St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux CentreSt. Paul’s L’Amoreaux CentreSt. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre

NewsletterNewsletterNewsletter Summer 2014

I would like to begin by thanking each of you for entrusting St Paul’s

L’Amoreaux Centre with your wellbeing and health. We recognize that this is a

privilege and we, staff and volunteers, work daily to respect and earn your

trust.

Quality and safety are important aspects of the services that we extend to you,

and in fact these have been two of our core values for many years. I am very

pleased to announce that our efforts have been recognized by Accreditation

Canada, a national body that evaluates community services against rigorous standards. Early in 2014 we

completed work on recommendations we received from Accreditation Canada and we were re-assessed

and then awarded the highest level of accreditation: Accreditation with Exemplary Standing. This means

that you can be assured that we offer services that are safe for you and meet national standards of

excellence.

We are very excited to be offering new and expanded services that will mean more people are able to

stay at home longer even when their care needs increase. You will learn more about these services in

this newsletter: extended hours in our Day Programs with more spaces available annually, and a new

GAIN Community Team with multiple healthcare professionals helping people with complex health

conditions.

We think these are wonderful ways to bring us into June, which is Seniors’ Month in Ontario. This year’s

theme is “Aging Without Boundaries” and it fits very nicely with what we have been doing for more than

35 years, for seniors of every age. There is always interesting and fun programming available through

our Recreation activities and in June we will continue to celebrate seniors. Please check out our Canada

Day and Senior’s Month celebration on June 27th to enjoy the contributions and

performances of older adults.

June is also the month we are holding our Annual Neighbourhood Walk for

Seniors. There are walking routes suitable for everyone, which is a great way to

usher in the warmer weather, get outside, and be active while also supporting our

fundraising efforts. Please join the fun on June 14th!

In This Issue: Welcome Page 1

Events Page 2 You Spoke Page 3

GAIN Page 5 Supporting Seniors Page 6

New Year Message from Diane Duncan, Executive Director

Diane Duncan, Executive Director

St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre 2

Upcoming Events - Recreation Day Trips!

The summer is a great time to get outdoors and enjoy some of the wonderful

attractions and green space around us! Our Recreation Department has arranged

three wonderful daytrips over the coming months!

Day Trips by School Bus

Date: Wednesday, July 16 Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30p.m.

Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum Cost: $40 (Member), $45 (Non-Member)

The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton features more than 40 aircrafts, from vintage

WWII models to modern jets that have been flown by the Canadian military and civilians.

Date: Tuesday, August 12 Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30p.m.

St. Jacob's Farmers Market Cost: $30 (Member), $35 (Non-Member)

Spend the day at St Jacob's Market in Kitchener Waterloo, one of Ontario’s main tourist attractions. You

can purchase items including fresh fruit & vegetables, plants, jewellery, home decor, crafts, baked

goods, and your lunch from numerous vendors.

Date: Thursday, Sept 18 Time: 9:30 am. to 2:30p.m.

Scarborough Bluffs Park Cost: $12 (Member), $17 (Non-Member)

Enjoy a day out at the Scarborough Bluffs also known as “The Bluffs”. Forming much of the eastern

portion of Toronto's waterfront, it is located along the shoreline of Lake Ontario.

For more information please call our Recreation Team at 416 493-3333

St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre facilitates monthly support groups because we understand how important

it is for people facing challenging situations to have support from professionals and peers.

Monthly Caregiver Support Group in English (For individuals caring for a loved one with Dementia)

Dates: June 10, July 8, Aug 12, Sept 9, Oct 14, Nov 26 (2nd Tuesday of every month)

Time: 3 to 5 pm

Monthly Caregiver Support Group in Cantonese

Dates: June 25, July 30, Aug 27, Sept 24, Oct 29, Nov 26 (Every last Wednesday of the month)

Time: 5:30 to 6:30 pm

For enquiry or registration, or for information about what other supports are available to caregivers, please

call 416 493-3333

Monthly Caregiver Support Groups

Summer 2014 3

Transportation is one of the many things St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux

Centre does well! Our transportation service provides

accessible rides with a friendly, trained driver, to seniors all

across Toronto. With local rides starting at a cost of $3.50 we

provide a door to door service for older adults to medical and

hospital appointments, social engagements, banking and

shopping. We even run weekly trips to malls across

Scarborough and Markham. You can find a schedule at our

Customer Service Desk at 3333 Finch Avenue East. If you have

any questions about our service, or you’d like to book a ride,

please call 416 493-3333.

We currently have three 2 bedroom apartments for sale in our Terrace Life Equity Building. These

spacious units include one indoor parking spot, ensuite laundry facilities, access to a fitness room,

library, 24 hour emergency response system, home support and security checks, all steps away from the

TTC. For more information, or to arrange a private tour, please call Christina Yuen at 416 490-2958

Client feedback is important to us, it is why we have an Annual Client Satisfaction Survey and welcome

all comments and suggestions. Your feedback helps shape the work we do, inform the funding we

apply for and help strengthen our services. Here are some recent examples and how they’ve helped

tailor our programming.

