Darlene was visiting with Marian in her office for coffee recently and said, “Can we get a new tub? I would love a new tub that has jets in it, like a Jacuzzi. Do you think Bethesda could buy us that?” Marian, the manager at Clearbrook Home was amazed as she recollected this story. She recalls saying, “Oh, no Dar, that seems really expensive and also there’s probably not enough space either, I’m sorry. And Darlene responds, ‘Oh, it was just an idea.’ Marian was torn because she had seen exactly what Darlene was dreaming of in the bathroom of the new home Darlene will soon be moving into. She so very much wanted to share with Darlene, that yes, your dream will come true in just a little while.
Marian is referring to a move to a new home she knows is imminent, but that Darlene and her three other roommates at Clearbrook Home do not yet know about. Darlene, along with Diny, Jean and Nena, will soon be moving into a newly built and completely accessible home called Jackson Home. And yes, it has accessible bathrooms including one fancy new Jacuzzi-style bathtub.
Jackson Home is beautifully designed, spacious and invites you in as soon as you enter the front door. It is perfect for these ladies who, now in their senior years, are struggling with stairs and navigating things like bathroom safety in their current home. Over the years, the barriers have been increasingly constraining their movement within and outside the home. This new home will free them to live expansively.
The four ladies have known each other since the 1970’s. At the time, their families were looking for a safe and loving home with the supports they needed so they could live full lives in community. They moved into Bethesda’s first home for adults with diverse abilities, Mt. Lehman Home.
Diny and Darlene were two of the original people welcomed into the home. Nena and Jean joined them the next year. It was a very large home, with up to 21 people living there dormitory-style at any one time. Although it was not an ideal home by today’s standards, it was a step forward from the large institutions that were the earlier option. Families were grateful to know that their young adult children would be cared for and supported to thrive. And thrive they did. All four learned to live independently from their families and were supported in learning life skills, daily living skills as well as vocational skills.
When They Lived at Mt. Lehman Home
Nena cleaning in one of the common rooms at Mt. Lehman Home in the late 1980’s.
Darlene enjoyed horse-back riding as a young woman when she lived at Mt. Lehman Home.
Jean taking her turn cleaning up in the kitchen after a communal meal.
Within 10 years of being at Mt. Lehman, Bethesda had shifted its vision of what kind of home was needed to promote personal thriving and began opening up smaller and person-centred homes. Over the next 14 years, it would acquire or build 18 homes through the development and investment expertise of the Bethesda Christian Foundation or leases through BC Housing.
One of these early homes, built and opened in 1988, was Clearbrook Home. It became home to Darlene, Diny, Jean and Nena, along with two others. They soon settled into their new life in their smaller home and started attending skill development courses through Fraser Valley College in areas such housekeeping, food services, recycling and office assistance. They all had jobs for the first time in their lives. They gained independence, making many decisions for themselves, and took on many personal responsibilities.
The decades passed and now they are in their senior years and retired. They still live in the same home but now, with three of them using walkers, they are feeling the challenges of a home with stairs, narrow hallways, a steep driveway, along with other accessibility challenges.
Several years ago, Bethesda’s senior leadership team and the Bethesda board of directors, committed to improving the accessibility in older homes that were not purpose-built. This replacement program started a series of moves as the renovation or rebuild of a home required the movement of people living there to another home.
And so it is that the women of Clearbrook Home are moving to a rebuilt home on the property of the former Abbotsford Home which was torn down in 2023. The people living there were re-settled into a renovated and accessible home, Kingfisher Home.
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CEO Tori Dalair shares, “Jackson Home is one of Bethesda’s most beautiful homes, but not in a boastful way.” She emphasizes that its development reflects Bethesda’s tradition of stewardship, with thoughtful financial and design decisions resulting in a highly economical and functional building. “Crafted with quality and future accessibility in mind, Jackson Home is a responsible use of the resources entrusted to us,” Tori explains. “We believe this home will offer these four women increased comfort, security, and renewed spirits as their needs evolve. It’s incredibly moving to think that these ladies, who joined us during the deinstitutionalization era, are now in their retirement years and able to move into a home like this. They deserve a space that is not only beautiful but also safe and accessible, free from barriers as they age. We deeply feel the responsibility for ensuring our homes meet their needs now and in the future.”
Marian also sees the home offering more than comfort and accessibility. She says there’s something about its spaciousness and lightness that seems to lift the spirit. “When I walk into that home, it is open and inviting and I can envision fun stuff we can do like, let’s have a karaoke party — it has that kind of feeling.” She envisions families and friends coming over and being drawn in in a way the closed off style of foyer and steep stairs in their current home doesn’t. “We’re still going to access the community, but now the community can also come to us.”
And as the women age and their dependencies grow greater, they and their loved ones can be at peace knowing they will be well-taken care of. Marian says, “With this home, we will be telling them, ‘This is your senior’s home that Bethesda’s built especially for you so that you can get around easier and all stay together and with the same staff.’ This is their forever home.”
Their Life at Clearbrook Home
Cover image with Darlene, Jean, Diny and Nena on their patio swing at Clearbrook Home.
Bethesda is in an active period of property development. The need for safe, accessible and dignified housing for people of all abilities and ages is great. And just like in the 1980’s, we can’t know for sure how we’ll meet the need, we can only know to follow God’s leading and act in faith and in good stewardship. We are asking once again for people to partner with us in this vision of expansion. Help us provide homes that people can safely live in. Find out how you can donate so people we support can thrive in safe and secure homes.
