Moose Jaw's Valley View Centre closure pushed back to December 2019

The closure of the Valley View Centre in Moose Jaw, Sask., will be pushed back to December 2019.

The decision marks the second time the closure date has been extended.

"I want to make sure that it's clear that the decision to extend the closure date isn't about finance," said Bob Martinook, executive director of Community Living Service Delivery with the provincial government.

When the initial closure announcement was made in 2012, there were 207 residents living at the centre. While operating at that capacity, the cost of caring for a resident at centre was less than caring for the same resident if placed in a non-institutional setting, he said.

"By extending this, it's actually going to cost us more money."

Now 109 residents are remaining. He said the extension is necessary to accommodate the person-centred approach to the transition to community living.

"We've had 52 very successful transitions, where no one has returned to Valley View and no placement has broken down," said Martinook.

A transition steering committee meets monthly to talk about the concerns of residents' families, and sometimes adjustments to the transition process are made. These adjustments also take time, Martinook said.

"We've improved the process," he said. "It might've stretched out the time, but it's also been better on people so they know what to expect and how things are happening."

An aging population at the centre is also playing a part in the delay.

"As the individuals change over time, our plans will change," he said, noting that some residents who initially may have been successful in a group home setting now need long-term care supports, requiring additional consideration.

The 24-hour care centre was built in 1955 to house 1,500 people with intellectual disabilities. It stopped accepting new residents in 2002.