34 Business View - July 2015
with dementia. It’s our biggest challenge at this point.”
The Day & Stay program Michaels mentions is a com-
munity-based service funded, in part, by the Hamilton,
Niagara, Halidimand, Brant LHIN (Local Health Inte-
gration Network), through the Ministry of Health and
Long Term Care. It provides door-to-door transporta-
tion, lunch, socialization, and activity programs, and is
headed by a staff trained in the areas of gerontology,
recreation, and leisure activities designed specifically
for individuals with memory problems. The “Day” part
of the program is for a half-day. The program also of-
fers a weekend visit, where participants get to “Stay”
overnight, “and that program,” says Michaels, “is not
only for people with dementia who live in the commu-
nity, it’s also for their caregiver – for respite.”
In addition, the Alzheimer’s Society of Brant is a tenant
on the campus. It provides dementia education and
awareness to the community. Michaels explains, “We
try to make the campus friendly to people in the com-
munity because there’s still a lot of fear and stigma
around long-term care and the aging process.”
Another recent change that Michaels believes adds to
the Home’s mission of “providing love, care, and dig-
nity within a safe and home-like environment,” is the
addition of reception hours in the evenings and week-
ends. Also, a maintenance staff-person is now present
24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the
year. And some of the changes she would like to see?
“Right now the tenants in the apartments do their
cooking on their own. If we had a ‘Meals on Wheels’
program, we could provide not only for them, but out
to the community.”
When asked what differentiates the John Noble Home
from similar establishments, Michaels refers to the
HEALTHCARE
