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Groundbreaking ceremony marks the start of Country Terrace redevelopment project

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Renovations will add 50,518 square feet and eight beds to the Komoka, Ont. LTC home

A groundbreaking ceremony was held at Country Terrace Sept. 17 to mark the start of a redevelopment project to add 50,518 square feet and eight beds to the Komoka, Ont. long-term care home.

Construction began in August on the project that includes replacing a wing at the rear of Country Terrace with a three-storey addition and renovating the remainder of the 120-bed home.

The $32-million redevelopment and expansion will be completed in phases and is expected to be finished by June 2024.

Patrick McCarthy, OMNI Health Care’s president and CEO, says the redevelopment project, once complete, will enhance quality of life for residents and improve the working environment for staff members.

Once renovations are complete, Country Terrace will house four spacious, 32-bed neighbourhoods for residents. The project will replace all three- and four-bed wards with one- and two-bed rooms. The more spacious home will also improve capacity for infection prevention and control, McCarthy says.

Each neighbourhood will include its own dining room, lounge and activity space. Outside, the renovated Country Terrace will include gardens, a whole-home gathering area and a chapel.

“We are really happy to be underway, and we are looking forward to the new Country Terrace meeting the needs of residents in accommodations that offer greater privacy and meet updated design standards,” McCarthy said.

“We acknowledge and express appreciation for the support of the Province of Ontario, and the Municipality of Middlesex Centre and the County of Middlesex in supporting this redevelopment.”

Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Monte McNaughton could not attend the event, but he issued a statement praising the redevelopment project for the value it will deliver residents and the community.

“Congratulations to OMNI Health Care and Country Terrace on starting construction, the result of hard work and dedication by everyone involved,” McNaughton said.

Attending the event were Middlesex County Warden Cathy Burghardt-Jesson and Middlesex Centre Mayor Aina DeViet, who have also shown strong support for the Country Terrace redevelopment project.

In addition to Country Terrace, construction on redevelopment projects at three other OMNI long-term care homes – Almonte Country Haven, Pleasant Meadow Manor and Woodland Villa – is well underway.

OMNI has also received approval from the province to rebuild three of the organization’s other long-term care homes: Riverview Manor, Streamway Villa and Village Green.

If you have a story you would like to share with The OMNIway, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

Seniors’ Month 2021 theme is Stay Safe, Active and Connected

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June is Seniors’ Month in Ontario, and this year’s theme balances the importance of remaining vigilant about safety precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic with keeping a healthy body and mind.

The theme of this year’s Seniors Month is Stay Safe, Active and Connected.

In a press release, Ontario Seniors and Accessibility Minister Raymond Cho says Seniors’ Month is important because it highlights the contributions to society older Ontarians have made and continue to make.

“It is also an opportunity to raise awareness about the programs and services that are available to meet the immediate needs of seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond,” Cho says in the May 3 statement.

Cho notes that “great strides” have been made in 2021 to ensure Ontario seniors, including those living in long-term care homes, have been immunized against the highly contagious COVID-19 virus.

Most residents living in OMNI Health Care’s 18 long-term care homes have now received both required doses of the vaccines, and staff vaccinations are also well underway.

Homes are keeping safety precautions at the forefront while remaining mindful about the importance of providing a high quality of life to residents, which marries well with this year’s Seniors’ Month theme.

Indeed, staff members have been working hard to keep the quality of life high for residents by holding activities that adhere to the province’s safety guidelines.

In the press release, Cho asks organizations to share the link to the Seniors’ Month toolkit, which includes Seniors’ Month posters, a fact sheet and information about the Seniors Community Grant program.

What is your long-term care home doing in honour of Seniors’ Month? If you have a story you would like to share with The OMNIway, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

Province approves development of 192-bed Streamway Villa Long-Term Care Home

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The project, which will upgrade the current 59 beds Streamway Villa offers and add 133 new beds in Cobourg, is expected to begin next spring

COBOURG, Ont. – Streamway Villa residents and staff members are looking forward to living and working in a new, spacious 192-bed long-term care home with modern conveniences that will be built in Cobourg to replace the present home within the next three and a half years.

Representatives from OMNI Health Care, the Ontario government, Northumberland County and the Town of Cobourg held a press conference in the Streamway Villa courtyard March 22 to make the blockbuster announcement.

The project, which will likely begin next spring, will upgrade the current 59 long-term care beds Streamway Villa offers and add 133 new beds in Cobourg.

