Connect Lake Country

Our 2010 Summer Party

2010-11-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

We recently held a block party in an effort to meet our neighbours and to celebrate summer with friends and relatives. It was an uncharacteristically cool and rainy day for the central Okanagan but it only dampened our clothes, not our spirit!

Many hands helped prepare a sumptuous feast that made everybody forget about the rain.

And what goes well with great food? Great music! Entertainment was provided by two musical acts with connections to Connect Lake Country. The opening act, which was delayed by the only significant rainstorm of the day, was an acoustic duo consisting of IT Coach Kevin and former staff member Gary who serenaded the crowd while they enjoyed their meal.

After the feast, much socializing took place. Warren and his family checked out our brand new gazebo.

and everybody got to know each other's families and the neighbours were able to finally find out who hangs out in the beautiful new building in their midst.

The day was topped off by a rockin' performance by a band featuring Nurse Jen's husband on drums.

They played two sets of great music that sent everybody home with a smile on their face.

The day was a great success, largely due to the hard work by everybody at Connect Lake Country.

Wasn't That a Party?!?!?

2009-05-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

We had a GREAT party at our official Grand Opening!!
Hundreds of folks came to join us at our ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open CONNECT Lake Country. Neighbors, friends, business partners, community supporters, family and many health care professionals all joined us on tours of the buildings, a little lunch and cake, speeches and general merriment!
Below you see John Sherwood with his wife Suzanne, owners of CONNECT with Patti Flaherty, Executive Director of CONNECT.

Al Condeluci joined us for the celebrations. He has worked as an attendant, caseworker, advocate, planner, program director and now, CEO of his organization, UCP/CLASS of Pittsburgh. UCP/CLASS has created a family of corporations and is dedicated to its mission- “working towards a community where each belongs.” Al gave all in attendance a reminder of why we are here...to make lives better. Thank you Al for traveling so far to make a message so clear!

Randy Topliss was the first person to move into CONNECT Lake Country and here is pictured with the Mayor of Lake Country, James Baker, just about to cut the ribbon!

Everyone enjoyed the beautiful cake! A big thank you to Suzanne Sherwood and Brittany Hatch for heading up the planning of this wonderful event.

John Sherwood kept the masses entertained with his stories of his mother's legacy and the "birth" of the amazing buildings you've seen in this blog.

Deb Preston honored us with her presence and represented our partners from Interior Health at the podium. She and her colleagues are responsible for the conception of this initiative which began 4 years ago. Without their vision, fortitude and commitment British Columbia would not have this new and innovative service in our province. A big thank you goes to all member of the IH Acquired Brain Injury Steering Committee (of which Deb is a member) for supporting CONNECT Lake Country.

Al Condeluci provided a teaching forum for people who live and work at CONNECT prior to our ceremony. He spoke of building bridges to community and focused on building real relationships, he was right in line with how we are running our services in Lake Country!!

A gaggle of CONNECT Langley team members came to support us at the Grand Opening. It meant so much to John Sherwood and the staff in Lake Country to have their support! We couldn't have created the Lake Country service without the everyday hard work of those in Langley!

Thank you to all who joined us on April 29, 2009...what a great day!
(And thanks to Mike Rossiter for the terrific photos!)

Let's Get Outside!

2009-04-21T06:15:00.000-07:00

Construction and development of our beautiful landscaping has begun!

We now have a driveway, a parking lot and grass!
Painters have updated our outside colors...

And Richard and Jude can't wait to relax in the summer sun!

GREAT THINGS!!!

2009-04-08T17:58:00.000-07:00

Great, great things are happening in Lake Country!!
We have so much to celebrate in such a short time! It has only been 3 months since we opened our first home, and there has been tons of stuff going on!
Landscaping and paving has finally started, which turned people's thoughts to gardening and lawn bowling! Since the sun has been shining the equipment outside has been running full steam to get our shrubs, grass and patios in! People can't wait to have a beautiful space to hang out in the sunshine. We had to stop a few guys from trying to make "dirt angels" in the piles outside!

Here Gary enjoys a visit from his brother Dennis....they don't look anything alike, do they!?

Too bad Dwight doesn't look happy in his new home!

Wahoooo!

Janette from Langley came for another visit and joined in with Jennifer and Trish for a laugh!

House B1 is filling up nicely with 2 women and 3 men, with another 2 men expected shortly. They have filled their home with potted plants, a few daughters and dogs who visit, crochet and knitting projects, tons of music, great food and laughter.

Mark and Richard are caught Googling!

Luc's busy making his lunch.

Lorrie has been keeping himself busy in our "garage" building this chair and now staining it. You will see a few of these chairs on our new lawn shortly!

Joyce loves walking through her new community!

Christy and Trinity are hard at work!

Christy is our Human Resources Coach and is responsible for recruiting our wonderful Connectors who support people in their homes. Trinity works as a House Manager making sure we have consistency and great communication amongst our staff.

We are preparing for our Grand Opening on April 29th...if you haven't received your invitation yet please feel free to call us at 250-469-9358 or consider this your official invite!

Please join us for the Grand Opening of
CONNECT Lake Country!

With Special Guest Al Condeluci, Ph.D.

