHA or the provincial government to act on that recommendation. So when the new assessment is completed, will it really make a difference?
The current government in Regina has been in power since well before the previous assessment. Still, Jubilee remains, and seniors continue to be relocated to facilities up to 150 km away, separating them from their families due to our lack of local capacity.
The society has launched a letter-writing campaign to flood Regina’s offices with support for Jubilee’s replacement.
For now, if you have loved ones who may need long-term care within the next decade, get involved. Start looking ahead. Start advocating. They deserve to spend their final years in a facility close to home—one named after happiness and celebration.
Right now, that feels more like a pipe dream.
Read more: Column: The unequal equalization equation with Quebec
Thank you for your great coverage, Dan! This is such an important issue in our health region, especially as more of our citizens will be requiring greater persoanl care that cannot be met in their own homes. Keep up the great work!