Parksville, BC, Vancouver Island — Opening Fall 2026
CONNECT
Parksville
Opening Fall 2026 in partnership with Island Health, CONNECT Parksville is a purpose-built home with 26 bedrooms across four individual houses on beautiful Vancouver Island. Our Coaching Resource Team will work alongside each person 24/7 so they can build the life they want after brain injury and stroke. Proudly serving the Central and North Island region.
bedrooms across four individual houses
bedrooms funded by Island Health
individualized contract bedrooms
CONNECT Parksville — Opening Fall 2026, Parksville BC
Service Evaluation
What the evidence shows
CONNECT has completed two Service Evaluations, one from Lake Country data in 2017 and one from Hamilton data in 2024. Both reveal consistent and powerful outcomes for the people we support and the systems we work within.
Outstanding Personal Outcomes
Significant System Improvement Contribution
Value for Money
Read the findings directly. Choose the version that works for you.
4-page summary
Better Outcomes: The Power of Partnership and Innovation in Brain Injury
A condensed overview of the key findings from the Hamilton Service Evaluation, covering outcomes, system impact, and value for money.
Full report
CONNECT Hamilton Service Evaluation: Positive Impacts on People, Health Systems and Finances
The complete evaluation document covering all findings, methodology, and future potential of the CONNECT model.
Our reputation
30+ years of making lives better
CONNECT was founded in 1993 by mother-son team Janet and John Sherwood, drawing on their own family's experience with brain injury. Starting from a single home in Langley, BC, that founding intention still runs through everything CONNECT does today.
Three decades later, CONNECT has grown to 168 bedrooms across six locations in British Columbia and Ontario, serving thousands of people living with acquired brain injury and stroke.
30+
Years of experience
One of the longest-running specialized ABI organizations in Canada. Founded 1993, Langley BC.
168
Bedrooms across Canada
Five locations in BC and Ontario. A sixth opening soon in Parksville, BC.
1000s
Lives redesigned
Thousands of people supported across all CONNECT locations to rebuild independence and return home.
Accreditation
Canada
Leading Practice — Accreditation Canada
CONNECT's Life Redesign Model™ has been designated a Leading Practice by Accreditation Canada in client and family-centred care for Acquired Brain Injury services. This recognition is awarded to programs that demonstrate innovation, measurable outcomes, and a replicable model that other organizations can learn from. CONNECT is one of the few ABI organizations in Canada to hold this designation.
Our approach
Life Redesign after brain injury and stroke at CONNECT Parksville
At CONNECT, rehabilitation happens in the middle of real life, not in a clinical setting removed from it. Our Coaching Resources Team works alongside each person we support 24/7 to rebuild routines, relationships and interdependence on their own terms.
We don't measure success by move-out dates. We measure it by whether someone can cook their own meals, walk their dog, rejoin their community, or move back home, depending on what Life Redesign looks like to them.
Inside and outside of CONNECT, the Leading Practice Life Redesign Model is changing lives for the better, in a non-institutional setting where people work toward the life they want.
Learn more about Life Redesign →"CONNECT believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. The goals eventually became bigger and bigger, and now I am living completely independently."
— Person supported at CONNECT
Life at CONNECT
A home, not a facility
From morning routines and community BBQs to woodworking, smudging ceremonies and dogs in the hallway, this is what rehabilitation looks like when it's rooted in living.
In their words
What people say about CONNECT
"CONNECT actually does what the name suggests. It connects you to yourself and to this family of people living here and the people working here."
— Richmond, former resident
"There was no laying in bed past 10am like in the hospital. CONNECT was all about good routines, independence, and preparing our own meals."
— Keith, former resident
"We were a family and supported each other a lot. The people living and working here were pretty incredible."
— Tracy, former resident
"I call them my brain wizards. These are pretty special people who do good work for people like me. I'm very, very fortunate."
— Dan, former resident
"I have joined a club and am part of a choir. I am studying library tech at Mohawk. Things have been really good."
— Michael, former resident
"I praise CONNECT every opportunity I get. The people working here are making a big difference in people's lives."
— Peter, former resident
"The whole philosophy behind CONNECT and helping people redesign their lives after brain injury and stroke really speaks to me."
— Denise, Life Redesign Coach, CONNECT Hamilton
How it works
From first conversation to coming home
All referrals for CONNECT Parksville's Island Health funded bedrooms go through the Brain Injury Program (BIP). To refer to BIP, use the Community Access Line for your region. For individualized contract inquiries, reach out to Gonzalo Silva directly.
Brain Injury Program (BIP) Referrals
Use the Community Access Line for your region to connect with the Brain Injury Program.
South Island
All communities south of Mill Bay, including Greater Victoria, the southern Gulf Islands, and west to Port Renfrew
Centre Island
All communities from Mill Bay to Deep Bay, including Gabriola Island
North Island
All communities north of Deep Bay, including the North Vancouver Island Regional District and adjacent Gulf Islands, Port Alberni and Tofino
Gonzalo Silva Service Access and Transitions Leader. Please reach out to him for all other inquiries.
Here is what to expect
Initial conversation
A confidential case review with our team. We listen, answer questions, and help you understand whether CONNECT Parksville is the right fit. No commitment required.
Assessment and proposal
We conduct a needs assessment and prepare a tailored cost proposal for submission to the insurer or funder.
Tour the home
See CONNECT Parksville from Fall 2026 onwards, in person or virtually before any commitment is made.
Rehabilitation
3-month funding cycles with regular progress reporting. An integrated team, a real-life setting and a person-centred plan that evolves along with the person we support.
Coming home
Planned transition to home or a less dependent environment, with full documentation and continued support through the next chapter.
For referral partners
Supporting you at every stage
We work closely with lawyers, case managers, OTs, and insurers — generating the documentation and evidence you need while your client rebuilds their life.
Cost-of-care documentation
3-month cycles with detailed cost reporting — directly usable in care cost claims and legal proceedings.
Functional progress reports
Demonstrates level of care required and outcomes achieved at every stage of rehabilitation.
Transition planning
Clear move-out documentation from intensive residential care to community reintegration.
One integrated daily rate
Simpler cost-of-care calculations versus itemizing piecemeal services across multiple providers.
Funding sources
We work with your funding source
Arrangements are tailored to each case. We have experience working with all major third-party funders in Ontario and British Columbia.
Our team is happy to discuss funding pathways, timelines and next steps.
What referral partners receive
Detailed cost proposals
Tailored to the individual's needs and ready for funder submission
Regular progress reports
Regular updates on functional outcomes and support levels.
Direct access to our team
One point of contact throughout their entire stay.
Transition documentation
Complete move-out package when the individual comes home.
Ready to talk?
Your first conversation starts here
We respond to all inquiries within one business day. No commitment required — just a conversation.
Get in touch
Gonzalo Silva, Service Access and Transitions Leader
First point of contact for placements, funding questions, and case consultations for CONNECT Parksville.
Start a conversation