Our Difference

We understand the decision to transition to long-term care is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. We want to ensure your decision is a positive one. Below are some of our home’s points of difference:

The calendar is always full. You can be as active as you like.

For some people, the key to living better is filling every day with meaningful activities that bring people together, build bonds and create shared experiences.

Whether it’s tapping the power of music to engage a resident with dementia, attending worship services, participating in exercise classes, or reminiscing with a friendly volunteer, there’s always something going on at Extendicare Bonnyville.

Here, residents lead active and engaged lives.

This is home. Your home.

We want you to feel at home. We’ll support you in becoming an active and engaged member of your new community and enjoy life to the best of your ability.

We have a welcoming and inclusive environment.

Not only do we work very hard to integrate residents into our community and feel at home, we’re also committed to making families feel at home here too. The following are some of the measures we take to help our residents settle in and also help family members feel comfortable and get involved:

• Welcome Home: On their first day we ensure new residents and their family members feel welcomed, meet staff and have questions answered.
• Monthly Newsletter: To help keep residents and their family members informed about our home, we produce and circulate a monthly newsletter.
• Resident Care Plan: Family members, along with their loved one, participate actively in all aspects of the development of the resident’s Care Plan.
• Holiday Dinners: We host special dinners at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter to which family members can buy tickets to attend with their loved ones.
• Palliative Care Lounge : We have a special Palliative Care lounge for family members to use when their loved one is in the final stage of life.
• Personalize Your Room: Residents are encouraged to bring some personal items and furnishings from home to make their rooms feel more familiar and comfortable.
• Introducing Residents: We try and match up residents with common interests as roommates and tablemates to encourage socializing.
• Culturally Diverse: Our staff is as culturally diverse as our resident population, so residents can always find a staff member with whom they can communicate in their native language.
• Residents Council: We tell our new residents about Residents Council and encourage them to join and participate in the monthly meetings.
• Annual Memorial Service: We invite family members to our annual Memorial Service and candle lighting to celebrate residents who passed away during the previous year.
• Family Participation: Family members are encouraged and welcomed to participate in activities with their loved one.
• Open Door Policy: We have an Open Door policy so that if a family member or resident wants to talk, we’re here to listen.

We connect you to the community.

Maintaining strong connections to others is essential to keeping people active and involved.

Getting you out into the community and bringing the community into our home is important to your quality of life. Here are some of the ways in which the residents and staff get involved with the community, and how the community connects with us:

• Monthly Outings: We have regular monthly outings for residents. These events can include everything from dinner at a local restaurant, attending a concert, and events at the local Seniors’ Centre to a drive in the country, Mother’s Day Tea and a barbeque at the nearby campground.
• Christmas Lights Tour: During the holidays, we arrange a Christmas Lights tour of the community.
• Student Placement Opportunities: We provide placement opportunities for students in the LPN and HCA, programs at Portage College and Norquest College.
• Halloween Trick-or-Treat: Every Halloween we have children from the community visit us to trick or treat.
• Canada Day Parade: In previous years, we have had a float in the annual Canada Day parade.
• Rodeo Days: During Rodeo Days, we participate with other businesses in the chili cook off.
• Dove Centre: We work with the Dove Centre to provide opportunities for people with disabilities to do meaningful volunteer work.
• Community Committees: Members of our staff share their time and expertise on a number of community-based committees and boards involved in a variety of issues such as Palliative Care, Infection Control, Long-Term Care and advocating on behalf of First Nations.