Golden Eagle View Becomes Home for Long-term Care Residents

When Lloyd Church decided to move his wife, Ellie, into full-time care at Golden Eagle View, the couple had been living in Canmore for more than 15 years. At the time, eight years ago, Ellie’s condition was becoming more serious.

“I couldn’t look after her myself,” says Lloyd.

Getting Ellie into the Golden Eagle View at the Canmore General Hospital meant that Lloyd could once again become a husband instead of the full-time caregiver he had become to Ellie.

“They do a good job that I couldn’t do,” he says, of everything from baths and meals to ongoing medical support. “This way I can do my bit when I take her out.”

Ellie, now 80 years old, uses a wheelchair, so Lloyd designed and built a flat-bed trailer big enough for it, that attaches to his own bicycle. In good weather he picks Ellie up and cycles with her, sometimes down to the river to enjoy an ice cream together.

Lloyd is at GEV “for lunch and dinner almost every day,” he says. But knowing that Ellie is well cared for has given him the peace of mind to make the occasional trip to British Columbia to visit their son.

“When people come into Golden Eagle View it allows them to have their relationship back with either their mom or their husband” or other family members, says Katharine Scheel, Long Term Care Manager at Canmore General Hospital.

Katharine, who has worked in the role since September 2018, says she gets calls from families “all the time,” looking to have a loved one moved into care at Golden Eagle View.

For people who are in care at Golden Eagle View, “it's more than just a bed – it is their home. The staff have developed relationships with them. They've developed relationships with residents who are here and it becomes community,” says Scheel.

While 23 people call GEV home, Scheel notes that it “has a hospital-like feel when you walk in” because it was built as part of the hospital more than three decades ago. Soon that will change.

The Canmore and Area Health Care Foundation’s “Feel Like Home” campaign has already surpassed the halfway mark to its $1.5 million target, supporting the costs of renovations to GEV. Scheel is hopeful construction may get underway in early 2020.

Renovations are divided into different stages; during the first phase upgrades will include changes to the dining room, which is also where recreation and group activities happen. The second phase will include upgrades to the family room.

For Scheel, “Feels Like Home” is more than a campaign slogan – it truly reflects the environment GEV wants for its residents. Currently, there is a large window in the unit that’s become the most popular spot for residents to congregate in the cold winter months, says Scheel. The renovations will expand this area as part of a lounge.

As beds become available, individual rooms will be upgraded before those spots are filled again. To complete these changes the foundation is still seeking $500,000 worth of support. For Scheel, there are many reasons to donate.

“Every single one of us will eventually need some type of care as we grow older,” says Scheel. “What would you like for your retirement years and how would you like to spend your years when you reach the point that you might need a little bit more care?”

Scheel is part of a newly formed GEV planning committee that oversees the renovations. Canmore General Hospital Site Manager, Carol Duncan, leads the committee, and Canmore and Area Health Care Foundation Board Vice Chair Pierre Boucher is also a member.

Sadly, Ellie passed away in late July. She is survived by her loving husband of 62 years, Lloyd Church, son Wayne Church, daughter Sandy Croteau, and her three grandchildren Nicole Croteau, Ben Church, and Matt Crotea.

Lloyd Church moved his wife Ellie Church (Jul 24, 1939 - Jul 25, 2019) into long-term care at Golden Eagle View eight years ago when he could no longer meet her daily needs on his own – the decision allowed him to stop being a caregiver and pay full attention as a husband.