The house is silent and empty now but Nichole DonaldsonB次元官网网址檚 dream is still vividly alive.

Donaldson made headlines for her vision of a new way to care for the elderly as they make the difficult transition from independence to the need for constant care.

Open Hearts Adult Daycare welcomed its first clients to a refurbished home at 647 Kelly Rd. in April 2011.

On June 15, the service closed its doors for the last time and the house was put up for sale.

Unless she can find an unexpected source of funding, Donaldson says her vision of a private service to complement crowded public care is just not financially feasible. Not yet anyway.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 still very passionate about the model of care,B次元官网网址� she said, listing off demographic stats to support her case.

Aging Baby Boomers are beginning to suffer from dementia and the population bulge their generation represents has caused concern that public health care canB次元官网网址檛 keep up.

A primary nurse with 30 years of experience, Donaldson believes groups of people with dementia can get along fine.

B次元官网网址淚t only takes two people to look after 10 instead of 10 people looking after 10,B次元官网网址� she said, explaining why she thinks her model will have to one day replace the labour-intensive model that remains in place. B次元官网网址淲e wonB次元官网网址檛 be able to sustain that.B次元官网网址�

Donaldson, who has worked for two decades at Mount St. Mary in Fairfield, says itB次元官网网址檚 usually when people are taken out of social situations and isolated that negative behaviours begin to manifest. People need to express themselves and will act out if no one is paying attention to them.

WhatB次元官网网址檚 more, Donaldson said, problems arise when people who have been isolated are then reintroduced into a group.

Her idea appears to have worked, judging from the testimony of those who used the service before it shut down.

It just couldnB次元官网网址檛 compete on costs against public services that are heavily subsidized by the health authority.

B次元官网网址淵ou keep hearing about this growing tide of dementia but I, for the life of me, cannot understand why VIHA would not support her efforts,B次元官网网址� said Barb Denney, who used Open Hearts about once per week for respite from caring for her husband.

B次元官网网址淢y husband continues to be a very difficult guy with his dementia,B次元官网网址� Denny said. B次元官网网址淣ichole was the only person, of all the resources I tried, who was able to make a connection with my husband.B次元官网网址�

While other services she tried felt almost like baby-sitting, Donaldson had the empathy needed to get through to dementia patients.

Her husband is now receiving full time care at Kiwanis Pavillion, where heB次元官网网址檚 doing well.

Mary Moreau started using Open Hearts for its bath service. Donaldson had converted the homeB次元官网网址檚 entire garage into a comfortable space for elderly clients who needed help bathing.

Moreau was leery of going to a government run facility because of a negative experience she had when her mother needed the service.

B次元官网网址淗er bath was not the highlight of her day,B次元官网网址� Moreau said. B次元官网网址淚t was often an ordeal.B次元官网网址�

But when she took her dad to Donaldson, his bathing ritual became something he looked forward to every week.

B次元官网网址淗e was a little nervous,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淏ut he did want to try it. And when he did try it IB次元官网网址檝e never seen a smile so big on his face.B次元官网网址�

When Donaldson closed her doors, Moreau says she felt stuck. B次元官网网址淒ad would not feel comfortable at all with having a nurse come to the house.B次元官网网址�

Donaldson, who had continued to take nursing shifts around her day schedule, helped ease the transition by getting MoreauB次元官网网址檚 father to use the facility at Mount St. Mary.

And while Moreau was grateful, she thinks the subsidized service might make it too difficult for private alternatives to do business.

Public care is a fraction of the cost -- about $5 compared to $40 for private.

The problem is that public facilities are more prone to refuse outsiders during annual routine flu seasons, which can last for months.

B次元官网网址淚n which case weB次元官网网址檙e up the creek. We have no option. I donB次元官网网址檛 know what weB次元官网网址檙e going to do.B次元官网网址�

While the original goal of Donaldson was to run Open Hearts without government assistance, she realized that the business model just canB次元官网网址檛 work without subsidies.

Donaldson said she eventually did approach the Vancouver Island Health Authority with cap in hand.

But when the decision came down that no money would be made available for her, she realized it was time to put her dream on hold before losing everything.

Donaldson, a Licensed Practical Nurse, is continuing to support people with dementia and their families. She offers a companion service.

For more information, call 250-391-9827.

editor@goldstreamgazette.com

Looking back

To follow her dream of a new model for caring for people with dementia, Nichole Donaldson bought a three-bedroom rancher in Colwood and worked with the city to make sure it met municipal requirements.

After a new zoning category was created for her and bylaws adopted to regulate her one-of-a-kind facility, the home was retrofitted with reinforced floors, fire sprinkler system and other work.

B次元官网网址淏ecause it was the first of its kind it went though lots of municipal process,B次元官网网址� Donaldson said.

It was an expensive investment, but Donaldson doesnB次元官网网址檛 begrudge Colwood.

She says every municipality has its hurdles no matter where she looked at setting up.

- With files from Gazette archives