Blog

Posted on

“Provincial standards outdated, more small-scale care homes needed.”

Building plans for Toronto’s Rekai Centre’s Cherry Street location

A downtown Toronto long-term care home is rebuilding with a new design that considers lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, going beyond the province’s standards but some say those standards are out of date.

“Many of the planned updates at the 13-storey facility on Cherry Street were
brainstormed during the pandemic as shortfalls were brought to light,” said CEO, Sue Graham-Nutter. “The changes made by the Rekai Centre are a good start,” according to Dr. Samir Sinha, a geriatrician, clinician scientist and the Director of Health Policy Research at the National Institute on Aging (NIA).

“If you think about palliative care hospices, if you think about group homes for younger people don’t have them living in large institutional settings,”   Sinha said. “So why is it that in North America we only do this with frail, older people?” (Dr. Sinha, There’s No Place Like Home Report/National Institute on Ageing)

Sinha said long-term care should be moving towards a “small care homes” model of 10 to 12 people, each with their own private bedroom and bathroom. Larger buildings can be broken up into multiple 12-person households and still follow the model, he said.

To learn more about the building plans for the new Rekai Centre, click here.

Posted on

Recording: Building a small home at Meadowview Villa

Webinar Recording Now Available. 
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our January 21st webinar, “Building a small home at Meadowview Villa”. If you weren’t able to attend live—or would like to revisit the discussion—you can watch the full recording below.

Presenter: Carolyn Bilson, Architect, MMMC Architects

Listen to the recording here:

Posted on

A Welcome Change!

 

On December 10th, 2025, Alison Jones, Canadian Press, noted in her article that Ontario was expanding new rules for cultural long-term care placements.

“The government found that their 2022 law known as Bill 7, which was criticized for allowing people to be placed in a long-term care home not of their choosing, also led to declining and mismatched admissions to the province’s cultural homes.

Long-Term Care Minister Natalia Kusendova-Bashta implemented a pilot project in April in 29 homes that serve a particular religious, ethnic or linguistic community and she says that has been successful.”

Read more:  

 

Posted on

Recording: Citizenship and Wellbeing in Long-Term Care

Webinar Recording Now Available. 
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Dec 10 webinar, “Citizenship and Wellbeing in Long-Term Care”. If you weren’t able to attend live—or would like to revisit the discussion—you can watch the full recording below.

Presenters: Reanne Evans, Neighbourhood Manager and Person-Directed Lead, Tideview Terrace, Digby, NS
Debra Boudrea, CEO, Tideview Terrace
Ariel Rice, Neighbourhood Manager and Enrichment Lead, Tideview Terrace

Listen to recording here

For more past webinars and recordings, visit our Webinars page.

Posted on

The Power of Home

A Green House Dining Room (copied with permission)
A Green House Dining Room (copied with permission)

What if a long-term care home felt like…….home?

Not an institution
Not a schedule
Not a number
Just home.

  • Small households
  • Consistent staff
  • Real relationships
  • Real kitchens, real meals, real life.

That’s how the Green House model works, as do other innovative models of care. Ontario deserves this. Our elders deserve this.

Contact your MPP to advocate to make this happen.

‘Institutions to homes’  – check out our website www.changeltcnow.ca.

 

Posted on

Sunnyside Adventist Care Centre: Changing one step at a time!

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

Posted on

Corrected blog: Ontario Government Invests in Dementia Care

 

Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) congratulates the Ontario Government on its $9 million investment for Dementia Care in long-term care homes.

“This initiative could be a game changer and is an important step forward in building a stronger, more compassionate long-term care home system” notes Kathy Wright, Chair of CARP’s Advocacy Working Group on Long-Term Care. “As advocates for seniors and their families, we welcome this targeted investment in emotion-based care.”    Read more:   

Posted on

Ontario Government Invests in Dementia Care

Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) congratulates the Ontario Government on its $9 million investment for Dementia Care in long-term care homes.

“This initiative could be a game changer and is an important step forward in building a stronger, more compassionate long-term care home system” notes Kathy Wright, Chair of CARP’s Advocacy Working Group on Long-Term Care. “As advocates for seniors and their families, we welcome this targeted investment in emotion-based care.”    Read more:   

 

 

 

Posted on

Healthcare Excellence Canada – invitation to long-term care homes in Canada

Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC) and CARP Ottawa share the vision to transform the way care is delivered in long-term care homes.

HEC invites long-term care homes across the country to join the Sparking Change in AUA (appropriate use of antipsychotics) Program.  Registration closes October 1, 2025.

The program is open to all LTC homes interested in improving appropriate use of antipsychotics through person-centred care, with flexible participation and access to optional coaching, webinars, curated resources, and awards ranging from $2000 to $10,000.

Learn more about the Sparking Change Program here: 

Posted on

Invitation to an Open House: Richmond Care Home Sept 28th from 1:00 to 3:00 pm

Richmond Care Home, Stittsville, Ontario

While our blogs focus on LTC Homes and the innovation of “changing institutions to homes” happening in Canada and elsewhere, we wanted to let you know about a Retirement Home in Stittsville that has been designed around the needs of female residents with dementia rather than economies of scale. They too have embraced small, home-like environments within their Retirement Home in order to promote dignity, comfort, and independence. For 25 years it has provided families with a compassionate alternative to large-scale care, showing that intimacy, familiarity and respect can transform the experience of living with dementia.  Come and see for yourself! To learn more, click here.   

Privacy Policy