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 Michener Hill.

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:

• Upon arrival, new residents and family members meet our Social Worker, Care Team and Primary Caregiver to immediately begin building a relationship of trust.
• Family members receive a complete information package about our home so that they are fully informed about the services and care they can and should expect.
• Our Family Advisory Committee meets bi-monthly to discuss issues and raise concerns. They work closely with us to ensure residents are receiving the best possible care. They also advocate on behalf of seniors and individuals in long term care with governments of all levels.
• During the holidays, we host a Christmas Dinner with all the fixings for our residents and their family members.
• We host an annual Grandparents Day when we invite families to bring children and grandchildren to our home for a visit.
• We produce and circulate a quarterly newsletter to keep residents and family members informed.
• Residents are encouraged to bring some personal items and furnishings from home to make their rooms feel more familiar and comfortable.
• Family members are encouraged and welcomed to participate in activities with their loved one.
• Family members, along with their loved one, participate actively in all aspects of the development of the resident’s Care Plan.
• We have an Open Door policy at Michener Hill, so if a family member or resident would like 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:

• We have outings every month for residents. They include everything from trips to the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, coffee at Tim’s and outings to the downtown gardens, to a day at Heritage Ranch, an afternoon at the movies and ice cream.
• During the holiday season, we organize the Twinkle Tour where residents tour the community looking at the beautiful Christmas light displays.
• We provide placement opportunities for students in the RN, RPN , HCA, Social Work, Recreational, Occupational Therapy, physiotherapy programs at Lethbridge University, the University of Alberta and Red Deer College.
• We provide local high school students with opportunities to earn the 40 hour community service credit.
• We partner with the MS Society and Alzheimer’s Society in the community to raise awareness on a variety of issues and actively support their fund raising efforts.
• We have a very active community-based volunteer group of over 60 people. They are wonderful and help us run our programs and organize activities for residents.
• Our Administrator is a member of the Alberta Continuing Care Association which advocates on behalf of long term care homes and residents.
• Our Annual Christmas Bazaar is a popular and a long-standing tradition in our community. It includes vendors from the community as well as pickles, jellies, jams, knitting, crafts and cross stitch work and more all done by residents.