Fifty years ago – Trudeau was prime minister of Canada (Pierre, not Justin); the RCMP started accepted applications for women police officers; Leonardo DiCaprio, Hilary Swank, Christian Bale were all born; minimum wage was $2.60/hour; a new house cost $42,300, and rent averaged $175/month; the average income was $10,300; leather jackets, turtlenecks, and platform shoes were all the rage; Jackson 5's 'Dancing Machine' was playing on every radio; and a postage stamp cost five cents.
Fifty years ago was also when Langley Lodge opened its doors for the first time, and about a hundred people came together this past Saturday for a barbecue to mark the long-term care home's golden anniversary.
Dozens of Langley Lodge residents, plus their family members, as well as staff, and a mix of politicians gathered in the centre's courtyard to share laughs, listen to live music, devour hamburgers, hotdogs, and ice cream, and talk about the past and future for the charity-run long-term care home.
Among the guests was B.C. Health Minister Adrain Dix, who attended last year's appreciation event, and this time, during some banter with the on-site musician, threatened to sing for the crowd when he returns for the 2025 barbecue.
"Next year, I think I'm going to practise for a year… maybe we'll do 'Brown-Eyed Girl', or 'Fly Me To The Moon'. But I need a year of practise to prepare for that… at least," Dix said.
"It's one thing to provide care. It's one thing to keep people healthy… But it's the staff, and the teams that work in long-term care… who make this place great," he said.
"I think Langley Lodge is an example of what we need more of and we need to expand. It's a non-profit society, deeply connected to the community, with great staff who provide a level of service that is so important… they're what make this place great," he elaborated, expressing gratitude to staff and volunteers involved in all aspects of day-to-day operation of the lodge.
"I also want to thank, especially, the residents of this place, who I think are exceptional and have contributed so much," Dix said, saying society in general and health-care providers in particular, have an obligation to make life better for these elders.
The minister suggested that more provincial health-care partnerships with non-profits such as the Langley Care Society, which operates Langley Lodge, are essential to ensuring proper care is provided to seniors into the future.
"As our population ages, we need to provide more care, but also better care, and that means coming together. That means living fuller lives. Just because we're in care, because perhaps in some ways our bodies have failed us, that doesn't mean we don't have dreams and goals and aspirations. And that is what I think is great about this place, why I think we need to expand here in Langley, why we need to provide more care. Not just more care because there are more seniors, but more care – and more care like this – because it makes such a difference in people's lives."
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Aly Devji, the Langley Care Society's CEO, as well as the society's president Peter Fassbender, spoke to future needs for care in Langley, noting that this community's population is expected to grow by another 100,000 in the next 30 years. A large chunk of that demographic is expected to be seniors.
Between 2014 and 2023, the seniors population alone in Langley has increased 57 per cent, much higher than the regional average, proving the demand for groups like the Langley Care Society too will grow, Devji noted.
Fassbender described the current pressure for seniors care in the region being at a "critical" level, and shared the expectation it will skyrocket in the decades to come.
With that in mind, much thought is being given to what needs LCS must provide moving forward.
"When the pandemic ended, our care society decided it was safe to start dreaming again about the future of seniors care and housing, multi-generational housing in Langley," Devji hinted.
To meet the demands, they started dreaming about increasing their care capacity and community impact beyond the lodge.
"We have dreamed about a plan for the next 50 years of growth, because we know the market alone will not be able to deliver the homes and the care Langley seniors and their families will need. Seniors want to know that after a lifetime of hard work, that they will be cared for. Our care society must be there for them, just like we were in 1974," Devji added.
Without offering any specifics yet, they both alluded to more detailed long-term goals and visions being unveiled in the near future.
In the meantime, focusing on celebrating the lodge's last five decades, the care society is turning its attentions to planning for its anniversary gala this fall.
The celebration is set for Friday, Sept. 27, at the Cascades Casino and Coast Convention Centre in Langley City. Tickets are now available online at: langleylodge.org.