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

11:00 am to 4:00 pm

Lunch served from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Official Ribbon Cutting at 12:30 pm

11438 Bottom Wood Lake Road, Winfield BC
Just 10 minutes North of the Kelowna airport

Please RSVP by April 20th, 2009 to
Brittany Hatch at 604-263-3621/1-888-263-5168
or via e-mail at: brittanyh@connectcommunities.ca

www.connectcommunities.ca

Special Visitor!

2009-03-24T06:45:00.000-07:00

We were joined by a very special visitor this past week at CONNECT, Lake Country. Phyllis Ommensen from Brisbane Australia came to visit her nephew John Sherwood. Phyllis is one of 8 siblings of Janet Sherwood, who started Classic Caregivers which led to Classic Homestead, which changed to CONNECT Langley and has led to CONNECT Lake Country! Phyllis had visited the site 2 years ago when there was just the development sign on the lot and was completely thrilled to see the (almost!) completed project! Phyllis stayed with us to help out on site for a few days and she met many people who live here and the staff that support them. She helped with unpacking and getting the next few homes ready for occupancy. Phyllis is very proud of our accomplishments and thinks it is a great tribute to her sister's legacy. Thanks for celebrating with us!

In other news, we received approval from Community Care Licensing and Public Health to open houses B1 and B2. We are moving in people to B1 and when we are filled in there we will start moving people into B2. We have brought on another team of great Connectors and continue each day with training and education. Our rehab coaches continue to assess the needs of the new folks moving in and everyone is hard at work creating plans and goals, setting direction, creating schedules and getting busy!

Luc has just joined us in B1 and he tells us how happy he is to be close to his family in Vernon. He was completing rehabilitation in Alberta, but is very excited to have a resource close so to home!

Chris recently had the opportunity to kiss the Stanley Cup in Vernon. So many folks have been creating busy lives for themselves since moving in. We've had bowling tournaments with the Wii, ping pong festivals, people are swimming and using the gym at Parkinson Rec Centre up to three times per week, we've got artists painting in the hallways, and we have a new "garage" where folks have built shelving, birdhouses and put together Adirondack chairs.

Alex has been cooking up some Thai-influenced meals for his room mates. And Gary loves the computer and can be found Facebooking regularly!

Everyone is enjoying our new pool table in the Rec room and people are settling in and making new friendships.

Our landscaping has begun this week thanks to the spring weather and we are awaiting one more delivery of furniture and several more deliveries of equipment!

We are grateful to our funders and supporters for partnering with us in this very unique "program". They have the vision to see things differently as we do, and together we are creating residential and transitional rehab services that will make lives better.

We're CONNECTed!!!

2009-03-01T07:06:00.000-08:00

It's been too busy to blog at CONNECT Lake Country!! We've had so much on the go in the last month, it's been crazy, funny, hard work, lots of change, lot of good, great people, new people, old people, friendly dogs, tired construction workers, new inspectors and so much more!

Homes A1 and A2 are open, with a total of 10 people moved in...2 more are expected this week! House B1 is slated to open mid-March, with the last three homes following close behind.
Our team of rehabilitation coaches have completed orientation and are creating plans, assessing needs and getting to know everyone at CONNECT
Langley staff have been to the Lake Country site to assist with training and team building
Team Meetings have been held to ensure people are challenged and supported appropriately. We love these meetings as they are filled with potential and opportunities!
We've had a ton of visitors; from family members, friends, colleagues and potential room mates, IH staff, potential new staff...and dogs! We have a lot of dogs!
Both services; transitional rehabilitation and residential services are now being offered. Programs are very fluid and adaptable as we bring in new clientelle with new staff. Interior Health is partnering with us to review applicants, establish move in dates, create rehabilitation plans and to help us provide the most beneficial support.

The Breakfast Club!

Alison

Joyce

We are hoping for "substantial completion" notice from Yellowridge Construction. They are almost ready to officially pass over the keys! We have some kinks to work out; like getting our on-call emergency system running, certifying the elevator, get the landscaping underway, complete work on the telephone & fax system, finish the fireplace mantles and complete the touch ups on the paintwork. Each home is looking beautiful with its own decor scheme. The last of the furniture is being delivered and unpacked this coming week.

Ozzie

Richard

Mark

Dwight & Kyle

We have so many people who are CONNECTed with us who are working so hard to complete the construction and create the programs at CONNECT. We thank you all for your hard work and dedication to the project!

Michelle

Christy & Melissa

Jen

Carol & Tara

Chris

Our new phone number on site is 250-469-9358. Address is 11438 Bottom Wood Lake Road, Lake Country, BC V4V1V4.

Gary

Christy

We are planning our official Grand Opening for April 29, 2009! Stay tuned here for more details!

More photos!

2009-01-26T07:22:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more photos of our lovely homes. A2 is open with 4 people moved in and A1 should be licensed this week with room for 7 residential, transitional and private clients who are ready to move in!
The site is still very much a construction zone as the homes are completed and the back common areas are left until the houses are complete. Our focus is to move people in as soon as we can!
Staff continue their training and a new group are coming in for orientation. They will be buddied up with the "old" staff to learn the routines of the homes and the needs of the clients.
It continues to be a very exciting time with learning on-the-go! All the ideas and plans we had made for the program are being changed, made more flexible, and in some cases being thrown out the window for a better idea. The staff are wonderful and bring a wealth of knowledge to the homes.
Stay tuned for our next opening!!

