At their regular council meeting on August 27, Cold Lake city council advocated for better accessibility measures at the Cold Lake Points West Living Assisted Living Complex, particularly in response to frequent outages of the facility’s elevator, which has raised concerns among residents and their families.
“Accessibility and mobility are very important in an assisted living facility, and we’ve heard that the elevator in the facility has suffered frequent outages,” stated Mayor Craig Copeland. “It’s not just this facility in Cold Lake either. From what we’ve heard, we think accessibility in assisted living facilities should be examined province wide.”
The recurrent elevator issues have left many residents feeling trapped in the facility, unable to easily access programs, services, or appointments. In some cases, staff have had to call emergency services to help residents down the stairwell, which has only increased worries about keeping essential services running smoothly.
In response, the council will write a letter to MLA Scott Cyr, outlining these challenges and seeking input on possible solutions. The letter will emphasize the need for more dependable alternatives to maintain residents’ quality of life and propose exploring various strategies to ensure the consistent delivery of essential services, including the proper functioning of elevators.
“We’ve struggled to get elevator parts for our own facilities over the last little while,” Copeland noted. “So, this isn’t going to be a quick fix, but something needs to change both in the short term and long term.”
While seeking long-term solutions, the council has suggested looking into alternative mobility options, such as an automated stair lift, to provide a solution during times when the elevator is out of service.
