Who calls Nigel House home? Help build a new home for Nigel House
Ava
In her teens, Ava Mittermuller’s legs would give out while running in gym class. One day, her mother heard her collapse in the next room, and doctors eventually diagnosed her with Multiple Sclerosis. She was 21. Story continues on page 2.
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“The people living at Nigel House are just regular, ordinary people that had something happen outside their control and they’re trying to make the best of it. The better the place that they’re living, the better the chance of living life as fully as possible.”
Avril
Mother of Nigel House Resident Ava
You can help build a new Nigel House. Your donation will be matched! Visit www.givetonigelhouse.com
“I had never fully considered the magnitude of the decisions families may have to make when their dependent adult child ages beyond their capability to provide care. When asked to contribute to a new, modern, bright Nigel House, the Ralmax senior management team and I said ‘Yes’.”
Ian Maxwell
President and CEO Ralmax Group of Companies
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ittermuller is one of 26 adults with disabilities who call Nigel House home. The home — near the Saanich municipal hall — provides its residents with complex care to deal with a range of conditions. Most residents, who are as young as 19, have physical disabilities and mentalhealth issues, and need assistance with dayto-day activities. Many of them, including 55-year-old Mittermuller, pictured above, use wheelchairs. Their disabilities can be congenital, from a motor-vehicle incident, or from cancer or a stroke. In Mittermuller’s case, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at 21. As a teenager, her legs would give out while she was running in gym class. She went to the doctor after collapsing at home. Mittermuller has been at Nigel House for about five years and is happy there, said her mother, Avril Colpitts. “She loves it there and the staff is fabulous,” said Colpitts, adding while the pandemic curtailed their outings for a time, they have still been able to share their love of music. “We’re both into the same kind of music,” she said. “Rock and roll, of course.” Built in the 1970s, Nigel House is aging and beyond repair, however, with narrow hallways, and washrooms and an elevator that
are too small for wheelchairs. With that in mind, the Broadmead Care Society — which directs care at Nigel House — has been working for the past six years toward creating a new Nigel House. The result is the $3.0-million New Home for Nigel House Campaign, which aims to increase the number of spaces for adults with disabilities to 41, while adding 37 assisted-living units and 10 affordable-housing units. Almost $2.5 million has been raised so far. Broadmead Care anticipates being on site early in 2022. Construction should take about two years, with the new building to be built close to the original on property off Vernon Avenue. The Ralmax Group of Companies was one of the first donors to the campaign, with its contribution set to be used for an outdoor patio that includes planter boxes for residents who want to garden. One of Nigel House’s residents is a former employee of Ralmax. A diabetic, he lost consciousness while driving and hit a power pole, ending up blind and with a lower-leg amputation. Colpitts said Nigel House residents are “just regular, ordinary people that had something happen outside their control and they’re trying to make the best of it.” “The better the place that they’re living, the better the chance of living life as fully as possible.”
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A New Home for Nigel House The people who live at Nigel House are too old for the services offered to children with disabilities, and they are too young for a typical long term care home where the average age is 84. “There are a lot of support services funded through our public social service and healthcare system for young people with disabilities, up to the age of 19. Once they become adults, many of those supports disappear.”
Frank Leonard and Murray Coell
Co-Chairs New Home for Nigel House Campaign
“Investing in a new home for Nigel House MEAL TIMES OFFER GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAMILY TIME CONVERSATION AND SMILES!
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magine having a young family and then a rare genetic disorder begins to erode your health so that you lose your ability to walk or talk in your 20s. Or you experience vision and balance loss that dramatically affects your day-today life as a teenager, only to learn in your early 20s that you have multiple sclerosis. Imagine driving to work, getting into a car accident, and being left blind and unable to use your legs. These are just some of the realities affecting people who live at Nigel House. They have a range of disabilities that are the result of trauma, birth anomalies, or neurological degenerative diseases. This can affect their physical, developmental, or mental health: each resident has a unique combination of complex health conditions. They face enormous challenges when it comes to living a life of
dignity and independence, and there are very few places where they can receive the support they need as a younger adult requiring long term care. As a result, some are placed in homes where they coexist with a frail, elderly population, and others may live a good portion of their life in a hospital. That’s why Nigel House is so important. It’s a home for adults that can give them the care and support they need, along with programs and activities that are fun, engaging, and relevant to people from their 20s through 50s — not programs designed for seniors near the end of life. Nigel House supports people’s independence and helps each person live life as fully as possible. Caring, compassionate staff help the people who live at Nigel House be part of the community — not a facility.
goes beyond brick and mortar. It’s an investment in dignity and quality of life for its residents and their loved ones. The opportunity for TELUS Friendly Future Foundation and the TELUS Vancouver Island Community Board to help bring this new home to fruition reflects our continued commitment to support those who need our help the most.”
