The journey of Sunnyside Adventist Care Centre in Saskatoon from “institution to home” started nine years ago and continues to this day!
In the beginning, when Sunnyside decided to change into the Eden Alternative Care model, they focused on trying to maintain consistent staffing. Building relationships between staff and residents was key to making the change happen. The staff realized that they needed to spend time “listening” to their residents and stop focussing so much on tasks.
They renamed their “wings” to neighborhoods and gave them recognizable names that would mean something to the residents and staff. The names Diefenbaker, Riverview, and Prairie Land were used based on name recognition and views of the outdoors. Then they removed the nursing station! This transition was not easy for staff, but the change provided more space for gathering spaces and started to make Sunnyside look like a home! Changing signage, adding lounges, artwork, creating a spa-like tub room all contributed to this feeling of “home”.
With assistance from Montgomery Sisam, architects, Sunnyside is working on a Master Plan to modernize and expand spaces so that every resident enjoys more autonomy, privacy and belonging.
To read more, click here: Sunnyside A Little Bit of our StoryOct 2025