It's Official! We're Open!!!

2009-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

From Patti Flaherty:
On behalf of CONNECT I am very pleased to announced that CONNECT Lake Country is now officially open. On January 15th we received both the Occupancy Permit from the District of Lake Country and a License for the 1st of 6 homes which will serve 7 people. Two gentlemen have moved into their new home and they expressed their enthusiastic approval of their new digs. Their reaction was both emotional and overwhelming and was a great way to celebrate a very special day for all of us at CONNECT.

On behalf of everyone at CONNECT I would like to thank those of you who have been a part of this important and exciting project. Of course we have lots of work ahead of us but we have marked a huge turning point and a monumental milestone.

We anticipate that the 2nd home will be ready for Licensing shortly and the last 4 homes gradually over the next 4-6 weeks.

We are now starting the next part of our journey – the more important part – to implement our collective vision that we believe will be transformational in the way that people with brain injury are supported and served in British Columbia. How very exciting – I feel very fortunate and privileged to be a part of this.

New Staff! New Team! New Furniture!

2009-01-14T06:19:00.000-08:00

We're on our way!!

It's been so busy on site there hasn't been any time to blog!!

Lake Country Learning Community started orientation for 15 new staff this past week. Staff partook in learning about Connect services, policies and procedures, they had an introductory course on brain injury, completed a FoodSafe course and reviewed residential clients who will be moving in.

After orientation we put several new staff members to work setting up house #2, which is the first home we will open, as soon as possible! It was a flurry of activity as beds were made, bathrooms cleaned, everything was dusted to remove the drywall dust, floors were cleaned, cupboards stocked and a ton of fun was had too! Thank you to everyone for all their hard work!
The pictures below show what a great looking and hard working team we have on board!

Meanwhile our inspections continue and have all be very positive. It's going to come down to the wire for our opening, but everyone...staff, leadership team, superintendent's, mudders, floor layers, techno geeks and electricians are working full steam to get this project off the ground! The team work and dedication are amazing! Thanks again to everyone!

We hope to announce our first move-in very very shortly! Stay tuned!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-01-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

From all the staff at CONNECT Lake Country and the Lake Country Learning Community, we wish you all the very best of health and happiness for 2009.

We are preparing for the start of a fantastic year, full of excitement, development, changes, flexibility, partnerships and did we mention excitement??!?!?!?!? This week our buildings are being inspected by Public Health, Community Care, Contract Management and Lake Country Fire Department in hopes of meeting our targets of an occupancy permit and move in dates for our clientelle! The Leadership team is focused on finalizing the working teams, preparing orientation and training plans, creating record keeping and communication paths, and Patti Flaherty is working right beside the construction teams to ensure our deadlines are met!

Appliances are being installed, furniture is being delivered, unpacked and set up, telephone systems are being installed, our designer is putting the finishing touches on house numbers 1 and 2 and our first employees will be attending orientation days and a Food Safe course this week. Carpet layers and flooring teams are working diligently, cleaners are on site tidying up, electricians are making final adjustments and did we mention the excitement???!?!?!

Our hopes of opening House #1 and 2 this month are becoming a reality!!

Check out the photos below of the working fireplace and beautiful bedroom furniture

Stay tuned for more announcements regarding our opening!

Cheers!

2008-12-16T16:56:00.000-08:00

CONNECT enjoyed a Christmas celebration last weekend. John Sherwood hosted the Langley leadership team, the Lake Country leadership team, the Executive Director and the Administrative team from Vancouver. In attendance was Janette Jackman (& Andy) Jill Koppang (& Ed), Patti Flaherty (& Roger) Karen Tims (& Ray) Jill Howell, Brittany Hatch, Melissa LeBlanc (& Terry), Christy McKeating (& Nate) and John and Suzanne Sherwood. We had a wonderful, prosperous year to celebrate as CONNECT enjoyed a name change, many new staff, new offices and the Lake Country Learning Community project.

Deliveries!!!

2008-12-16T16:30:00.000-08:00

CONNECT has received a TON of deliveries! Hundreds of furniture and household items were delivered to our site this past week. Patti Flaherty and Brittany Hatch with our designer Gail Harrington were busy organizing, unpacking and piling things up...all the while keeping out of the way of our flooring installers and other construction staff!
You can see above that some rooms were overflowing with new furniture; couches, bookshelves, dining room furniture, bedroom suites...it's so exciting!! We can't wait to get it all unpacked and ready for the folks moving in!
You can also see photos of how terrific the flooring looks. Individual slats of hardwood-style lino have been installed and look fantastic with the new carpet in the living rooms. We love the inlaid lino in the hallways and are so pleased with Gail's choices for the decor~
Stay tuned for more photos!

Ch ch ch changes!

2008-12-08T09:49:00.000-08:00

Lake Country Learning Community is getting ready! More trades were on site this past week to help us get ready for opening. We had carpet layers, flooring specialists, railing installers and BC Hydro was on site as well. You can see the outside of the building and the busy site ground above, as well as a shot of a bedroom complete with carpet.
Gary Hamilton from Kelowna joined us on site for a tour and you can see him showing off the new railing on the balconies.

A week of change!