Construction is expected to take up to 36 months to complete, including the design and approval stages.

“We have a proud history of providing great care to this community, and we’re happy to see the Ontario government recognize the need for more long-term care beds right here in Cobourg,” said Patrick McCarthy, OMNI’s president and CEO.

Once completed, the new Streamway Villa will be a Class A long-term care home with modern amenities, such as wider hallways and more home-like dining areas, and privacy will be enhanced by limiting all rooms to no more than two beds.

The new home will be divided into six neighbourhoods, with 32 beds in each home area, to provide residents with a quieter, more enjoyable living experience.

Streamway Villa administrator Kylie Szczebonski said the new, state-of-the-art home with all its amenities will help enhance quality of life for residents and enable staff members to provide an even higher level of care.

“The new modern facility will have a significant impact and a positive impact on our residents, families and staff,” she said.

“The new home will allow us to provide the highest standard of care that we are known for in the community while also allowing us to easily incorporate new technologies and innovations into our practices.

“We cannot wait to have this new home, and we cannot wait to be one of the top (long-term care homes) in this province.”

Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini underscored the impact the new home will have on the local community.

“Our loved ones in long-term care deserve a comfortable, modern place to live that is near family and friends and has the built-in supports they need when and where they need it,” Piccini said.

“The number of people in Cobourg who will need long-term care is expected to rise over the next decade. These new and upgraded spaces, built to modern design standards, will help ensure residents have access to the care they need in a safe and secure environment.”

With a growing aging population and a greater need for long-term care beds in the region, Northumberland County Warden Bob Crate said the project will help shorten wait times for people in the county seeking long-term care.

“An expanded 192-bed home will increase access to long-term care and address some of the associated pressures in our local health-care system,” he said.

Cobourg Mayor John Henderson also welcomed the announcement as a “historic long-term care investment” in the community.   

“We are proud and supportive of our aging demographic and recognize that this is a huge step in the right direction towards continuing to serve our senior population.”

The province has now approved redevelopment projects for seven OMNI long-term care homes since 2018.

In addition to today’s announcement for Streamway Villa, approval has been given for a new 192-bed Riverview Manor in Peterborough, a new 128-bed Village Green in Greater Napanee, and a redeveloped and expanded 128-bed Country Terrace in Komoka, Ont., all of which are currently in the design phase.

Construction is well underway on the renovation and expansion of Almonte Country Haven, Pleasant Meadow Manor and Woodland Villa.

If you have a story you would like to share with The OMNIway, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

Proposed Riverview Manor design gets thumbs up from new neighbours, family members

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Bird’s eye view of proposed development for the new Riverview Manor by G architects.

About 20 people attend public meeting to learn about redevelopment plan

PETERBOROUGH, Ont. – OMNI Health Care and G architects hosted a public meeting Jan. 15 in Peterborough to share the proposed redevelopment plans for the new Riverview Manor which is slated to be built by December 2022. Read more

The redeveloped Pleasant Meadow will meet needs of future generations of residents: administrator

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Matt Galvin, a partner at G architects, shows residents and staff members at Pleasant Meadow Manor what their home will look like after redevelopment is complete.

Amenities, such as a therapy gym, a hair salon and more space, will match needs of baby boomers when redevelopment project is completed in 2022

NORWOOD, Ont. – With added features that include a therapy gym, a hair salon and significantly more space, Pleasant Meadow Manor will be able to meet the needs of future generations of residents when its redevelopment project is complete by December 2022, says administrator and director of care Sandra Tucker. Read more

‘This is really cool’: Residents, staff applaud design for Pleasant Meadow redevelopment

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Matt Galvin, a partner at G architects, shows residents and staff members at Pleasant Meadow Manor what their home will look like after redevelopment is complete.

The renovations, which will provide the Norwood LTC home with more space and new amenities, gets unanimously positive feedback

NORWOOD, Ont. – Matthew Dexter dons a pair of virtual-reality goggles to look at the three-dimensional design of what the new Pleasant Meadow Manor will look like once completed. The smile that spreads across his face is telling. “This is really cool,” the Norwood long-term care home’s residents’ council president says. Read more

Almonte receives approval for redevelopment; news brings back memories for administrator

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Home will be expanded from 82 to 96 beds by 2022. Carolyn Della Foresta remembers the day Almonte Country Haven opened

Carolyn Della Foresta remembers being a little girl in 1981 when Almonte Country Haven moved into its current site at 333 Country St. in Almonte, Ont., from its previous location at the local hospital. Read more