The Czorny Alzheimer Centre in Surrey B.C.
 
 “The centre is a home for individuals, families and staff. The centre is representative of best practices in the care of people with Alzheimer’s disease. The focus of care is ensuring quality of life for the people we serve, and the home represents respect, caring and trust.  The centre and team are becoming nationally and internationally recognised as leaders in Alzheimer’s care and care environments.” Dorrie Ferster

 On March 16 while I was in British Columbia I had the pleasure of presenting the film at the Czorny Alzheimer Centre in Surrey B.C. Over the past year of travelling around I have seen many different residences and homes for the elderly, but I have never seen anything like the Czorny centre. First of all it just looks like a big cottage out in the country. It is situated all by itself on a small rural road without any other building around.

The centre is setup into different wings they call cottages and each cottage has it’s own small kitchen and living room with a nice warm fire place. Each room is very cosy and all the colors are warm and welcoming. There is ample outside space and the staff are just so wonderful and they make everyone who lives there feel like family. The Alzheimer Society of Surrey offices are located right inside the centre. I think that this centre should be studied and copied all over the country, they have done and are doing an amazing job at the centre.
 
Proposed Expansion of the Czorny Alzheimer Centre
 
The intent of the expansion is to increase the size of the Czorny Alzheimer Centre from 36 residents to 72 by annexing another three cottages of care and related support services space. This will allow increased availability of 24-hour expert care for persons with Alzheimer’s disease.  This is a significant contribution to the ongoing pressure for residential care for individuals with complex care needs. Expanding the current capacity at the Czorny Alzheimer Centre will help us to meet the current and future demand for specialized residential care within the Fraser Health Authority area.
 
The design envisions three new “Cottages”, that are distinct pods, housing 12 residents each, spread out along a linear connecting corridor.  Each cottage is self contained with 12 bedrooms, a resident kitchen and dining facility, two separate lounges and supporting services rooms.  Also along the corridor spine, there will be several supporting rooms, including a large meeting room, a central staff room and a family room used by families for special occasions during the year.  As well, there is a coffee shop, general store and book store/library laid out along the corridor and designed to give the feel of a quaint indoor shopping mall.