It could be argued that this pool has saved people’s lives, or at the very least there is no doubt that it has enhanced so very many lives.  It is incredibly rare: there should be more of them!

The therapeutic benefits, and even the necessity for some healing, makes it an irreplaceable part of therapy for many people.  According to pool advocates, some people come all the way from the Okanagan once a month or as often as possible to use this pool. Many Pearson residents use the pool as often as possible, usually limited by available staff time.

As the Pearson land is now in redevelopment planning, the planners say there will be a new therapeutic pool on this site. They are consulting with pool users as to what the new pool should include. Hopefully it will be a new and improved version of what we currently have.

Some essential qualities of a therapeutic pool include warmer than normal temperature pool water, quiet serene environment, accessible ramp and hoist, accessible changing rooms, regular staff that built trust of swimmers.

About the pool’s name: Stan Stronge was a soccer player until he became paraplegic from a car accident at age 30. He turned to wheelchair sports and formed the first wheelchair basketball team. He later coached and managed many athletes with disabilities. He seemed to understand perfectly well how appropriate physical activity can be so very therapeutic for the body and mind.

nestled in the trees…Stan Stronge Pool

This time it looks like it will really happen.  The building is old and one problem crops up after another. Residents share bedrooms and bathrooms and few get any privacy — imagine having 30 roommates! It’s designed and run like a hospital — acute care style…which as you can imagine doesn’t merge well with basic human desires for independence, privacy and home.

In the recent announcement, VCH CEO Dr. Ostrow  says, “The scope of this development is unprecedented for a health authority”.  No kidding — it’s a BIG piece of land for Vancouver. And it’s located in a pretty pricey neighbourhood: Marpole-Oakridge with Cambie St along one side. Some of those 1960’s bungalow-style homes near Pearson have been sold for $2 — $3 million, so that much bigger buildings can be built on several lots.

Pearson residents expect the density on the land to increase. They expect that there will be less green space — currently Pearson is essentially surrounded by park land. Pearson residents hope that all the good ideas brought forth in consultation will be included in the final action — because so often there’s a lot of talk, but not so much action.

Here’s the news release about the Pearson redevelopment:  http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2009-2013/2013HLTH0074-000786.htm

Listen here: http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/popupaudio.html?clipIds=2376368857

If that doesn’t work, follow links from here: http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/documentaries/2013/04/14/documentary-the-golden-rule

We invite you to join us at the Open House.

PRRG members are delighted to meet members of the community and to talk about our hopes for the redevelopment.

Residents want more choices by having a variety of housing and health care support options right on the Pearson lands. We believe that a unique mix of housing and health supports for people with disabilities could build a world-class facility.

The Open House will be an opportunity to talk with PRRG members who live at Pearson, with the City of Vancouver, and with Vancouver Coastal Health.

For more information, please visit this link to see the PRRG report with our recommendations and more illustrations.

http://www.pearsonresidents.org/redevelopment-group/prrg-reports-and-publications

Dates & Times

Thursday, January 31^st , 5–8 pm

Saturday, February 2^nd, 10 am — 2 pm

Location:

Pearson Dogwood Project Office: 601, West 59^th Avenue, Vancouver

All of the residents here at Pearson use a wheelchair — either motorized or manual. Motorized wheelchairs are much heavier and can be operated in a variety of ways. The most common is a kind of joystick operated by hand. Some people can’t use their hands or arms, so operating a chair can be done with something commonly called a “sip ‘n’ puff”. Assistive technology can enable someone with a disability to focus on their abilities.

The wheelchair is really really important — it is a person’s mobility; it gives you the ability to move yourself around. If you can’t turn your head, you need to turn your wheelchair to see something. You don’t really notice the freedom of mobility when you have it, but when you lose it, you sure do.  Sometimes you have to stay in bed if you get a bad pressure sore that won’t close up, or for other reasons. Technology can help there too, with environmental controls connected to lighting, heating, TV and computer, for example.

Some folks who live at Pearson are able to push themselves in a manual wheelchair but here the main hallway is a long climb — it runs 150 metres (about 490 feet) at a slope is that is 7 degrees away from flat ground. The railings aren’t totally continuous (almost!) so you risk rolling backwards as you transition from one railing to the next. At least there is a mattress at the bottom of the hill, if you happened to roll to the end…

Bottom line is…mobility is a right that most people take for granted, rushing from one thing to another. But if you think about it, not being able to mobilize physically should not mean you have to sit in the same place all day long — having a disability is not the same as committing a criminal offense!