2008-11-28T07:37:00.000-08:00

CONNECT Lake Country has changed so much in just one week! Below you will see several photos of the inside of the two homes we are preparing to open. There's carpets in the rooms, the rock wall has been added to the fireplaces, the kitchens are painted and have cupboards, the elevator is being installed, and the cupboards have been mounted in the large bathroom.
Outside of the homes our programs and partnerships continue to be developed. Potential staff are being interviewed and offered positions, meetings with Interior Health continue to finalize entrance criteria for the transitional rehab program, people who will move in are being introduced and plans are being created around them. Licensing requirements are being met, telephone systems have been ordered, off site work has been organized and all the CONNECT staff from Vancouver, Langley and Lake Country are working diligently to get the show on the road!

We love the excitement!

2008-11-21T07:09:00.001-08:00

Brittany Hatch from our Vancouver office is so excited about our project! Brittany is an Administrative Assistant with both CONNECT programs and with Classic Caregivers. She has worked diligently on a number of tasks related to our new build and finally was able to see her hard work pay off! Brittany toured the construction site last week with Patti Flaherty, and, although Patti has not been able to convince Brittany to move to the Okanagan yet, we know she will continue to support us from afar! Thanks for all you do, Brittany!

See what's been done?

2008-11-21T06:58:00.000-08:00

Our new kitchens are coming together! Work on the inside of house number 1 & 2 continue at a flurried pace in order to get ready for a partial opening before Christmas. Painting, millwork and flooring has begun. Here you see our beautiful cabinets in the gorgeous green kitchen. We'll have lots of space for people to cook and entertain while others sit up at the breakfast bar.

Our home gym has been turned into the paint room for the moment! There are so many different and wonderful colors for each house, it's these details that will make each home unique and welcoming!

Check out this team!

2008-11-19T07:31:00.000-08:00

Interior Health’s Acquired Brain Injury Case Managers from across the Interior joined Patti Flaherty and Jill Howell on site this week for a tour of our homes. IH has contracted with CONNECT to provide transitional rehabilitation services for people from throughout the region. As one of six health authorities in British Columbia, Interior Health encompasses four Health Service Areas: Thompson Cariboo Shuswap, Okanagan, East Kootenay and Kootenay Boundary. We were proud to show off our project and many of them had good questions about our programs and services, our physical buildings and the process for admissions. Patti Flaherty met with the group afterward to answer more questions in detail.

Our transitional rehabilitation program will be head up by Karen Tims from CONNECT and will encompass physiotherapy, occupational therapy, neuropsychological assistance, speech language rehabilitation and much more. Our homes will be busy assisting people who come from all over the region, likely from acute care, to reach their maximum potential and recovery from their injuries. People who enter under this program will have been referred by a physician to a review panel through Interior Health to ensure our programs and services will be of most benefit to them. We have 16 bedrooms available for this program for Interior Health clients. Our specialized services will also be available for private funders and we have 14 rooms set aside for those contracts.

12 people will be moving into CONNECT Lake Country on a longer term basis under a separate contract with Interior Health Okanagan.

The Case Managers from Interior Health will be responsible for arranging referrals, following their client's progress and helping with transition back to home communities.

From Left to Right: Jill Howell (CONNECT), Christine Coughlan (Thompson Cariboo Shuswap), Deborah Cantrell (Kootenay Boundary), Elizabeth Ruppel (Acute Okanagan), Shauna Kainer (East Kootenay), Terri Miazga (Kelowna), Sandra Morgan, (Summerland/Penticton), Linda Johnson (Kelowna), Julianne Menard (Vernon) and Lori Seeley the Acquired Brain Injury Clinical Lead for Interior Health Region.

More Team Players!

2008-11-13T10:48:00.000-08:00

Our rockin' team at Connect Lake Country is growing! Last week we introduced to you our new Leader of Rehab and Clinical Programs, Karen Tims. This week we want to introduce you to Scott Cooke, our new Director of Finance. Scott is working both with Connect Lake Country and Langley offices as well as with Classic Caregivers Ltd in the Vancouver office. His role will be to manage our programs from a financial basis ensuring we are meeting contract requirements, keeping our employee standards and will be monitoring our purchases and expenditures. In the picture below you can see the beautiful cookies that were made to celebrate Karen and Scott joining our team. We continue to recruit for both front line and clinical teams and look forward to adding to our band of rock stars!

Our growing Connect Leadership Team met in Vancouver this week to hash out new training plans, new employee wage scales and to exchange updates on all sorts of projects. The team priorized tasks, outlined goals and wishes and solidified program plans. It was a day full of numbers, cookies, assignments, cookies, celebrations, cookies and planning. Did we mention there were cookies?

RECRUIT!! RECRUIT!!

2008-11-10T14:19:00.000-08:00

Jill Howell, Leader of Operations for Lake Country Learning Community recently attended Kelowna's largest job fair. Hosted by Okanagan College, over 300 businesses set up information booths, interview spaces and ingenious recruiting techniques to lure potential employees into programs at the college, local businesses and the Armed Forces and police departments. Jill enjoyed the day and received much attention for the new project. About 100 people spoke with Jill about the exciting job opportunities at our campus of homes, and many resumes were received the following week by interested care aides, human service workers, nursing students and more.

