The Project

The building itself conforms to the tenets of current research in elder care with special attention to the needs of dementia residents.

It is NOT intended to be an “institution” and as such attempts to be as much a “home” as is possible. You should look for a host of small and large details that are intended to accommodate a high standard of care.

Hallways make wayfinding very difficult for many living with dementia. This home has as few hallways as possible and every room has a direct line of sight to the common living areas.

The kitchen is open and residents can get a snack whenever they want. They can help with meal preparation and participate in pretty much any activity that gives them joy and a sense of meaning. 

There is a library, a multipurpose room, a salon for visiting hair stylists and a spa for those who wish the odd bath instead of a shower. 

The Kitimat Valley Housing Society (KVHS) was founded on the principle that everyone is entitled to receive the same quality of care and to be treated with utmost respect and dignity regardless of their ethnicity, gender, social status or economic well-being. This principle is the overriding motivation for all fund raising endeavours and for the operation of any homes KVHS assists in developing.

The KVHS believes that all residents of these homes have the right to participate in their day-to-day lives in meaningful and productive ways, to have unrestricted access to information affecting all aspects of their lives and are entitled to make meaningful decisions about both their care and the progress of their day-to-day living and well-being.

Above all, the KVHS believes that the needs of any “system of care” always are subservient to the pressing needs of the residents both as individuals and as a unit.

This in no way is intended to demean the role of managers or to dismiss the importance of maintaining compliance to established standards of care, but rather is to recognize that residents, staff and mangers are first and foremost people and people are the primary responsibility of any and all of our services.