The Pearson re-development focus groups are asking residents about washrooms. What would an ideal washroom look like? Here is an image to begin the conversation.

Residents have described the need for private washrooms. There are many universal design elements that could improve washrooms and personal care routines. Washrooms could have sliding pocket doors instead of doors that open into the washroom. This would save space because wheelchairs would not have to turn around. There would be a pedestal sink so wheelchairs could slide underneath. The toilet would be accessible with an adjustable height. Shelves would hold personal care items. A handheld nozzle would be easy to reach, and have controls at waist height.

This conversation is more than just about washroom design. Staffing shortages at GPC impact personal care routines.

In the 2008 Envisioning Home report, residents said they “understood the need for a routine within GPC but many criticized the inflexibility of it.  Residents consistently gave three examples in which the routine challenged the reality of GPC as home: being able to have a bath or shower more than once a week; being able to go back to bed for a rest and then get up again during the day; and having to remain in bed on days when they were to have a bowel routine.  Residents wanted a greater degree of control over these aspects of their lives (Envisioning Home, p.12).”

What is a welcoming entrance to Pearson?

The Pearson Residents’ Redevelopment Group would like to know what residents imagine a welcoming entrance would be. Some ideas from the summer are in this picture. They include:

• A reception desk with a greeter
• There is a community cafe where residents can meet people, and importantly people from the neighbourhood can come in. This can help build connections between Pearson and the community
• There are clear directional signs
• A big window and natural light, plants can thrive
• Pets and children are welcome. In this picture a dog and a child are visiting.

What do you think about having pets and children in the picture? Pets, children and living things is part of the EDEN Alternative, an innovative philosophy of long-term care. The EDEN Alternative seeks to eliminate boredom, loneliness and helplessness by creating a vibrant environment for residents and staff.

This summer, PRRG came up with ideas about what new private rooms could include:

This image describes:

• 16x20 foot room. This would be enough room to move around
• A bed and a lift above the bed
• A small table or desk for writing, reading, or working
• A comfortable chair for visitors
• A private washroom
• Pocket doors: doors to the closet and washroom slide open, instead of opening into the space. Pocket doors in the washroom save space and help eliminate the need to turn around in a wheelchair
• Windows were very important. The windows should be able to open, and residents should be able to open them using controls at a good height
• There should be controls for the heat and lights within easy reach
• A small kitchen on wheels, with dishes and a microwave, means people could eat food or share it with visitors
• A wheel-in closet would have storage for personal items
• Lighting should be ambient lighting (like lamps on the wall) instead of one big overhead light. Lying under a big ceiling light or having fluorescent lighting was not as appealing as ambient lighting.

A walk around Pearson will show you a range of rooms. Many residents are at Pearson for long-term care, and this is their home. For many, the ideal room is a private room.

Pearson lands will be under redevelopment soon. The Pearson Residents’ Redevelopment Group (PRRG) is organizing focus groups to ensure that residents’ voices are heard in the planning. PRRG is asking, what should a new Pearson include? 

PRRG decided that focus groups with residents could discover what the most number of residents wanted. PRRG has worked on planning the focus groups since March.

To get started, PRRG went back to 2007 and a report called Envisioning Home. In 2007–2008, Pearson residents led a Participatory Action Research Project that asked what a new Pearson would look like. The results of the report are in this poster and it hangs in a Pearson hallway. A new Pearson would have housing with easy access to health care and the community, is in a safe neighbourhood, has a choice of rooms, is easy to navigate by wheelchair, doesn’t feel institutional, and has space for family and friends.

Since PRRG members also live at Pearson, they began with writing down their own experiences of what a new Pearson should include. Some people wrote that rooms should be spacious and others added there should be nice places to have visitors. For each PRRG member, a new Pearson looked different. With the research and their experiences, the next step was to bring the ideas to life in pictures.

PRRG wanted to use visuals to help structure the focus groups. They contracted an artist. PRRG gave the artist their writings and asked him to draw pictures of a new Pearson. The drawings are meant to begin a conversation and show different ideas. Together, the artist and PRRG developed a series of 11 drawings about different areas at Pearson.

PRRG directed the process and shaped the final products.The artist submitted drawings to PRRG and PRRG would discuss them. PRRG directed changes so the drawings would represent the groups’ perspective clearly. When the drafts were ready, PRRG organized focus groups starting in August to get residents talking about a new Pearson.

To promote the focus groups, PRRG members invited residents individually, with posters and notices, and posted a large sign at eye level in a prominent hallway.

More updates from PRRG work to come soon.