Woodingford Lodge Opens Its Doors for Second Annual Community Engagement Day

Woodingford Lodge resident Renee and caregiver/friend Jennifer pose for a picture. Renne's inspiring story was the topic of conversation at the home's second annual Community Engagement Day. (Kyrah Smith photo)

Kyrah Smith, Echo Correspondent

Woodstock’s Woodingford Lodge hosted its second annual Long-Term Care Community Engagement Day on Sept. 18, joining long-term care homes across Ontario in opening their doors to the community.

The event provides an opportunity for homes to showcase their role in the community and encourage conversations about how residents, families, staff, volunteers and community partners can work together to enhance quality of life in long-term care. It welcomed community members, families and local leaders to learn more about Woodingford Lodge and the work taking place within the home.

Administrator Kate MacDonald opened the event by explaining the purpose behind Community Engagement Day and reflecting on the progress Woodingford has made over the past year.

“Thank you for coming. This day was established by the Ontario Long Term Care Home Association (OLTCA), for people in the health field to create an opportunity to open doors and invite our community partners to experience long-term care differently,” she said.

“It’s about building stronger connections with our community and showing long-term care is not only simply a place to live and receive care, but also a place to contribute, connect and belong.”

MacDonald explained that during last year’s event, community members discussed the home’s strengths and areas for improvement. This year, the focus was on how Woodingford has built upon those strengths.

“At the centre of this is a simple belief. Long-term care should be about living.”

One of the most significant areas of growth for Woodingford has been the expansion of its Family Transition Program. This year, the home also received additional funding through Community Access to Long-Term Care (CALTC), which supports seniors in remaining at home longer by providing access to services that promote independence, health and quality of life, while also providing respite for caregivers.

“Our role in the Family Transition Program begins well before someone moves into long-term care,” MacDonald added.

Through the Family Transition Program and CALTC funding, Woodingford now offers seven-day-a-week daytime programming. With the expansion into weekend care, participants can access recreation, socialization, meals and personal care, while physiotherapy is available Monday through Friday.

“We continue to offer care partners support and system navigation,” MacDonald said. “Currently, we are supporting 45 clients in (the program), with eight on our waitlist, and that continues to grow daily.”

Woodingford also works closely with Ontario Health at Home and community partners to facilitate referrals and connect individuals with appropriate services. MacDonald encouraged those attending to help spread the word about the programs available.

MacDonald also emphasized the role Woodingford’s residents play within the broader community.

“Our residents are an important part of the community. Through our Kindness in Action program, residents contribute to local causes, build relationships and find meaningful ways to give back.”

Woodingford has established partnerships with organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters and regularly organizes initiatives such as food drives and appreciation events for first responders.

MacDonald also spoke about how the home continues to rethink what independence can look like in long-term care.

“Perhaps one of the best examples of this comes from one of our residents. His name is Renee,” she said.

MacDonald explained that Renee prepares his own meals, tends to his garden, participates in activities that are meaningful to him and advocates for his fellow residents.

“His story reminds us that our role is not to define what someone’s life should look like. Our role is to create opportunities that allow each individual to continue defining that for themselves. Living does not stop when someone walks through our doors.”

While celebrating the progress made at Woodingford, MacDonald also acknowledged the challenges facing the home, including increasingly complex health conditions among residents, staffing levels, recruitment and workload. She noted that these challenges are not unique to Woodingford but are being experienced by long-term care homes across the province.

“We want our community partners and local leaders to see both sides of the story. The incredible work that’s happening every day, and the challenges we need to address together,” MacDonald said.