Hoping to create a warm, family environment for men and women who want a bit of help or companionship, Kathleen and Dale Kornelson are opening Harbour View Manor, a new assisted living home in Ladysmith.
The Kornelsons say Harbour View Manor, located at 468 Battie Dr., is geared toward people who want to downsize or who need a little extra assistance but still want to hold onto their independence.
They describe the home as a place for seniors who need “just a little more than independent living” and would like assistance with daily living, such as basic housekeeping, bathing and medication reminders. The Kornelsons provide three meals a day, along with snacks and refreshments, entertainment, crafting, outings and transportation to medical appointments.
“It’s cheerful and bright; there’s nothing depressing about it,” said Kathleen. “It’s a clean environment with no smoking allowed.”
Downstairs, the home features a guest room with a gas fireplace, a piano and a TV, as well as several bedrooms.
Clients can choose to bring in their own furniture or choose a furnished room, and each bedroom has its own bathroom with a sink, a mirror and a toilet, equipped with railings and handles to make getting up and down easier. There is also a closet in each room. Every room has a call bell/alarm system. If someone needs help, they pull the bell, which alerts Kathleen or Dale, and they come straight to their aid.
Each room is equipped with a telephone jack and cable, as well as Internet access. Three of the rooms have lifts in the ceiling, and two rooms have remote-control beds for people who want to sit up or lay down.
Downstairs, clients will also find a shower/spa room, featuring a hairdressing sink and a lift spa tub equipped with a chair so clients don’t have to climb over anything to get into the tub.
An elevator gives everyone the opportunity to use both floors of the house with more ease, and there is also a split-level staircase.
Upstairs, there is a dining room and a living room, as well as a library room and a craft room, where the women can do group crafts with the Kornelsons’ daughter.
Every day at 3:30 p.m., Kathleen will serve tea with china cups and saucers.
“We are a family, so we all sit at one table and eat our meals,” she said.
Kathleen says they hope clients will feel they can help out in the kitchen, pick up a snack any time they want and make themselves at home.
“What we don’t want to do is take their independence away,” she said. “We want them to hold onto their independence and just assist them in areas where they need a little bit of help. This will be their home.”
There is a security system throughout the home, and all the windows are equipped with an alarm system. The Kornelsons live in the home, and one of them will be there 24/7.
Harbour View Manor has room for seven or eight people — they have eight rooms and could possibly house one couple. The large home, which has been newly renovated, was previously operated as an assisted living home from 1997-98 until about 2010.
The Kornelsons farmed in Williams Lake for about 38 years before moving to Ladysmith.
“My husband and I, we’re honest, we’re truthful, we’ve never had a criminal record, and we bend over backwards for the people in our lives,” said Kathleen. “We’re caring, giving, loving people, and we’ll do whatever we can to see everybody always happy. We really like to laugh a lot. Clean jokes and fun, it’s important. The clients in our home, we want them to feel like we’re one big family.”
Kathleen has done a lot of palliative care because many friends have died from cancer and family members have died from ALS.
“In October two years ago, my sister died from ALS, and when I helped her, I decided how important life was, and I was tired of being a farmer,” said Kathleen. “I wanted our life to have a purpose. After all the palliative care I’d done, I thought I wanted to do something meaningful.”
The Kornelsons still have their farm in Williams Lake, and interestingly enough, they rent it out to someone from Ladysmith, Randy Davis.
To learn more about Harbour View Manor, call 250-245-2900, e-mail harbourviewmanor@gmail.com or click here.