Residents and staff at the Henri-Bradet Residential Centre on Chester may barely recognize their home and workplace following extensive renovations undertaken in the last year, which have transformed the long-term care site.
The renovations were designed to enhance the quality of life of the centre’s residents, as well as the work environment of the staff providing care. Residents previously living on the second and third floors returned to rooms on the newly renovated first and fourth floors at the end of August. Work is currently being done to upgrade the second and third floors. Residents who were relocated to the fourth floor of the Jewish General Hospital are scheduled to move back to their refurbished quarters in the coming months.
Major work carried out to date includes:
- Adding bath and shower rooms on the first and fourth floors, giving staff the opportunity to provide residents with a comfortable and dignified bathing experience
- Creating a dedicated room that offers a serene and comfortable space for nursing staff who provide end-of-life care, as well as for the residents’ loved ones
- Relocating the smoking room to a ventilated space for residents who smoke
- Equipping resident rooms with a private television and new built-in furniture adapted to the residents’ needs
- The brightening of hallways fitted with lighting that can be adjusted by staff to accommodate residents’ moods
- The installation of large windows in many areas to increase daylight and views to the exterior
- The updating of ventilation systems to meet today’s codes
The relocation of administration offices to the basement to free up more space for residents on the first floor
At the height of renos, residents take part in skyline art project
Several Henri-Bradet residents participated in an art project that will leave a lasting impression. They painted a mural on a temporary gyprock wall in the main lobby that is part of the ongoing renovation of the Centre.
The idea came from Nurse Clinician Jodie Little, who shared the idea with Head Nurse Géraldine Morand, who in turn got Recreation Therapist Laura Waugh and Art Therapist Marissa Singer on board. The painting is of the Montreal skyline and includes trees, birds, churches and the Olympic stadium. The mural will be divided into four ‘canvases’ and hung on each of the four floors, along with a picture of the entire painting.
