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 York.

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: Upon arrival, both the new resident and their family members are introduced to their primary caregiver and meet the activity staff, physio staff, dietician and other administrative staff.
• Resident Involvement: All staff make a point of identifying new residents and encouraging them to get out into the home community to participate in activities and meet other residents.
• Resident Profile: We hold an early meeting with new residents and their family to gather information about likes, dislikes, favourite music, activities, career history and more. We create a “Pieces of Personhood” profile for each resident so we can tailor activities and care to their unique needs and preferences.
• Resident Care Plan: After 6 weeks, we hold a meeting with the resident, family members and the full care team to discuss in detail the resident’s care plan. Both the resident and family members are always involved in every decision regarding the care they receive.
• Private Dining Room: Family members can reserve our private dining room for private meals with loved ones.
• Monthly Birthday Bash: Family members and new residents are invited to our monthly birthday bash where they can meet other family members and residents.
• Family Support: We are always available to listen when a family member wants to talk. Plus, our social worker is always available to talk privately about coping with the stress and emotions of caregiving.
• Family Pet Friendly: We encourage families to bring their pets into the home when they come to visit loved ones.
• Family Council: Family members are also encouraged to be active in our Family Council as a way to share information and concerns and meet other family members.

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 regular outings every month for residents. These outings include everything from shopping excursions, lunches and movies to attending Sudbury Wolves games, dinner and more.
• Summer Boat Cruises: During the summer months, outings include boat cruises on Ramsey Lake, holding community barbecues and picnics in the park.
• Annual Tax Clinic: We host a free tax clinic every year to help residents with their tax returns.
• Student Placement Opportunities: We provide placement opportunities for students in the RN, RPN, PSW and Social Work programs at Laurentian University, Boreal College and Cambrian College.
• Emergency Department Outreach Program: Working closely with our local hospital, we have developed and implemented an Emergency Department Outreach Program to reduce the number of visits our residents make to the ER. An ER nurse comes to the home to assess a resident before they go to the ER. Often, the resident can be treated in the home, eliminating the need for trips to and from the hospital. And if they do need to go, we try to get them in and out as quickly as possible.
• 2-day Christmas Bazaar: We are famous for our annual 2-day Christmas Bazaar. Vendors from the community set up tables in our home and residents spend countless hours in our country kitchen baking, pickling and making jams. Other residents work on crafts and knitting. The community looks forward to the event and all proceeds go to the Residents Council to fund future activities and outings.