By Lori EhdeA new 1,500-square-foot addition to the Minnesota Veterans Home, Luverne, would mean more space, better lighting and improved care for residents suffering from dementia.The total cost of the project is estimated at more than $800,000, to be funded through government sources."We’re requesting approximately $282,000 from the state in the bonding bill, and the other portion is approved through federal funding," said Anne Stegenga, Veterans Home business manager.The state request made it into the bonding bill that passed the Minnesota House of Representatives Tuesday, and it’s also in the Senate version of the bill.According to Veterans Home Administrator Pam Barrows, even if the state funding does come through, construction wouldn’t start until 2007, because approval for the federal funding would take that long."The president is currently recommending a one-year moratorium on the VA portion of the state Home Grants Program, so it’s not a done deal," Barrows cautioned.She said the addition would make a big improvement to the dementia care currently offered at the Vets Home."Several years ago, we developed a comfort care program for our residents that had dementia and needed a more specialized area to meet their needs," Barrows said. "We closed off a wing and utilized the widened hall area for the activities of daily living. Initially, we took these folks out of this ‘safe’ area for meals but that often increased their stress levels." Currently, all meals and all activities take place in the widened hall area and the end solarium."People with dementia often wander and they have an even greater need for access to natural lighting than you or I," Barrows said. "Unfortunately, wandering space as well as access to daylight is limited and not what we want for our residents’ quality of life in our current physical layout. The 1,500-square foot addition will be added to the "green wing" to the southeast toward the back of the building. Plans include a separate heating and cooling, with a three-stall garage below."Since we’re renting garage space, they felt it was just as cost-effective to put garage space there, rather than bring in more fill," Barrows said."We really need that space."The Veterans Home has 17 patients in its current dementia unit, and the new addition won’t mean the Veterans Home will be able to accept more patients."Our number of approved beds will stay the same," Stegenga said.Staff members say it will simply mean they’ll be better equipped to handle the number of dementia patients already there.