Skip to content

Seniors' care centre seeking 'angels'

Burnaby’s St. Michael’s Centre needs some renovations to help brighten the living quarters for seniors and people in hospice care.

Burnaby’s St. Michael’s Centre needs some renovations to help brighten the living quarters for seniors and people in hospice care.

The Tapestry Foundation for Health Care is leading a campaign to raise $250,000 to cover the costs of renovations at the 128-bed 24-hour, complex care centre in Burnaby.

“I think it would have a very positive impact,” said Blake Armstrong, the operational site leader for St. Michael’s Centre. “I think it lifts people’s spirits. It makes people more positive. It’s a more enjoyable experience, just talking about the kitchen, it brings families together with their loved ones. It makes a huge difference for the residents and their families.”

St. Michael’s is a non-profit facility with 16 hospice beds and 128 complex care beds for seniors who need around-the-clock care. Most of the residents are women in their 80s. The renovations would include improvements to lounge areas and a kitchen, where visiting families and resident prepare meals together.

“We’re trying to create, as best we can, a homelike environment for the people who live here, and food is something people tend to gravitate to,” Armstrong said.

The plan is to make the kitchen more accessible so people in wheelchairs can use the counters.

The Tapestry Foundation for Health Care raises money for places run by Providence Health Care. To donate, go to www.tapestryfoundation.ca or call 604-806-9480.

As part of the foundation’s Angel Campaign, the names of people who donate in December will be featured on a tree at the centre.