Suggestion: To have increased hours for our Day Programs so that caregivers can work and tend to their

needs while knowing their loved ones with complex needs are in safe care

Action: We applied for funding and now have Day Program hours from 7 am to 6 pm

Suggestion: To have more vehicles to provide transportation, particularly for those in wheelchairs

Action: We applied for funding to not only be able to expand our transportation service but to also have

more vehicles that are accessible. Thanks to the generosity of the Central East LHIN we’ve added three

new vehicles to our fleet. For more information about our transportation services please see below.

If you have any suggestions, compliments or feedback about any of our programs or services, or our

accessibility for people with disabilities, we would welcome the opportunity to speak with you. Please call

us at 416 493-3333 or provide feedback via our website at www.splc.ca. Next time one of your suggestions

may be in our newsletter!

Our Transportation Service

You Spoke...We Listened

Would You Like to Live in Our Terrace Accommodation?

St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre 4

Backyard Buddies - Calling All Green Thumbs!

Are you interested in gardening but don’t have anywhere to do it?

Maybe you’d like to try to grow your own herbs or veggies? St.

Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre’s new gardening program, Backyard

Buddies, invites you to play in the dirt!

A partnership between St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre and Steeles

L’Amoreaux Strength in Partnership, Backyard Buddies was

inspired by the Stop Community Food Centre and has shown

wonderful results.

Backyard Buddies is open to residents that live within the Steeles

L’Amoreaux community. The program connects people who have

an interest in gardening but don’t have access to green space

with people who have green space and want to share it. A

coordinator matches prospective gardeners with homeowners or

renters who are unable or are not interested in tending gardens. Gardeners and hosts receive support

from the coordinator and agency, such as some gardening supplies, language interpretation, general

assistance and free admission to events like workshops, pot lucks, and conversation cafes. Everyone

works together throughout the gardening process right up to the delicious conclusion - a bountiful

harvest shared between gardeners and hosts.

Before you grab your bag of seeds and your watering tin, you need to register first to become a

gardener or host. Once a police reference check is completed, you will be matched up with either a host

or gardener to agree to a partnership. For more information contact: Lydia Li, Volunteer Coordinator at

416 493-3333 ext: 267

Did you know? Gardening is an age-old leisure activity but it has many health benefits. Gardening

contributes to social wellbeing because participants are engaging in their community, establishing new

relationships and making new friends. Physical health is improved not only through physical exercise but

by being outdoors our vitamin D levels are boosted and our blood pressure is reduced. These physical

changes help with overall pain management. Also, mental health benefits because only five minutes of

outdoor physical activity reduces stress and improves self-esteem and mood. If that’s not enough to

convince you, think about how relieved you’ll feel knowing that you’re saving money by growing your

own food!

Summer 2014 5

Geriatric Assessment and Intervention Network (GAIN)

If you’ve visited our Centre over the last couple of months you’ve likely

noticed we’re renovating the location our Centre Shop and library was

in. Last Summer St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre applied for a grant to

provide specialized health care to older people who have more

complex needs. In the Autumn we found out we were one of six successful applications across the

region. Since then we’ve been working hard to design a service that works for our community!

So what is it? GAIN stands for Geriatric Assessment and Intervention Network.

What is that? It’s an innovative, inter-professional network of health professionals including

Pharmacists, Nurse Practitioners, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Social Workers and

Dietitians who do assessments and make recommendations for seniors with complex health needs.

What does that mean? Many seniors with health related challenges are living at home, they may

struggle with mobility and experience frequent falls, or struggle with challenges related to chronic

health conditions like diabetes, or even be experiencing cognitive decline. Many will be hospitalized for

conditions that if they were better managed wouldn’t be so complex. The GAIN team seeks to help

these seniors to prevent unnecessary hardships by doing a complex assessment to really understand

their health situation and social care needs. This includes reviewing their medications, planning their

care and recommending services. Many of those services are services already available from St. Paul’s

L’Amoreaux Centre including Day Programs, Meals on Wheels and support from a Dietitian.

What’s the goal? To stop older adults from facing preventable poor health resulting in unnecessary

hospitalizations and to make sure people have the supports they need from the health and community

service sector.

How will this impact St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre ? We are now in a position to provide excellent

quality health care to seniors facing health challenges from St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre and the wider

community!

If you or someone you know could benefit from a referral to GAIN please call 416 493-3333

As you’ll have read above this has been an exciting time for St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre with many

new opportunities! We know our library area and Centre Shop are an important part of our community

so we’ve renovated to make them even better. At the end of June our brand new space will be open

that houses a shop for everyday items, as well as a place to borrow books, read the paper and relax.

