Where to Live: St. Gabriel Villa strives for happiness

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With exposure to the sun, south-facing and two floors of large, bright rooms, St. Gabriel Villa has a very happy vibe. It is current, fresh and friendly. St. Gabriel is part of St. Joseph’s Health Centre.

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Let’s do a tour with Cindy Murray, administrator of St. Gabriel Villa.

“I’ve been working in long-term care for 12 years,” Murray said. “I fell in love with long-term care. I’m from Nipigon (and) the collaborative partnership with Northern College and Laurentian’s School of Nursing saw me working in South Porcupine for a time. Laurentian has a very good reputation in the nursing program. In southern Ontario, there was a period in Etobicoke. My final year I did a clinical placement with children, but instead, I found my way in geriatrics.

‘My husband was transferred to Sudbury and we were delighted; new opportunities. I worked at Pioneer Manor, where Aaron Archibald encouraged me to explore leadership. Then I interviewed for this position … and it is such a good fit. We can have 128 residents. It is an honour to work with them. We listen to what they want. We have in and around 200 staff.”

Outside each room, a display box on the wall contains items important to the resident. It tells you something about them; what they value.

It also helps with wayfinding. Walk along the halls and barn doors open to spacious accessible bathrooms and residents bring some of their past lives including some furniture and personal items – along perhaps with a familiar chair – to their rooms.

Murray greets each resident by name as the visit continues.

In designing St. Gabriel, they asked: “What would be the best response to residents’ care and to maintain their autonomy?”

As a result, all residents have their own living space, something that was still often uncommon years ago when wards of four existed in older LTC facilities.

An ongoing maintenance program ensures the building is fully functional and compliant.

Working together

“All of our professions work together to ensure the best outcomes,” Murray said. “We don’t have silos here. Inter-professional collaboration is how we work. There is an ongoing connection with the team. Our physio, our dietician, our social worker … we all talk and connect. We are good stewards of our resources.”

On arrival, the admissions coordinator facilitates a warm welcome and there is a package for the individual and family.

Murray said Chelmsford needed St. Gabriel Villa not just to serve the Francophone community, but to be another geographic solution.

“We are designated bilingual. We do dental and optometry right in the building. Naturally, we have hair care. When we opened, staff were trained at the other site and ready to welcome arrivals.”

Sometimes co-morbidities accelerate residents’ arrival here, Murray explained. “We have a mix of ambulatory and those who use walkers and wheelchairs. And, of course, circumstances can change. As residents’ needs change, we can continue to accommodate them.”

There are daily activities and a calendar of events is posted in many locations. Birthdays are celebrated. In one of the activity rooms, we find a piano and it also hosts the lively Residents’ Council meeting. Six to eight people – but all are welcome – discuss and provide feedback on every component that affects their and the community’s quality of life.

“We give them a pathway to share their input and then we make improvements,” Murray said. “We are not immune to the human resource struggles and willing volunteers can make a difference in providing some solutions.”

Then there is Oreo the Guinea Pig: Nearby we meet Katy Anctil and I have to ask “What does a life enrichment assistant do?”

“You know what, there are six of us. It is the most amazing job ever. Our job is to make the residents smile. Yes, be happy. I help with games, pet therapy. My Australian Sheppard loves coming here. I have been here three years. I come from Val D’Or. I speak French and English.”

Murray added that happiness is important. “We do resident and family surveys and they come back positive. We have a very close relationship with our families.

“We do offer spiritual care. Bishop Dowd comes to visit. The residents love his visits. Our chapel is right up here at the entrance and open, and available at any time. We host an array of activities in this space including a living nativity and memorial services.”

Fees vary

Fees to be at St. Gabriel depend on the accommodation. The rates are set by government. Like all LTC facilities, previous tax assessments may entitle you to support

Kristal Lafantaisie, director of development for St. Joseph’s Health Centre provided some data on the value of St Gabriel to the individuals and their residency:

– Longest length of stay: 4,591 days.

– Average length of stay: 965 days.

– Percentage of residents with dementia: 71.2 per cent.

– Percentage of residents by gender: 40 per cent men, 60 per cent women.

– Opened in 2011.

History

France Bélanger-Houle offers some insight into how St. Gabriel Villa came to be. “Our family, mostly my parents, were major contributors to the project. There are a lot of other people who made it happen. There was a very active fund-raising committee. It was a community endeavour.

“My father donated the land. He was approached by then chair of the board, Monique Landry-Sabourin, to sell the land. But he said ‘No, no, no, I want to donate it.’

“Coincidentally, it was actually part of the place where he was born and raised: my grandparent’s farm. There was that special connection to the site.

“His first name was Gabriel. Far from being a saint, the family, though, was so honoured that the Sisters of St. Joseph named it St. Gabriel Villa. He was always upfront about giving back to community.

“The board really wanted to move ahead with a project similar to St. Joseph’s in Sudbury, but in Chelmsford. There was already a very big need in the community. Building this close to home has been beneficial for families. They can visit more often. My mother-in-law is a resident. We also have a cousin here.

“We have supplied additional monies to fund landscaping and part of the park. We partnered with Sabourin’s husband (Landry-Sabourin passed away in 2013) on this. This has never been a one-and-done support for our family. St. Gabriel is important to Sudbury and Chelmsford specifically.”

St. Gabriel Villa is located at 4690 Municipal Rd 15 in Chelmsford.

For additional information go to www.sjsudbury.com.

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