Shanan Spencer-Brown
Executive Director TELUS Friendly Future Foundation
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Rare disease leads to care at Nigel House A donation to Nigel House is a wonderful gift for the person who has everything. Make a donation in someone’s honour, and Broadmead Care will send them a holiday greeting card on your behalf. Right now, your donation will be matched! Visit www.givetonigelhouse.com to make your donation today!
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ancy McFarland’s diagnosis with a rare genetic disorder meant a move to Nigel House, where she can receive 24-hour care. The 35-year-old has been at the Saanich complex-care centre for a year and a half after being diagnosed with late-onset TaySachs disease, which is marked by a progressive deterioration of mental and physical abilities. Fewer than 1,000 cases are seen each year in Canada. Her husband, Robert McFarland, said the attention offered at Nigel House was what Nancy needed when it became apparent that at-home care wasn’t working. Visits from him and their five-year-old daughter, Stephanie, are an important part of life for her there, he said.
McFarland said he supports efforts to build a new Nigel House to replace the current facility, which dates back to 1977 and has a number of deficiencies, such as bathrooms and hallways where wheelchairs don’t fit. “The residents there all have challenging conditions, so I think there’s a requirement there for a higher level of care than you maybe would have in a regular home,” he said. McFarland said extra common space for residents is one of the main things he is looking forward to in the new building, which is the subject of an ongoing fundraising campaign called New Home for Nigel House. “There’s not a large area for them to get together,” he said. Despite the state of the facility, Nigel
House recreation therapist Rob Richter said there is something there that is as good as ever — the food. “The residents are very fortunate,” he said. “I’ve worked at five or six different homes and this is by far the best food. Everything’s done in-house.” McFarland said that Nancy, the youngest resident at Nigel House, took to the facility better than he thought she would. For her part, Nancy said she likes her surroundings and enjoys playing games with her fellow residents. “She’s really come along and she’s definitely much more involved in the activities than she used to be,” Richter said. “She came from her family, so she wasn’t used to living in this big group situation.”
The thing that really stands out about Nancy is the pride she takes in her appearance, he said. “She’s the bestdressed person here, I would say. She’s always very smartly dressed.” Activities she enjoys include bus outings to Elk Lake, where residents like to hang out at a dock on the side of the lake opposite the highway. “It’s a great spot to pull up the bus and just sit and watch people,” Richter said. The residents, many of whom have suffered head injuries and other medical conditions, are fortunate to have Nigel House, he said. “They’re lucky to have a place like this to go to.” The society is partnering in the project with B.C. Housing, Island Health, the District of Saanich and the Capital Regional Hospital District.
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New rehab gym will have big impact at Nigel House
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icture a gym area that’s also used strokes in 2018, and currently uses an for folding laundry, staff meetings, electric wheelchair, as well as a walker. church services, and bingo games. He is full of determination when it That’s the situation for residents at comes to exercise, Richter said. Nigel House, a 26-bed complex-care Kocoy, who has been at Nigel House home that opened in 1977 to provide for about a year, said he is a Prairie boy round-the-clock care for people who from Regina who ended up living in have suffered a significant disability Sidney. He was a good amateur boxer from a serious accident, a birth anomaly, when he was younger. Richter said Kocoy or a neurological degenerative disease. sometimes works out twice a day, and he A campaign is underway to help fund has a particular goal in mind. a replacement building, complete with “I’m trying to start walking,” Kocoy a rehab gym, lounge, and individual said. “It’s going not bad.” bedrooms — the current building has Kocoy is set to get a leg brace and a narrow hallways, shared bedrooms, new walker that isn’t as supportive as the and bathrooms that are too small to current one, so he will be doing more on accommodate wheelchairs. his own. “It’s been a long time coming,” said When he works out, he likes to do recreation therapist Rob Richter, who squats and to walk while holding the has worked at Nigel House for close to parallel bars, where he has done as many 25 years. He said crews as 16 lengths of the Kocoy sometimes works out are already doing some apparatus. twice a day, and he has a of the preliminary work “He’s steadily getting particular goal in mind. for the new building, better,” Richter said. which will be located “Each month there “I’m trying to near the is improvement. He’s start walking, ” existing building. become a lot stronger Kocoy said. “Just seeing things since he’s been here.” “It’s going not bad.” happen is great, because Kocoy has more I’ve been here long independence that some enough to see a few false starts.” of the other residents and is able to get Richter said he is looking forward out on his own, often heading to Uptown to working with residents in a gym across the street in his wheelchair. specially designed for their needs. “It’s good — he’s got his freedom still,” “We’re pretty limited right now,” he Richter said. said. “The new home will have its own His favourite visitor is Kush, a dog he space for doing exercise and therapy. raised from a puppy. Kush stays with a “We’re hoping to get some more friend who brings him in from time individualized equipment that we’d have to time. space for.” The Nigel House replacement is What limited equipment there is now estimated to be complete in a little over often gets dragged around or pushed two years. The finished product will into corners to make way for other uses, include an increase in spots for adults Richter said. “We manage because it’s with disabilities from the current 26 to the only space we have.” Residents like 41, as well as 37 assisted-living units and Quinten Kocoy would benefit greatly 10 affordable-housing units. from an improved gym, Richter said. A donation of $75,000 to the campaign Kocoy, 55, was a construction worker comes with a naming opportunity for who fell during a seizure in 2017. He the new gym. Outdoor deck space on the also has multiple sclerosis and had two third floor can be named for $10,000.
