MPI opens first shared care residence

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This article was published 04/08/2015 (3948 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Public Insurance has opened its first shared care residence for people with traumatic brain injuries in Brandon.

The 4,000-square-foot home is the first of its kind in the province — a pilot project of the Crown corporation.

“We deliberately had it designed as to not resemble or have any feel of an institution,” MPI spokesman Brian Smiley said. “It’s designed for the residents as a home.”

The facility, located in the Richmond ward, has four permanent residents between the ages of 20 and 30 who were all catastrophically injured in an automobile collision.

“They were all from Brandon area, so it only made sense to move them back to where they felt comfortable,” Smiley said. “They would have family and friends who would be able to visit them on a regular basis.”

Three of the residents were previously housed in Selkirk’s acquired brain injury unit. The goal of the pilot project is to provide long-term, permanent housing for traumatically brain-injured claimants, as part of MPI’s Personal Injury Protection Plan.

There are two to four staff members on site at all times, managed through Brandon Support Services. The Sun’s request to speak with a representative of Brandon Support Services was not granted.

Due to confidentiality reasons, the Brandon Sun was not able to tour the site.

According to MPI, the four residents are enjoying the new facility and are more functional now than they were prior to arriving in the home. The home is spacious, with wide hallways, railings and several windows. The residents were able to pick their own colours for the bedrooms and make it more personalized.

“It’s really no different than any other home — there’s a kitchen and … they all have their own individual bedroom which is really a huge benefit for them,” Smiley said. “It gives them that ‘home’ feel, as opposed to the institutionalized setting that can be out there.”

Coun. Ron Brown (Richmond) took a tour of the home recently, and said he was impressed by how accessible it is for the residents — three men and one woman.

“They thought of everything,” he said, such as rails on the deck, low sinks and low windows so those in wheelchairs can still easily look outside.

“I think it’s just going to give them a better standard of living,” Brown said. “It’s going to keep them out of an institution.”

The home also has a room for families, where birthday parties and other celebrations can be held.

Brown was so impressed by the home that he hopes it can be used as an example for other organizations to follow to allow for more independent living.

“I really hope that they get more of these,” he said. “I would like to see the concept taken on by other groups … it could be adapted into any type of a situation.”

MPI will determine if another shared care residence will be built in the province, following a few years of monitoring and reviewing the Brandon program.

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