More days, more memories at peopleCare’s annual resident retreat

For more than a decade, peopleCare residents and staff have enjoyed an annual retreat at Hidden Acres in Baden, Ontario. This year’s was the most engaging and best attended yet. Following the success of previous years and by popular demand, the 2024 retreat was extended to three days and four nights, allowing more residents and staff to enjoy the experience than ever before.

“Residents really value this experience—so many come each year and look forward to it. One piece of feedback from last year was that they wanted more time to enjoy all the retreat has to offer, which we were able to pull off without a hitch,” said Tonya Claydon, Director of Programs at peopleCare AR Goudie LTC in Kitchener.

In total, more than 55 residents from six of our seven LTC homes were able to attend as either overnight guests or day-trippers, with over 100 staff joining in for some or all of the time — to support the personalized care of the residents and make meaningful connections and memories.

Activities included fishing, outdoor music, a scavenger hunt, make-your-own pizza and cookies, movies, crafts, games, and even an Olympic obstacle course. “There were scheduled events, and activities that could be done on the residents’ own time,” said Wendy Filiatrault, peopleCare’s Director of Clinical Services. “Residents had the freedom to do what they wanted, when they wanted.”

A highlight for Victoria Atabakhsh-Todd, Director of Programs at peopleCare Hilltop Manor LTC (who is also a Gerontologist), was “Watching residents attain goals they didn’t think would be possible at their stage in life.” For instance, Tom Cunningham went fishing and put his feet in the water. “It’s not something he thought he would ever be able to do again, so that was great to see. This experience really breaks the narrative that people have about being older adults.”

Cunningham (pictured above with Atabakhsh-Todd, another resident, and two peopleCare team members) has lived at peopleCare Hilltop Manor LTC for nearly ten years. This was his first time at the retreat, and he had this to say about the experience, “Camp was something else let me tell you. The fire was so nice, being with friends…what an experience. I liked being by the water. I’m catching a fish next time! I will come back next year for sure.”

Planning for the retreat was a collaborative effort by staff and our generous supplier partners. “It was great to see the teams from all of the participating homes come together to make it a success,” said Filiatrault. “There was so much pride in being involved in the event, I really loved the staff enthusiasm.”

“The vendors also really stepped up, which was incredible,” said Christine Mecke, Director of Food and Environmental Services at peopleCare Delhi LTC. “For instance, Sysco went above and beyond by delivering directly to the retreat site and donating a lot, Baden Coffee donated all of the coffee, Produce Express out of Woodstock gave a special donation and made the trip out to the camp to make their delivery. Not one of our supplier partners said no to making a donation. It was just amazing.”

Likewise, Josie Ballucci of Sysco Canada Inc. said it was an honour to be part of the retreat and called it a “truly meaningful experience.”

“On the last day, when I asked residents if they enjoyed themselves and would come back, they were super enthusiastic. It was genuine,” said Filiatrault. “We’re in the process of collecting feedback from residents, so we will review and use that to make sure next year is even better!”