“Broadmead Care and Nigel House help provide compassionate long term care for many in our community. Peninsula Co-op is pleased to be able to support the development of this incredible new home, ensuring the residents have the opportunity to live life as fully as possible.”
Lindsey Gaudette
Director of Marketing and Community Relations Peninsula Co-op
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The Vision: A New Nigel House
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hat will the new home for Nigel House look like? The Plan includes expanding Nigel House to provide a home for 41 adults with disabilities, plus provide 37 assisted living units for seniors and 10 affordable housing units to help ease our community’s housing shortage. Everyone who lives there will have the privacy and dignity of their own room and washroom. Every space will be designed to make sure that those in wheelchairs will be able to move safely and easily throughout the building. Beautiful and comfortable common areas on every level will give people places to meet, chat, and socialize. An excellent on-site kitchen will meet the
individual dietary needs of everyone at Nigel House, and be able to provide meals in easily accessible dining areas. The design of the new building will provide ample space to accommodate a wide range of programs and activities. There will be open and covered exterior patios to make it easy for people to get fresh air and sunshine. Access to the nearby Lochside Regional Trail, Saanich Municipal Hall, Saanich Plaza, and Uptown Centre will be improved with at-grade paths, walkways, and crossings, making it easier for people with challenges to live a fuller life in their surrounding neighbourhood. Many partners have come together with a vision to redevelop the entire
nine-acre Nigel Valley to create a world class neighbourhood of housing, care, services, and beautiful green spaces. The new Nigel House will be built on land adjacent to the current site as part of the new Master Plan to redevelop the entire nine-acre valley. The project is made possible by the collaboration of all partners, and is being led by BC Housing. The new Nigel House will include secure rooms for 15 people who struggle with more challenging behaviours. Nigel House will continue to provide an Island-wide long term care program for this population of Island Health clients.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND DONORS Anonymous x 4 BC Housing Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Capital Regional Hospital District District of Saanich Durwest Construction Management Inc. Island Blue Island Health Peninsula Co-op Ralmax Group of Companies Suburbia Studios JAYMAC Fund through the Victoria Foundation TELUS Friendly Future Foundation
“We believe people will come from far and wide to look at this beautiful, sustainable, integrated community in the Nigel Valley. We believe it’s going to be something our city will be very proud of.”
Derrick Bernardo President and CEO Broadmead Care
THE NEW NIGEL HOUSE EXTERIOR (ARTIST’S RENDERING) • STREET LEVEL ACCESS AT FRONT AND REAR • SAFE VEHICLE PICK UP AND DROP OFF AREAS
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No more fears for brother’s safety after move to Nigel House Broadmead Care, the society that oversees Nigel House, is partnering in the building project with B.C. Housing, Island Health, the District of Saanich and the Capital Regional Hospital District, said Mandy Parker, vice-president of philanthropy and communications for Broadmead Care. Former Saanich mayors Frank Leonard and Murray Coell are the fundraising campaign’s voluntary co-chairs. “They’ve been involved since the beginning and they’re keen to get it done,” Parker said. “They’ve made some great connections in the community for us.” Residents at Nigel House get to know each other well, with the average stay being 12 years. “It literally is the essence of a long term care home,” Parker said. She said the residents need the complex care that Nigel House provides for a variety of reasons, including medical issues and injuries, and have been called “the hidden population.” “Now we’re just sort of raising the profile of Nigel House and making people aware that there is this group of people that really need help, they really need support.”