Below you see a picture of Jill with Janette Jackman our Leader of Operations in Langley. Janette joined Jill and Patti on site for a recent tour. Janette had not been to the site since May of this year, so she was quite blown away with our progress. Janette was part of the original team that put together the plans for this amazing project and she couldn't quite believe she was standing in the kitchen and bedrooms of the homes they had sketched out on paper! Janette was in town assisting Jill with some of the piles of administrivia that need to be addressed to open our homes. Thanks so much for your help Janette~

JUMP RIGHT IN, KAREN!

2008-11-06T07:30:00.000-08:00

Please send a warm welcome out to Karen Tims. She has joined our CONNECT team as the Leader of Rehab and Clinical Programs for CONNECT, Lake Country. Karen lives in Vernon with her family and has worked in the rehab world as an Occupational Therapist and has spent much of her career working with people living with brain injury – so she is a great fit for this role. We are delighted she has decided to join us and she brings with her a ton of experience, skill and kindness. Karen is starting out part-time as she winds down her private practice and will be working more full-time hours in the New Year.

Weekend Visitors!

2008-11-03T11:03:00.000-08:00

Patti Flaherty was busy this weekend taking more visitors out to our construction site. It's so great to have people come and celebrate our project with us! From left to right: Bill Krewtzweiser, Director of Ambulatory Care and Special Projects, Vancouver Coast Health, Sue Edwards, Quality Coordinator, Fraser Health and Jan McGuiness, Health Care Consultant.
Also visiting were Roger Lake, Leanne Heppell, Executive Director, Fraser Health and Bill Corbett, Director, Vancity.
Thanks for coming out!!

Langley Visitor!

2008-10-29T06:45:00.000-07:00

Jill Koppang our Rehab and Community Coach from CONNECT in Langley, recently joined us on site for a tour with her husband Ed. Jill and Ed were on their way back home after a relaxing spa week in Silver Hills outside of Lumby. Jill's relaxation level was quickly replaced by excitement and energy towards working with us on this rewarding project! Jill's expertise in teaching, coaching, nursing skills and brain injury knowledge will be utilized to create training programs for the staff, create welcoming communities for our clients and help to keep both Langley and Lake Country programs running smoothly. We look forward to many more visits from Jill!

We've got color!!

2008-10-29T06:28:00.000-07:00

A quick update on how things are progressing at the Lake Country Learning Community from Patti Flaherty. Construction is moving along pretty well. We are still on track for a partial opening in December – we are shooting for the week of December 8th. Construction Update Highlights:

The first 2 homes are being painted;
Millerwork/cabinetry and flooring will begin next week;
The geothermal system is moving along – the drilling (90 holes at a depth of 220 feet) should be complete by Oct. 29th – a huge undertaking;
We should have heat and electricity in the building by the 2nd week of November; Site is being prepared for landscaping this week and landscaping will begin once the drilling for the geothermal system is complete;
Off site work (curbs, gutters and other civil work) will begin later this week if all goes well;
Mid to late November we should have full access to the first home to move in furniture and make it a home!!

Completion Timeline: Partial occupancy in December open either 1 or 2 of the homes; Mid to late January homes #3 and 4 will be ready for occupancy; Mid to late February the construction should be substantially complete.

Operational Plan: Begin the IH Residential Contract the week of December 8th (we are working closely with Deb Preston and her team to work out the details and schedule); Begin the IH Transitional Rehabilitation Contract the Week of either January 12th or 19th – to be confirmed – (we are working with Darlene Arsenault, Lori Seeley, Faye Burch, Deb Preston and Harry Miller (and others behind the scenes) to confirm timelines, referral processes and admission criteria etc.); By the end of February we should be fully open with capacity for 42 units (28 to serve the 2 IH contracts and 14 for private contract) to serve the brain injury population.

Initial Inspection!

2008-10-23T07:18:00.001-07:00

This week Patti Flaherty (Executive Director) and Jill Howell (Leader of Operations) met on site with a group from Interior Health's Licensing Department. Licensing Officer's Linda MacDonald, Tami Ruhr and Margaret McEwan joined us to review our progress on site, review our application processes, review our policies and procedures and to give us general information about the licensing process, building codes and procedures. We will be meeting with them again as we near our opening date and Tami Ruhr (below with our new kitchen cupboards!) will continue on as our Licensing Officer for Lake Country Learning Community.

BrainTrust On Site!

2008-10-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

We were thrilled to have almost all of the staff from BrainTrust Canada join us on site for a tour of our buildings this week. They were full of praise and questions and fun! We know our partnership with BrainTrust will continue to be strong in the future when people living at our homes will want to access community support groups, family education series, conferences and transition back into their own Kelowna or Vernon community. Thanks for coming out and supporting our efforts!
From L to R; Melissa2, Magda, Dana, Stacie, Melissa1, Shelley, Laurie, John, Devon and Doug.

More tours!!

2008-10-03T09:43:00.001-07:00

More visitors joined us on site this week. Yvette Litterscheidt, Client Services Manager and Christy McKeating, Client Care Coordinator from Classic Caregivers in Vancouver joined us. Classic Caregivers is a full services home care business started by the Sherwood family. Janet Sherwood began this service in Vancouver and it quickly bloomed into a thriving business. It was through this work that Janet was introduced to the specialized needs of people with brain injury, and this led her to opening the first home in Langley dedicated to serving people with brain injury... the Homestead at Classic Rehab. Classic Rehab has grown into it's new name, CONNECT and continues to operate 5 homes in the Langley area. Classic Caregivers is the foundation of CONNECT and we were very pleased to have some of their staff visit our site. The excitement grows!

