Carmelite House was first located on Carmelite Road in one of the oldest buildings in our town. This old building was constructed in 1929 with bricks brought over from Scotland. It was the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company's Staff House. In 1966 it became the Carmelite Hotel. In 1974 it became a long-term care facility for seniors, and it closed in 2001 when the new Carmelite House opened. During the Badger Flood in February 2003, it reopened and it became a temporary home for some residents of Badger who were displaced by the flood. Now the building sits vacant waiting for its next occupants.
On June 23, 2001 the new Carmelite House opened its doors to the senior
residents of the central area here in Grand Falls-Windsor. It is now located on Union Street right next to the hospital. It is a 60 bed accredited long-term care home for senior citizens with Level I to Level IV care. It offers 24-hour nursing, personal laundry service/housekeeping/maintenance, as well as a limited Day Care Program designed to provide basic needs to assist seniors who remain at home. The new home has many features to meet the needs of its residents. They have access to an activities area where the residents have pets, play games such as bingo or cards, or enjoy a game of bowling. They may also just sit and enjoy their favourite program on television.
There is also a chapel area where the residents can go to practice their faith. The
residents enjoy visits from anyone who will come, but their favourite is when children like us come to make their day a little more special. I enjoyed our visit and seeing the smiles that were on the faces of the older people as my class and I sang Christmas carols with them, and wished them a Merry Christmas. We gave the seniors bookmarks that we made especially for them. We also met Emily Goodland's great grandmother and she gave Emily a great big hug when she saw her.
Tracey Hanlon (2004-2005)