Abrio Place to benefit from increased senior lodge funding

Airdrie's Abrio Place will see a large funding increase thanks to the recently announced senior lodges funding.

Last week, the government of Alberta gave the Lodge Assistance Program an additional $20 million in funding through Budget 2024 to assist senior lodge operators in helping low-income residents. This raises the overall investment to $60 million and signifies a funding boost of over 50 per cent.

One of the Airdrie lodges affected by the increase is Rocky View Foundations Abrio Place. Chris Rowe, the Chief Administrative Officer for the Rocky View Foundation explained how much the increase is.

"The increase through the program is about $175,000. We are very thankful for this increase."

The program offers recreational opportunities, cleaning services, and meals. Funding is given to operators by the Lodge Assistance Program to help make sure they have the resources necessary to offer these services to seniors with limited incomes.

"I was personally surprised by the increase, we haven't seen once since 2016. I guess moving forward we would love to see a continued increase."

Airdrie Councillor Tina Petrow who is a part of the Senior's Lodge Review Panel for the province is thankful to see this investment. 

"The funding for the Lodge Assistant Program was stagnated for quite a few years. So I'm super happy to see this increase happen, but at the end of the day, It's kind of  just catching up to where we should be."

According to Petrow, it's important to make sure that we can support vulnerable senior citizens to make sure they have the extra support needed to enjoy their life.

The panel is actively collaborating with seniors and lodge providers to explore ways to enhance seniors' lodges and facilities, ensuring their efficiency and sustainability for the future.

There are 11,000 senior lodge units in Alberta, of which about 4,850 are in rural communities.

Under this grant program, lodge providers can now claim $20.50 per day for each eligible low-income resident, an increase from the $13.23 provided in Budget 2023.

Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com. You can also message and follow us on Twitter: @AIR1061FM

DiscoverAirdrie encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the DiscoverAirdrie app. For breaking news, weather and contest alerts click here.