Drywallers hard at work!

2008-10-03T09:34:00.001-07:00

We've got wallers tapers & mudders on site! Our drywallers are hard at work preparing the walls, ceilings and bulkheads in the homes. It's a challenge for them as we have some beautiful wall features and design elements that will really makes these homes stand out. Our homes are designed to be homes first and a rehabilitation centre second. They are homey, warm, inviting houses with beautiful interiors and stylish decor. It's all coming together!

New Tubs!

2008-10-03T09:22:00.000-07:00

New accessible tubs have been installed in the lower level houses on site. These tubs from Aqua Systems in Kelowna enable people with mobility difficulties to transfer easily into a relaxing bath. The door slides easily open and closed, a hand held shower head and lots of grab bars makes this a dream of a tub!

We love visitors!

2008-09-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

Patrick Hirschi, Social Work Team Leader of the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton was in Lake Country recently and came by for a tour. We loved showing off our homes and their unique design. Patrick was suitably impressed with the design and concepts that the Learning Community is creating. Pat has been involved with a project in Alberta where they are reporting on the most appropriate housing alternatives for people with brain injury. He was excited to return home and share what he saw here in the Okanagan.

We are thrilled to be spreading the word about our programs and services that will be offered here and are very happy to share our concepts and ideas with other rehabilitation centers across Canada.

GeoThermal Has Begun!

2008-09-12T07:20:00.000-07:00

Installation of our geothermal exchange system began late last week. Geothermal exchange systems use the Earth's constant temperature to heat and cool buildings. These heat pumps transfer heat from the ground into the buildings in winter and reverse the process in the summer.
A geothermal exchange system does not look like a traditional furnace or air conditioner. For one thing, most of the equipment is underground. A liquid-usually a mixture of water ad antifreeze-circulates through a long loop of plastic pipe buried in the ground. This liquid absorbs heat and carries it either into or out of the building.
One advantage of a geothermal exchange system is that is does not have to manufacture heat. The heat is free, renewable, and readily available in the ground. The only energy this system needs is the electricity to pump the liquid through the pipes and deliver the conditioned air to the building. The pumps are two units located inside the building.
These pictures show the digging process for laying the underground piping, there will be many many holes dug to heat and cool this massive project!

Divine Design!

2008-09-12T07:08:00.000-07:00

Patti Flaherty was joined by Gail Harrington this week on site. Gail is our interior designer and has been with this project from the beginning. Gail was at the site to confirm electrical planning and placements and review the progress of the interiors.

Below you can see the living room space taking shape. The focus this week has been on placing ducts for heating and cooling and finishing the ceilings. Our contractor's have challenging jobs as they follow Gail's design plans for each house. Each home has the same layout yet retains uniqueness with subtle design details such as recessed lighting, inset ceilings, pillars and crown mouldings.

2008-08-25T07:53:00.000-07:00

Shelagh Turner, Executive Director of Canadian Mental Health Association was joined by Wendy Williams, Director of Community Development with BrainTrust Canada on a recent site tour. Both were impressed with our buildings and had lots of questions about program services, residential services and construction information. Lake Country Learning Community knows the importance of creating and maintaining community partnerships to help increase community around the people we serve. Thank you for your support!

More photos!

2008-08-25T07:41:00.000-07:00

Once the siding is completed on the buildings, another coat of paint will help keep it's beautiful colors.

Drywall in the bedrooms shows the real shape of these huge rooms. They will also have beautiful light coming in through the large windows. Each room has their own bathroom.

2008-08-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

Work continues both inside our homes and outside! You can see the insulation in one of our living rooms, drywalling has started on several other floors. Bedrooms are coming together nicely, they look so huge! The spa rooms are also coming along as you can see in the pictures. They will have roll in showers and comfortable tubs. There are changes on site every day!

2008-08-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

Last week we had two very important people at our monthly construction meeting....John Sherwood, Owner of Classic Rehab and his lovely 7 year old daughter, Madeline. Madeline seemed very content to sit through a couple of hours of reviewing plans, developing ideas and generating task lists. Thanks for visiting us Madeline!

2008-08-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

From the desk of...Patti Flaherty:

A quick update on how things are progressing at the Lake Country Learning Community construction site.

The construction time line is moving along well at this stage in the game. We are still planning on a gradual and partial opening that will start in early December 2008. The construction and development world is very unpredictable however we are guardedly optimistic that we will meet this time line. We will be sure to update you as this date and time line become more certain or if it is likely to change.

A few highlights include:
Siding has started and is about 40% complete;
Insulation is essentially complete for the first 2 of the 6 homes;
Dry walling has started in the first 2 homes;
Electrical and mechanical work is well on their way to completion;
Framing is less then a week to completion for the entire development;
Geothermal drilling begins next week;
Interior design concepts for all 6 homes and the common areas are complete.

More things to see...

