Group home for dementia patients to occupy vacant building in Hanmer

Morning North7:19Creating a home for patients with early onset dementia in Sudbury

A Sudbury couple is hoping to convert a former convent in the Hanmer section of Greater Sudbury into a group home for patients with early onset dementia. Sophie Huneault and Paul gagnon came up with the idea. Sophie joined us in studio with more details.

A Sudbury couple hopesto convert a former convent in Hanmer into a not-for-profit group home for patients with early onset dementia.

White Owl Residence is the brainchild of Sophie Huneaultand Paul Gagnon, whoplanto renovate the three-storey building at 36 Cote Blvd.into an 11-room community living facility.

Nine of those rooms would be for residents: one would be for respite, while the final space would be a transitional room.

The goal is to raise $1 million for the renovations said Huneault. Then, if all goes well,the facilitywill open in the spring of 2018.

Thehome will be for clients or residentswho have early onset of dementiaor Alzheimer's disease.

Gap in services

It was while trying to find help for Gagnon's father in 2014 thatthe couple discovered the gap in health care services.

The now 88-year-old elder Gagnonhad been diagnosed with early onset of dementia, but wasnot sick enough to be admitted to anAlzheimer's ward at a long-term care facility. Huneaultsaid her father-in-lawwas alsonot well enough to stay at home.He is now inStage Two of Alzheimer's andlives with the couple in Garson.

The three-story building, which is more than500-square metres in size, needs to be brought up to code said Gagnon.

They want to raise at least half their goal $500,000 before they even start the work.

There areseveral fundraisers planned to help raise the money.

Huneault said they are alsoseeking government grants, but because White Owl Residence isa new organization, they keep coming up against roadblocks.

"Right now we're kind of falling in the cracks of the criteriaof the program descriptions for us to qualify." said Huneault.

She said she is not getting discouraged though.

"There is always money available, it's just a matter of how to get to it," she added.

The closest dementia group homesimilar to what White Owl Residence would be likeis inTrois-Rivires, Que., she noted.

"It has been done in other countriesand in other provinces." said Huneault.

"When an individual in the early stages [is]placed in an area where it'sfamiliar, where it works around what they're used to, it actually diminishes anxiety and depressionthat may come if [the individual is] placed in an environment that's not suited for them."

Their life's mission

BothHuneaultandGagnonhave backgrounds in health.Gagnonworks in the service-oriented fieldat Health Sciences North, whileHuneaulthas worked in the field of geriatrics and has been a personal support worker.

She called this [caring for dementia patients] their life's mission.

Thecouple plans to hire 10 staff members to work at White Owl Residence, once it's ready for occupancy.

Huneault and Gagnonwill live in the bottom level of the home withtheir 10-year old son, all three helping with the care of the clients at the home.

They both said they want to bring back the old way of care; in afamily-type atmosphere.