We’ll also be adding in a cafe style feature with light refreshments for sale. The space will also be used

on occasion for interactive health education sessions! We look forward to updating you about this in

our next newsletter!

The Centre Shop and Library

St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre 6

Grab your sneakers and come

join us for the 5th Annual Neigh-

bourhood Walk for Seniors on

Saturday June 14th between 10

am and 1 pm.

Our annual walk is our biggest

fundraising event in the year

with all money raised providing

support to seniors in need.

This year, our fundraising goal

$30,000. With your help, we

know we can do it. Please come and join us as a walker, a volunteer, or a cheerleader! If you can, make

a donation. Your gift, no matter the amount, will go a long way in helping many people.

The event is sure to be a great time for the whole family with a free lunch for everyone who walks, as

well as great prizes, face painting and entertainment.

Please pick up your pledge forms at our Customer Service Desk, or see our website

www.splc.ca/walkforseniors to register or donate! Every dollar raised goes towards transforming the

lives of one of our more vulnerable seniors!

Are you the owner of a business who is looking to give back? Are you thinking about how to make a contribution to your community? Why not support St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre.

St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre has been a leader in the field of senior care for over 35 years. As an accredit-ed, nonprofit we’ve earned a reputation of not only providing outstanding programs and services for seniors, but also making our community stronger through local events, initiatives and advocacy.

Partnering with St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre is the perfect opportunity to enhance your corporate public image. Supporting our mission and vision shows that you, and/or your business cares about the needs of its community. Giving back to help others allows you to promote your organization through good corporate citizenship.

As a corporate partner, your business will benefit in several ways. Your business will be promoted to our internal and external stakeholders through our newsletter, signage at events, and named in media coverage. Most importantly, your business will be making a difference in our local community and in the lives of our seniors.

If you have a business or know a company that would like to make a difference locally, please get in touch with our Director of Development, Policy and Communications, Kathryn at 416 493-3333 ext. 271.

Supporting Our Community One Senior At A Time!

Become a Hero In Your Community...Partner With Us!

Summer 2014 7

S.A.L.T. - Our Seniors and Law Enforcement Together program run in part-

nership with 42nd Division has received high praise from the Ontario Associa-

tion of Chief of Police as an important program that promotes the role of citi-

zens in preventing crime, and building safe and healthy communities. Our

S.A.L.T. program offers older adults the opportunity to enjoy neighbourhood

walks and learn more about crime prevention. If you’d like to join one of our

walks, please call us to register at 416 493-3333.

Accreditation with Exemplary Standing - You heard the news in our Executive Director’s update, St.

Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre has been awarded with the highest recognition possible from Accreditation

Canada. Because of our focus on client safety, our outstanding understanding of the needs of seniors

and our strong policies and procedures in place to support the work we do, we’ve been recognized as

one of the leading agencies in Canada. This is thanks to the hard work of our staff, volunteers, clients and

their families - together we’ve built a community where everyone belongs! If you’d like to join us for our

Accreditation Celebration on June 18th at 4 pm, please call 416 493-3333 to let us know!

I would like to help transform the lives of seniors by making a

donation to St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre!

Name (on credit card) __________________________________________________

Signature ____________________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________________

City _____________________ Province ____________ Postal Code _____________

Phone ________________________ E-mail _________________________________

Credit Card # ______________________________ Expiry Date _________________

Amount of donation: $ _______________________

You may also donate by sending a cheque payble to “St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre”

or by visiting our website at http://www.splc.ca.

Reasons To Celebrate!

Come celebrate Canada Day and Senior’s Month with us! On June 27th between 10:30 and 2 pm we’ll be

holding our Annual Celebration at Bridlewood Mall (northwest corner of Finch and Warden) in partner-

ship with Bridlewood Mall and Toronto Public Library (Bridlewood Branch). We’ll have inter-

esting displays, food, games and entertainment for all ages. It’s sure to be a fun time for eve-

ryone!

Canada Day & Senior’s Month Celebration - June 27, 2014!

Mission

St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre supports healthy aging by providing client-centred housing, programs and ser-

vices that meet the needs of diverse older adults.

Vision

We envision a community in which all older adults live in wellness and dignity with equal access to the sup-

ports they need!

Values

Service - Committed to providing quality service that is client focused, efficient and effective

Excellence - Committed to providing programs, services and housing with excellence and

competence

Nurturing - Committed to creating a nurturing and caring environment to serve the best

interests of our clients and create a rewarding environment for staff

Inclusive - Committed to maintaining an inclusive and welcoming environment regardless of

race, colour, sexual orientation or ethnicity.

Outcomes - Committed to creating positive outcomes through collaboration with clients,

caregivers, partners, staff and volunteers

Respect - Committed to creating a culture of respect among clients, staff, and volunteers

Safety - Committed to ensuring client, volunteer and staff safety

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St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre 3333 Finch Avenue East Scarborough, Ontario M1W 2R9

Tel: 416-493-3333 www.splc.ca