FREDERICTON -- New Brunswick's premier says his government plans to add more than 1,000 nursing home beds and dementia care beds over the next five years.
"With our multi-year aging strategy, we will work together to provide our seniors the best quality of life possible," Brian Gallant said Thursday.
"Investing in new nursing homes and memory care beds will create jobs and help improve senior care."
Speaking in Florenceville-Bristol, Gallant announced the province's new nursing home plan includes building 10 new 60-bed nursing homes around the province.
He said an additional 407 beds for people living with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia will be provided in special care homes, and 19 nursing home beds will be added to existing homes.
Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Lisa Harris said it's important to ensure there are enough nursing home beds, to address New Brunswick's aging population.
"It is crucial that we make strategic investments now that support our seniors," she said.
Jodi Hall, executive director of the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes, welcomed the news but said it will be a big challenge to find skilled employees for the new facilities.
"We need to do a lot more on the opportunities there are with nursing homes and the wonderful career field that it offers. We are looking at some research that is coming out noting some high school students in the province hadn't even considered a career in a senior care field," she said Thursday.
There are currently 6,500 nursing home staff in the province.
Hall said there are challenges in finding local employees for many nursing homes.
"It's wonderful that we have strong community connections in rural communities but it does create some challenges when the population that you have to pull from is smaller," she said.
Hall said they also need to learn why some nursing homes in the province currently have empty beds while others have long waiting lists.
