About - Beloved Care

Christian Long Term Care

BeLoved Care will be unique in that we will be a Christian long-term-care home with firm roots in Reformed Christian denominations and the Dutch-Canadian community.

God created us with a fundamental need to love and be loved. This is especially true in times of increased dependence on others due to age or infirmity. The Bible teaches that we are to care for the vulnerable and elderly among us, especially those in our families and households of faith.

When safely caring for our loved ones in their own home is no longer possible, the next step may be facility-based continuing care, in which residents receive accommodation, meals and 24-hour on-site professional nursing and personal care. It is important for a person to feel at “home” wherever they live, and maintaining an individual’s sense of identity is crucial when transitioning to a facility. Christians want to ensure the care their loved one receives aligns with their faith values and beliefs. Unfortunately, Alberta’s current model of continuing care does not adequately support cultural and religious choice.

BeLoved Care was instituted to help address the need for culturally appropriate continuing care for Reformed Christians. BeLoved Care is dedicated to creating a care home in which residents can feel comfortable expressing their faith, participate in religious activities, and receive spiritual support. This facility will prioritize the provision of high-quality care that meets the physical, emotional, and social needs of its residents, while integrating Christian values into all aspects of its operations. This would include hiring staff who share the same faith and values, offering Bible studies and worship services, and fostering a sense of community among residents and staff.

Aging population is growing
Increased need for care home facilities
Faith-based continuing care is essential

Historically, the first hospitals were instituted by churches, dependent upon Christian principles. Initially, these institutions were often led by deacons and deaconesses and focused on palliative care, but later extended to the sick and poor. In more recent history, the responsibility of medical care has shifted primarily to the public sector. As Canadians, we’ve become largely reliant on the government to care also for our elderly, which has led to facilities that increasingly do not align with our religious and cultural norms and values.

In 2021, having been commissioned by the Alberta Department of Health, MNP released a report entitled “Improving Quality of Life for Residents in Facility-Based Continuing Care”. This report identified numerous policy directions to improve continuing care in Alberta, including the need to “improve the provision of culturally appropriate continuing care services” and “expand the choices available to Albertans who require continuing care services”.

In addition to a need for more culturally appropriate care, there is also a general need for capacity. In Alberta, there is at least a 15% shortfall in spaces at higher care levels. Approx 3000-4000 more long-term care beds are needed to reduce waitlists and create the system-wide capacity that would allow couples and families to stay in their own communities.

According to the Canadian Medical Association, “the ageing of Canada’s population has pushed up demand for seniors care over the past decade. This trend is set to accelerate. Heightened demand will increase the pressure on a system that is already struggling to keep pace with current needs.”

By working in collaboration with the Alberta government, BeLoved Care hopes to assist with this shortage, increase choice in health care, and offer appropriate faith-based continuing care to those in the Reformed Christian population.

Our goal is to provide 24-hour professional supervision and care in a protective, supportive environment for people who have complex care needs and can no longer be cared for in their own homes or in an assisted living residence. Services will include standard accommodation, clinical support services (e.g. rehabilitation), ongoing social and recreational activities (e.g. music), meals, laundry, cleaning, and specialised service (e.g. palliative care) as needed. We also aim to facilitate couples staying together, despite varying care needs.

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