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• The number and designation of bedrooms for Core Members or Assistants is based on L’Arche Edmonton’s 35 years of
  experience in providing appropriate levels of care. L’Arche Ted Bradshaw Barrier-free Home is specifically built to address the expected increase in the level of care required by our aging Core Member population.
• The allocated square footage of the individual bedrooms and the accessible bath and shower rooms allow for the use of
  mobility aids and personal lifts that must be used throughout the home.
• The home includes a self-contained bedroom suite for hard-to-house Core Members. Presently, we have two Core Members who have varying degrees of dementia and Alzheimer’s. To reduce their stress and anxiety levels, which often results in verbal abuse and other negative behaviors, a separate suite with bedroom, sitting room and bathroom has been constructed in the L’Arche Ted Bradshaw Barrier-free Home. People with dementia and Alzheimer’s require easily identifiable living accommodations and as little change as possible. This suite ensures that nothing in their rooms will be moved or changed and that their surroundings will always be predictable. This will allow them to meet their need of spending limited time, such as mealtime, together with other members of the house and then return to the safety of their suite when they so desire. Having this permanent and unchanging suite will increase their ability to live more autonomously and with greater dignity.
• The inclusion of an office is in recognition that the operations of this large home will require a caregiver work space for
  secured record keeping, filing and accounting.
• The “quiet room” is a room set aside to permit freedom of spiritual expression and development according to the individual needs of Core Members and/or Assistants. Appropriate activities might include quiet meditation, prayer or worship, whether as individuals or small groups. This space will also function as a secondary recreational space for individuals not interested in participating in larger group activities. It is important to recognize that, given the number of individuals residing in the home, there will be many occasions when this space will offer a welcome respite from the daily hustle and bustle of community life and thereby enhance everyone’s quality of life.
• The dimensions of the common living spaces: Kitchen, Dining Room, Living Room and Recreational Room are based on the spaces in other homes we presently have. The home has used the “great room” concept (a favored design feature for today’s home builders) to group those common living spaces that are on the main floor. An added important feature of using this approach will be to enhance access and/or limit barriers for the occupants.
• The Den will provide a private space for Core Members to meet with family members, friends or guardians. The Den will also serve as a staff meeting space or for one on one visiting.
• The large Laundry Room accommodates the special needs of a large and diverse group of residents and includes room for two clothes washers and clothes dryers.
• The width (six feet) and square footage of the hallways meet the barrier-free needs of the residents. The hallways can easily accommodate wheel chairs and also provides for a “walk-about” exercise space if needed.
• Every bathroom is designed with Zero threshold wheel-in showers for accessibility and for easier care of individuals.
• For safety from fires a sprinkler system has been installed throughout the home as well as each room built to provide
  optimum safety with a 90 minute fire rating.
• Soundproofing has been included in two rooms on each floor using resilient sound bar and two layers of type x drywall. Also all walls are insulated with R 20 and ceilings with R 40 to reduce noise. The increasing requirement to have Assistants awake and moving around at night to care for Core Members can be disruptive and disturbing for everyone in the home as the noise keeps people awake. Live-in Assistants need adequate rest before resuming their duties the next day. The soundproofing measures provide a more quiet and restful home atmosphere for all residents at all times of the day or night.
• One accessible bathroom has an Arjo tub. The hydraulic system allows the tub to be lowered, providing occupants with easier access and then raised again, giving caregivers easier access for assisting with bathing activities. It includes a lift, which helps transport the individual in and out of the tub. This tub helps to enhance health by improving circulation, stimulating the nerve pathways and relaxing muscles. It is self-cleaning and water temperature controlled and the hydrotherapy jets combine the sciences of hydrotherapy, massage therapy and reflexology into a soothing and healing bath experience.
• A front entry wheelchair ramp allows for easy access to the main floor from the front of the home as does the ground level rear entry through a door or the garage. A commercial elevator provides full access to all three levels of the home.
• The heated garage with interior off-loading capability for Core Members in wheelchairs is a necessity during Edmonton winters to prevent those waiting in the vehicle for their turn to be brought inside the house from suffering harm or injuries related to frigid winter conditions.
• In floor heating in the basement floors allows for greater comfort and efficiency as all spaces are warm to the touch.
• All windows in the home are a high efficiency double glazed window with low E and argon fills
• Features such as an accessible balcony on the second level facing East and a main floor patio on the west side of the home allow us to enjoy the many seasons of Edmonton.

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