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 Hamilton.

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:

• Meet Your Primary Caregiver: Upon arrival, new residents and family members meet their Primary Caregiver in an effort to immediately begin establishing a relationship of trust.
• Meet Fellow Residents: A single point of contact introduces family members to staff while the Primary Caregiver introduces the resident to roommates and tablemates.
• Family Council: Family members receive a welcome card from the home as well as information on our Family Council.
• Welcome Tea: We host a monthly Welcome Tea where new family members can meet department heads as well as other family members.
• Residents Council Welcome: New residents receive a welcome package from the Residents Council.
• Monthly Memorial Service: We host a quarterly “Remembering a friend” memorial service and invite family members to help us celebrate the lives of residents who have passed away.
• Personalize Your Room: We encourage residents to bring familiar personal items such as family photos or a special blanket, to make their room feel a more like home.
• Welcome Meal: We provide a complementary meal for family members and new residents in our private dining room on their first day.
• Family Participation: Family members are encouraged and welcomed to participate in activities with their loved one.
• Resident Care Plan: Family members, along with their loved one, participate actively in all aspects of the development of the resident’s Care Plan.
• Family Support: We are always available to listen to family members when they need to talk.

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:

• Resident Outings: We organize anywhere from 4 to 8 outings every month for residents. These outings can include everything from shopping excursions, picnics in Bayfront Park and tours of the Warplane heritage Museum to fish ‘n’ chips at Hutch’s on the beach, fun at the casino and a trip to the St. Jacobs Farmer’s Market.
• Fall Colours Tour: In the fall, we organize a tour out into the countryside to enjoy the breathtaking colours of autumn.
• Christmas Lights Tour: Every Christmas, our residents head to Niagara Falls for the Festival of Lights.
• Student Placement Opportunities: We provide placement opportunities for students in the RN, RPN, PSW Dietary, Recreation and Social Work programs at McMaster University and Mohawk College.
• Community Service Opportunities: Local high school students come to our home to earn their 40 community service credit.
• Walking Down Memory Lane” Gala: Each year we co-sponsor the “Walking Down Memory Lane” formal gala at the Liuna Train Station with the Hamilton Halton Alzheimer Society. The event honours families with loved ones living with some form of dementia.
• Christmas Bazaar: For many years, we’ve hosted a Christmas Bazaar and the whole community is invited.
• Antique and Classic Car Show: We hosted our first Antique and Classic Car Show the summer of 2014. As it was so well received, we’re hoping it becomes a great summer tradition.