April 5, 2022
Yesterday (April 4, 2022) was another proud milestone for The Brenda Strafford Foundation (BSF) as we opened the doors of our newest site and welcomed the first residents who now proudly call Clifton House ‘home.’ The highly anticipated Clifton House first broke ground on construction two years ago, in February 2020, located across the street from BSF’s existing Clifton Manor Long Term Care site in Forest Lawn, SE Calgary.
The phased approach to opening Clifton House commenced yesterday with six residents successfully moving from Clifton Manor on opening day, excited to be the first residents to settle into the brand-new location. Clifton’s existing Long Term Care residents will continue to gradually relocate to Clifton House over the next three weeks, before the existing Clifton Manor site will be decommissioned for the immediate future – but with exciting long-range plans for redevelopment. And after Clifton’s existing Long Term Care (LTC) residents have completed their transition, Clifton House will then commence welcoming new Supportive Living (SL) residents from the community in partnership with Alberta Health Services (AHS) Transition Services.
Once fully commissioned, Clifton House will eventually be home to a total of 175 residents, with both SL and LTC services to better support residents to age-in-place as their care needs change in time. The new site is also home to Clifton’s specialized KINDD program for adults aging with a developmental disability living in continuing care, as well as a secure neighbourhood for specialized dementia care. Clifton’s Adult Day Program will also operate from the new Clifton House, providing respite and support to clients living in the community.
The existing Clifton Manor site is an established fixture in the local neighbourhood, previously known as the Forest Grove Care Centre, originally built in 1972 and acquired by BSF in 2010. Since that time, Clifton Manor has focused on ensuring high-quality care and services for residents and families served within the site, while also building strong partnerships within the surrounding Forest Lawn community.
BSF’s vision for the ‘Clifton Village’ concept builds on these foundations of aging in place and community partnerships. The eventual redevelopment of the existing Clifton Manor site potentially includes additional SL and LTC continuing care services, along with affordable housing solutions for independent seniors, and a seniors’ centre to support independent seniors living in the surrounding community. The proposed plans for a high school classroom and children’s day care on site will also contribute to a lively intergenerational environment. This bold vision for future growth, combined with Clifton’s established place within the community, also serve to support BSF’s goal to support a more ‘Elder Friendly Community’ in the surrounding Forest Lawn.
Congratulations to the Clifton team and thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey so far, contributing behind the scenes in many ways towards Clifton House becoming a reality today. As BSF embarks upon our strategic plan for the next three years, we look forward to seeing how Clifton House will continue to create great impact in the community… But today, we can now proudly celebrate this first significant step towards achieving the ambitious future for BSF’s Clifton Village!