2008-07-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

To the right you can see Ellen Boelcke of Access to Employment in Kelowna. She was a recent visitor to the site and loved the high vaulted ceilings in the entrance-ways of our homes. The homes continue to change everyday...siding has been started on building #1 as you can see above...new mechanical equipment appears seemingly out of nowhere...different teams of builders arrive on site weekly...it really is an amazing process to watch! We are getting into all the detailed work with mechanical, electrical, plumbing, landscaping designs, telephone and security systems. Meanwhile work continues to ensure the buildings are meeting licensing requirements, city codes, building codes, public health codes, fire codes and even postal codes! The staff at Classic Rehab are also working diligently on recruiting clinical staff, creating program principles and guidelines, developing communication plans, financial systems and personnel systems. Whew! Talk about building community!!

Cutting Edge Equipment!

2008-07-22T15:02:00.001-07:00

This is the mechanical room in building number three. It houses all the electrical needs, telephone, geo-thermal equipment, security and life safety gear. Several construction partners work in here each week to ensure we have everything we'll need in place for our opening.

Changes Everyday!!!

2008-07-22T14:40:00.001-07:00

Here's a view of the complicated and intricate systems that will keep our homes running smoothly. With the latest methods and materials our buildings will have low maintenance requirements, high efficiency ratings, cost effectiveness and beauty all wrapped up!

Details, details!

2008-06-27T06:29:00.000-07:00

Ron Joseph from TLJ Engineering and Steve Foley from Horizon Electric review lighting and lock plans with Patti Flaherty.

The creation of these homes comes with an endless list of details! We have designed these six homes to be top-of-the-line, with all the bells and whistles and incredible decor detail. While this makes a lot of work for our contracted partners, we appreciate their understanding and efforts in making these comfortable, warm and welcoming homes. At the monthly on-site meeting for June the table was full of enthusiastic team members, pouring over plans and making adjustments or changes as needed, exchanging ideas and making schedules. Drywalling is progressing fast in building #1, electrical work is 2/3rds completed and building #3 has walls and is almost ready for windows! Landscaping designs and locking and security systems are next in line.

Come see our stuff!

2008-06-16T07:37:00.000-07:00

Our buildings are coming together so quickly! Action at 11438 Bottom Wood Lake Road in Lake Country, BC is at a high pace! We thank Yellowridge Construction and all the contracted companies for working so hard on our project. If you would like to visit our site, please contact our local Leader of Operations, Jill Howell at 250-575-4991.

More people, more partners~

2008-06-16T06:58:00.001-07:00

It was wonderful to show off our buildings and construction zone to Deborah Preston (left) and Alice Mah Wren (right) this week. They were joined by Patti Flaherty (middle) and Jill Howell (not shown) from Classic Rehab.

Deborah, Program Lead of Community Supports, Housing and Care with Interior Health has been our lead contact in Kelowna and has been working diligently with Classic Rehab to solidify our vision of beautiful homes with supports befitting the needs of shared clientelle. Faye Burtch is the manager responsible for our contract for residential or long term housing.

Alice is Health Services Director for Community Care in the Okanagan Health Services area. She has been involved with services for people with brain injury for many years and we thank her for supporting our endeavors. Alice will be moving out of Health Services to Strategic Planning with Interior Health and we wish her great success in her new position.

Classic Rehab is excited to be a contracted partner with Interior Heath, they have shown great partnership and collaboration to create a vision of world class rehabilitation services in an innovative and "out of the box" environment. We are constructing a never-seen-before condo style building that will provide beautiful homes for long term residents and a superior rehabilitation service for those people joining us on a transitional basis.

Community Partners

2008-06-16T06:35:00.000-07:00

This week we were joined on site by a few of our community partners who came to view the progress of our project. Here, Jill Calder, MD, FRCPC Clinical Director of Rehabilitation Services (left) and Darlene Arsenault, Interior Health's Director of Rehabilitation, both from the Thompson Cariboo Shuswap Heath Services area, walk down the stairs to meet Patti Flaherty, Executive Director with Classic Rehab. Both of these women have been actively involved in the granting of the IHA contracts and creating vision for the outcomes of our transitional services. We thank them both for coming to see our site, offering suggestions and tips and for taking the news of the progress back to their own regions.
Transitional rehabilitation and recovery will be offered to up to 16 people from all of Interior Health's service areas through a secured contract. Those people served under this IHA contract will be returning to their home community after recovering and rebuilding in Lake Country. It is important for our partners to gain an understanding of what our building structure and home set up is like as well as to learn of our program content, so appropriate referrals and successful outcomes can be achieved.

Building #3!!!

2008-05-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

Patti Flaherty took these photos at the site this week, to show you all that the foundation was poured for Building #3! The crews continue to work diligently to meet our timelines. Building #3 will house 14 people receiving services, but it will also be home to all the electrical and geothermal equipment. Can you see where Patti wrote her name in the cement?
Thanks again to all the great crews making this project a reality!

More news!

2008-05-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

Mechanical and Electrical engineers at the Lake Country Learning Community have been really busy laying the groundwork, piping and wiring to meet the complicated needs of this project. Managing the power needs of this large lot can be tricky, and much effort goes into ensuring the homes have room for all the modern conveniences, (like internet, great lighting, medical equipment and home theaters) but also meet life and safety standards like fire alarm systems and extinguishers. At the same time we are so proud of our innovative and architecturally beautiful design and these electrical workers help to maintain that vision.

