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June 28, 2002
Respite available
Letters
Editor: The Bulletin's recent focus on health included a
valuable overview of health service options available in these changing
times. (Bulletin, June 7 cover story) Everyone should understand
what alternatives there are to long-term care for seniors and people
with chronic health conditions. I would like to tell Bulletin readers
about another very unique service that can really make a difference
for families who are looking after a loved one.
The VON Family Respite Centre is operated by the Victorian Order
of Nurses, B.C. branch, a 104-year-old, Canadian, nonprofit organization.
It is currently located at 62nd and Manitoba. The centre is a safe,
homelike environment where caregivers receive temporary care for
their family members who have mental and physical frailties. A dedicated
nursing team offers personal care, assistance with daily living
activities and advanced recreational and therapeutic programs. Guests
can stay up to 30 days at a time, and families can contact the VON
Family Respite Centre directly at 604-327-9525 they don't
need to go through a case manager.
Residents of Vancouver and Richmond can stay at the centre. This
unique community-based program is not yet available to residents
in other areas, but information about the respite beds available
in long-term care facilities in other parts of the Lower Mainland
and elsewhere in British Columbia can be provided by local health
authority offices.
The VON Family Respite Centre is funded by the Vancouver Coastal
Health Authority and relies on charitable donations to support program
and equipment costs. The centre currently rents space from Providence
Health Care at the St. Vincent's-Langara site and will be relocating
to a beautiful, newly constructed space at Fair Haven United Church
Home on East 49th Avenue within the next couple of months.
I hope Bulletin readers who have need of this unique service
will call the VON Family Respite Centre to find out more, and let
others know too.
Heidi Mannis
Director, community health services,
Victorian Order of Nurses, B.C. branch
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