Your donation will help us make the dream of a better life for the people living
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onya Rhodes doesn’t fear for her brother’s safety like she used to, now that he lives at Nigel House. “I’m just happy he’s looked after and I don’t have to worry about him, because before, I was just constantly worried that he was going to have a seizure and be found in a comatose state,” said Rhodes. Her brother Samson (Sam) Trach has epilepsy, and a number of years ago, he developed a severe problem with seizures that put him in hospital. After a pair of surgeries, the second one in response to a brain bleed, he started to get better. But it was apparent he wouldn’t be able to live by himself, Rhodes said. That’s when she found out about Nigel House. She said Trach was in his 40s and fit in well with the home’s demographic, which ranges from 19 to 55. Now 49, he has been doing well at the complexcare home, Rhodes said. “He’s had a few seizures and things like that, but overall he’s calm, he’s not worried about anything,” she said. “Before, he was worried because he didn’t know how to do stuff for himself, but he knows he can ask for help anytime.”
He has some problems with his left side, but is now able to walk with a cane, Rhodes said. For his part, Trach said he has enjoyed making connections at Nigel House and being able to reach out to others in similar circumstances — people he can relate to. He has also carved out a niche as the Nigel House bingo caller. “I’m pretty good, actually,” he said with a laugh. While there is some fitness equipment at Nigel House for Trach to use, his sister makes a point of taking him to an outside gym once a week. “I take him every Saturday to a fitness place that’s for people that have had strokes and things,” she said. Rhodes said there is a lot for her brother to like at Nigel House — he has his own phone and television, gets home-cooked meals and enjoys parties and other group activities. And things are about to get better now that a new Nigel House is in the works to replace the existing building, which is over 40 years old. Fundraising for the project is well underway, with less than $500,000 still needed to reach Broadmead Care’s $3-million goal in its New Home for Nigel House Campaign.
at Nigel House a reality, and will help us realize the vision of the entire Nigel Valley Project as a remarkable community of care that will be a landmark for health and human services in British Columbia.
YOUR DONATION WILL HAVE TWICE THE IMPACT! Until December 31, the JAYMAC Fund held through the Victoria Foundation will match donations until their generous gift of $150,000 is reached. Please give today!
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New Nigel House will give residents some welcome elbow room
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endy Hamer enjoys her life at Nigel House, where she has lived for the past 2 1/2 years. One of her specialties is knitting, which she learned from a staff member. “I’ve knitted about 20 tuques in the last year and I’ve been selling them,” she said. Half were sold to care aides, for whom Hamer has kind words. “They’re pretty good to us,” she said. “I enjoy being here.” The 56-year-old, who was born and raised in Campbell River, has been living with Parkinson’s disease for about a decade and needs the care that Nigel House offers. The care home, located near the Saanich Municipal Hall, provides its 26 residents with complex care to deal with a range of conditions. Most residents, who are as young as 19, need assistance with day-to-day activities. Their need to be there can result from such conditions as Parkinson’s, cancer or a stroke, or from a motorvehicle incident. Hamer said the physiotherapy she receives helps her with walking, and she has a motorized wheelchair to get to the stores at nearby Uptown, like Wal-Mart. A friend comes by often to take her on outings.
“We all enjoy going out for coffee and whatnot,” she said. “Sometimes we play cards and we read the newspaper. They do bingo.” Like others, she noted that her wheelchair doesn’t fit well in the narrow hallways at Nigel House. “It’s too crowded,” Hamer said. A plan is underway to replace the current Nigel House building, which was built in the 1970s, with a modern complex. Its narrow hallways and washrooms are too small for wheelchairs. Hamer is looking forward to it and can’t wait to see the improvements. “There will be more room and it won’t be so closed in.” The Broadmead Care Society, which oversees Nigel House, has been working on a replacement project for six years. The society’s $3.0-million New Home for Nigel House Campaign has already brought in $2.5 million, leaving $500,000 more to raise. Peninsula Co-op made a recent $100,000 donation. Among the amenities planned for the new Nigel House is a fireplace room and lounge to provide a homey, cozy place for residents. At present, the fireplace is tiny and is located off the main lobby.
Mail to: Broadmead Care, 4579 Chatterton Way, Victoria BC, V8X 4Y7 Donations can also be made by phone to (250) 658-3274, or on line at our website. Broadmead Care Society #12929 0383 RR0001 Visit www.givetonigelhouse.com
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Broadmead Care
4579 Chatterton Way, Victoria BC, V8X 4Y7 For donations and inquiries, please call 250.658.3274 www.broadmeadcare.com