After attending a recent on-site meeting, Jill Howell is shown here with the luxuriously large windows which are to be installed next week in Bldg #1. Bedrooms, kitchens and living rooms will be flooded with Okanagan sunshine through these fabulous panes.

Stairs, drywall and more!

2008-05-20T10:23:00.001-07:00

On a recent site visit, visitors could walk up the stairs to the second floor of each building! A big beautiful stairway, extra wide with lovely windows at the top, was added to each of the two buildings this past week. Drywall has been started and piping and venting for heating and plumbing has been roughed in as well. It's coming together folks!

Thanks to Liz Baron, Leader of Community ABI Supports from Vancouver Coastal Health for visiting our site. She was very impressed!For tour information, please call Jill Howell at 250-575-4991.

Decor and Finishings!

2008-05-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

Pictured above are Gail Harrington, Interior Designer, Patti Flaherty, (Executive Director) and John Sherwood of Classic Rehab Community. Last week they met together with Jill Howell (Leader of Operations) to finalize their selections for the interior decor. Paint colors, flooring options, bathroom fixtures and furnishings were reviewed. Our goal is to choose decorating schemes that people will be proud to live in. Warm inviting colors, safe and accessible features and the latest in home decor and design will create 6 fabulous homes that anyone would find welcoming and beautiful. It is so exciting to be choosing the "final look" of our new homes...it makes the reality of this development so much closer!

More visitors!

2008-05-05T15:00:00.001-07:00

This week we were joined on site for a visit from the Langley crew! Janette Jackman, Managing Director, Paramjit Kalkat, Occupational Therapist and Bonnie Robertson, Team Coordinator from Classic Rehab Community's Langley services popped in on the construction site on their way to the Okanagan Conference on Brain Injury. Both Janette and Paramjit were instrumental in the design concept of this amazing 6 house plan. The last time these two visited the site was before construction had started...so what a huge difference they saw this time! They were delighted to see the plans come to fruition and are excited at seeing the progress and new development. Bonnie, who was visiting the site for the first time, will be able to share the excitement of the building and it's construction to all of the front line staff in Langley. We know Langley staff are cheering on the site development and we thank them for their support!

Construction Meeting Held

2008-05-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

Recently John Sherwood, Patti Flaherty and Jill Howell from Classic Rehab Community attended the monthly construction meeting at the Lake Country Learning Community's site. Engineers, project managers and different contractors attend to ensure timelines are being met, issues are described and attended to and responsibilities are assigned. Above you see Scott Gordon, architect, with Frank Vassalo of Yellowridge Construction reviewing plans with John Sherwood while Brian Weiss of Yellowridge looks on. The site is moving quickly again, making up for some lost time through the winter. Shingles have been installed on the first building and trusses on building #2 are due next week. Windows can start being installed next week on bldg #1 and hopes of partial occupancy by December are in the air.

Visitor!

2008-04-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

Dr. Harry Miller, Professional Practise Leader, Dept of Psychology at Kelowna General Hospital made a recent visit to our construction site to view the development. Dr. Miller was very excited to see the progress of the buildings and was generous with his praise for the project. "We've been waiting for a program like this for the Okanagan for over 10 years," he said. "It's wonderful to see this take shape and to be a part of it's development!" Dr. Miller was joined on site by Brian Wess, Project Manager for Yellowridge Construction, and by Jill Howell, Leader of Operations for Classic Rehab Community. Dr. Miller has been instrumental in advocating for the development of a comprehensive rehabilitation program for the Okanagan since moving to Kelowna almost 14 years ago. We are honored to have him as part of the program development team and as an on-going contributing member to our professional staff.

2008-04-11T07:37:00.001-07:00

2008-04-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

The learning centre is really taking shape! On a recent visit to the site one could see the second floor of building #1 coming together. The crews were working diligently to install the trusses which create the roof frame for the building. The site was buzzing with action on both buildings and all the ground work for building #3 has been completed. Pouring of the concrete on building #3 should take place in the next week or so. Yellowridge Construction Ltd. continue to work on the framing inside the buildings, creating living rooms, bedrooms and the kitchens. You can see in the pictures above how big the windows are, how inviting the entrances will be and how stellar the buildings will look.

Trusses are next!

2008-03-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

Next weekthe construction crew are going to pour some exterior concrete pads and continue on the framing of home ‘A’ and ‘B’. We will be getting delivery of the trusses for home ‘A’ late next week and should start erecting the trusses near the end of April. The Trusses for home ‘B’ will be delivered near the end of April. Also, next week we will be prepping the slab for the concrete pour of Home ‘C’ and the concrete pour should complete by the end of April if all goes well.

Welcome!

2008-03-27T13:47:00.000-07:00

Construction on the Lake Country Learning Community began in late 2007. Scott Gordon, Architect and Yellowridge Construction Ltd. along with Classic Rehab Community have created a very unique 2 level, 6 home structure. Homes with 7 rooms each are duplexed on top of each other, with separate entrances and beautiful design concepts. The three buildings are connected with offices and areas including a fitness centre, meeting rooms, common laundry facilities, and an elevator. The building is fantastic in it's design and offers private large rooms, modern kitchens, gorgeous living spaces and great amenities.

This blog will inform the reader of construction updates with photos, plus educate the reader on some of the unique structures and touches that will be implemented to create this one-of-a-kind rehabilitation setting.