Community Partner Update
Jul 2022
peopleCare is working hard to meet the needs of Ontario’s aging adults through well-built, diverse and intergenerational care campuses, co-designed in our communities. A priority focus is also to partner with other leading organizations to innovate care and services, engage and support our staff and create new pathways to employment in healthcare.
Focus on employee wellness
peopleCare’s Recovering Strong feature article in Long-Term Care Today magazine highlights the need to empower staff to focus on their own wellbeing and reconnect to purpose after two long years of putting others first (not to mention sharing tips on how to get started!). During Caregiver Appreciation Week, peopleCare signed up for the Resiliency Reboot, which featured virtual keynotes geared to equip healthcare workers with actionable tools and strategies to support wellness at work and home. peopleCare is also partnering with the Canadian Mental Health Association Ontario to bring tailored mental health supports to our leaders and frontline over the next six months, leveraging Your Health Space – a new program designed to support health care organizations to promote psychological health and safety in the workplace.
Setting a high bar for excellence
The dedicated Delhi LTC team recently earned Accreditation with Commendation under Accreditation Canada’s rigorous Qmentum program. This distinction reflects the team’s work with partners to deliver safe, high-quality care and exceed resident and family expectations. Being managed by peopleCare gives this 60-bed, rural Home a foundation of operational excellence and a strategic focus on quality outcomes. Surveyors noted many benefits to adopting peopleCare’s vision, mission and values, having access to our leadership, Ethics resources, award-winning Research & Innovations and more. Special thank you to our Delhi families and community partners for helping us showcase the care, trust, support, pride, laughter and community spirit that make this Home such a special place.
Building vibrant places to live and work
As peopleCare builds new and redevelops LTC Homes around Ontario, strong partnerships are key to creating vibrant, intentional senior living communities. We valued the opportunity to contribute as a subject matter expert to inform Trent’s University-Integrated Seniors Village Report Series. With ongoing healthcare worker shortages, peopleCare is leveraging our established partnerships with academic institutions to staff our Homes and educate future senior living leaders. We’re also advocating for legislative changes and housing solutions that will enable key immigration pathways, in cooperation with home care, immigration, municipal and social service partners. All to make it possible for us to welcome newcomers who want to create a life for themselves and their families in our Homes and communities. Meantime, check out our construction progress photo gallery for a sneak peek as the finishing touches take shape at our new Meaford LTC Home on the beautiful shores of Georgian Bay. In fact, we’re already hiring!
Trialing latest testing solutions
With safety top of mind, peopleCare regularly trials the latest tools and leading practices to help prevent spread of viruses in our Homes. A great example is the recent use of a new testing solution called rapid molecular tests (RMTs) at our Meaford LTC Home. RMTs can identify very small amounts of the COVID-19 virus and have a 98% accuracy rate. While PCR tests are considered the gold-standard of COVID testing, they must be analyzed in a lab – whereas RMTs are processed on-site in just 30 minutes. During outbreaks, this is immensely valuable in rural communities like Meaford, which periodically experience longer turnaround times for lab results than their urban counterparts. This Fall, peopleCare will work with researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital , Unity Health Toronto, to pilot a new type of rapid antigen test that detects both COVID-19 and influenza.
Our innovation focus a stand out
For the ninth straight year, peopleCare named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies, thanks to an unwavering commitment to innovation and collaboration to improve resident care and quality of life, and support staff, families and partners. We appreciate Deloitte and its partners for acknowledging our mission-driven leadership, contributions to meeting the needs of local seniors through intergenerational care campuses and our drive to be a proving ground for resident safety, innovation and excellence.
peopleCare is committed to embedding the voice of residents, families and staff into the care we provide. We’re engaging families and residents to inform national IPAC standards, provide feedback as we evaluate our Family Caregiver supports and enhance medication safety at our ISMP Champion Home. We also appreciate our frontline teams sharing their ideas and innovations: like this IPAC Canada poster and local education session. peopleCare joined other Champions of Change panelists – the Ontario Association of Resident Councils, Family Councils Ontario and Ontario Caregiver Organization – to talk about how we build trust and support with our residents and families.
Ahhh summer. From open-air concerts and ice cream in the park to local craft breweries, classic car shows and s’mores – our residents are out and about, enjoying it all. Follow @peopleCareCommunities & @OakcrossingRetirementLiving on Facebook so you don’t miss any #HeartfeltMoments.
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