Streamway Villa is a small home with a big heart, says family member
‘The people here are unbelievable’
COBOURG, Ont. – When Joan Filip was ready to move into a long-term care home eight months ago, Streamway Villa was the only option her son, Mike Filip, says was on the table.
Joan and Mike were aware of Streamway Villa’s stellar reputation in Cobourg, and after looking at several other homes in the region, they both knew Streamway was the right fit, Mike says.
With 59 beds, Streamway Villa is a small and older long-term care home, but Mike cites these characteristics as strengths.
He also underscores that it’s the people who work at Streamway Villa, not the building, that makes the home such a special place.
“Everybody here knows my mum,” he tells The OMNIway. “When I walk down the hall, or when she walks down the hall, someone will always say hi to her. It’s always on a first-name basis and it’s always very positive. The people here are unbelievable.”
Joan, who is 102, is a retired laboratory technician who spent her career at the Banting Institute in Toronto. She says living at Streamway Villa has been a seamless transition.
Joan notes that her family members are close by and often visit, and she does many of the same things at Streamway Villa she did before moving to the home, such as tending to her plants and enjoying the outdoors.
“I haven’t really realized that I’m here; I could be (back home),” Joan says of her transition to Streamway Villa.
“I know I’m close to my family, (and) I need to be near my family, and I am happy that this experience is available.”
Mike agrees.
“Geography-wise, I’m only 10 minutes away; I don’t have to fight traffic to get here, and it’s a comfortable and personable environment, and that’s what we love about it,” he says.
Streamway Villa recently won the Northumberland News Readers’ Choice diamond award in the “best nursing home/long-term care centre” category, which is the top honour.
Mike says Streamway Villa earning this accolade is reflective of the care his mother receives at Streamway Villa and of the culture of the home.
“My thoughts are, simply, this is why we’re here,” he says. “This is the best (long-term care home), at least for my mum and her lifestyle. She loves being here.”
– This is Part 1 of a two-part story
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PHOTO CAPTION: Streamway Villa resident Joan Filip and her son, Mike, are pictured here enjoying a sunny afternoon together at the Cobourg long-term care home.
