Bringing Care Home: Elders’ Complex in Pikangikum is Transforming Lives

For years, Elders in Pikangikum First Nation faced a difficult reality: as care needs increased, many were forced to leave their community – often relocating far from family, culture and home.

Today, that is changing.

With the opening of the Knowledge Keepers Elders’ Complex in November 2024, Pikangikum has created a new path – one rooted in dignity, choice and community-led care. The complex is helping redefine what care looks like in remote communities.

Instead of separation, it enables care rooted in place, identity and family.

Elders who once had no option but to relocate can now remain in Pikangikum, surrounded by loved ones and familiar ways of life. Families can visit, spend time together and stay connected in meaningful ways – especially during critical moments.

Pikangikum is a remote and rapidly growing Ojibwe community of 4,000 located 100 kilometres north of Red Lake where housing shortages and limited infrastructure – such as access to piped water – have long shaped daily life.

The Elders’ Complex was built in response to these realities. It provides:

• safe, accessible housing for Elders
• daily meals and assisted living supports
• access to running water and indoor washrooms
• space for families to gather and connect

For some residents, this is the first time in their lives they have had access to these basic services.

“Eighty to 90 per cent of the community don't have access to drinking water, don't have water in their homes, piped water, period,” says Jonas Regier, Director of Health Transformation for the Pikangikum Health Authority.

Since opening in 2024, the Elders’ Complex has grown quickly and is now near capacity, supporting 24 residents. Its impact extends beyond the community:

• 20 individuals have avoided relocation to long-term care outside Pikangikum
• ALC (alternate level of care) pressures in Red Lake have dropped to near zero, directly linked to the facility
• two hospice beds now support end-of-life care close to home
• specialized units now support home hemodialysis, allowing community members to return home instead of living indefinitely in urban centres like Thunder Bay.

“We now have family members and Elders that can make a choice of where they want to live and what kind of care they would like,” says Candice Pitura, a registered nurse at the Elders’ Complex. “And I feel like we're looking after the Elders, but we're also looking after the entire family.”

This is not only improving quality of life; it’s also easing pressure on the broader health care system.

The benefits extend beyond patient care. The Elders’ Complex is creating new opportunities for community members:

• 40 local staff are employed at the facility
• growing interest in training and education, e.g. personal support worker (PSW) certification, nursing pathways
• partnerships with local education providers to build long-term capacity (local school offers PSW certification)

The success of the Elders’ Complex in Pikangikum is already drawing attention from other First Nations looking to build similar solutions.

By keeping Elders connected to their roots and providing care close to home, the Pikangikum Elders’ Complex stands as a model for community-driven health care solutions in Northwestern Ontario.