Feather Ridge Care Home aims to help brain-injured youth in Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan youth who have suffered brain injuries will soon have a place to stay.

Efforts are under way to open Feather Ridge Care Home in Christopher Lake on Hwy 263 near Prince Albert National Park .

Once it opens, the 10-bed facility would be the province’s first long-term care home specifically catering to youth and young adults. But it still needs more funds before it can start operating.

Registered nurse Kerrie Elliott is the founder of Feather Ridge Care Home, and talked to Evan Bray about the status of the project.

“We are just waiting for government funding so that we can open our doors. We are ready to go, we have empty beds, we have the staff and we have the clientele and the families.”

Elliott said the facility would emphasize compassionate care.

“It is 24-hour nursing and a youthful, fun and compassionate environment that’s more homelike — it’s not an institution, it’s a home. We are working with families and community groups to make that happen,” Elliott said.

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The project has been in the works for about three year, and Elliott said the facility was developed to fill a gap in care for brain injuries.

Elliott said there was good support for children in the province, but nothing once they “age-out” of that care.

Youth and young adults with brain injuries in Saskatchewan have ended up staying in senior care homes because there was no dedicated facility for youth or young adults. she said.

Some families opt to look after brain injured youth at home rather than see them go into seniors care,  and Elliott said that creates its own stresses.

Families of brain injured youth spoke out on the show in favor of the project. One of those was Connie Bridle, whose son Zander needs care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at home.

“It’s a lot of time commitment, and we just do what we can to help him the best we can,” said Bridle, who said she had to give up her employment. “He’s been my full time job.”

Bridle said Feather Ridge would be the ideal solution for her family. “If we can only get this facility to open up it would be great,” she said.

Advocacy group Saskatchewan Royal Purple is supporting the effort. Royal Purple past president Sandi Lougheed voiced her support for the project, saying brain injured people are vastly underserved in the province.

“It isn’t fair for young people who are brain injured to spend their life in senior homes,” said Lougheed. “They deserve a home within the province of Saskatchewan.”

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