Category: Collingwood

Celebrating Seniors in Ontario — Stay Safe, Stay in Touch

Posted on by Reagan Morgan
June is Seniors’ Month! Make sure you Stay Safe, Stay in Touch

In Ontario, the month of June is considered Seniors’ Month and is a time to reflect and celebrate all seniors from across the province. This year’s theme is “Stay Safe, Stay in Touch” and it focuses on keeping our seniors safe, connected, and engaged at their home during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility Raymond Cho “As we take this opportunity to mark Seniors’ Month, we recognize that these are very challenging times for seniors as they continue to self-isolate due to the risk of COVID-19. Now more than ever, it is important that we come together to support our seniors and recognize and honour the knowledge, experience, and the contributions that seniors have made to build the province that we enjoy today.”

Let us make this month extra special for our seniors by showing them as much support and love as possible. If you have a senior in your life, or if you want to help out voluntarily, please take the time to reach out to them to ensure that they have what they need during this very difficult time. There are plenty of things you can do to stay in touch with seniors, you can give them a call over the phone or through FaceTime or Zoom, you could pick up some groceries for them so they can stock up their refrigerators’ so they have food, or you could safely see them through a window while visiting. Anything that you do to help or connect with a senior will increase their level of happiness, especially since most of them cannot leave their home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ontario Government has the highest regard for our seniors and they are committed to protecting and supporting them as much as possible. According to Raymond Cho “We are continuing to invest in almost 300 Seniors Active Living Centres which help seniors remain active and engaged in age-friendly communities.” Cho said that 175 of these programs are currently being offered remotely through teleconference, online videos, and one on one phone calls. These are all critical programs that help seniors stay connection while being at home. The Ontario Government also invested $11 million dollars to implement the Ontario Community Support Program, which is used to help coordinate meals, medicine, and other necessities to seniors across the province. Not only that, but the Ontario government is also developing a comprehensive Seniors’ Strategy which helps seniors remain healthy, active, and socially engaged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As you can see, the Ontario Government is doing a lot to support seniors during this most difficult time, and since June is Seniors’ Month, we should all be doing our part by reaching out to our seniors as well. At Bay Haven Care Community, the Recreation team conducts and designs programs that help stimulate seniors emotional, intellectual, physical, vocational, social, spiritual, and environmental well-beings to benefit the seniors lifestyle. This month, let’s stay safe and stay in touch together as we help our seniors cope through this pandemic lockdown.

Marco Sanfilippo
Marketing Specialist/Recreation Assistant

Community Love

Posted on by Reagan Morgan
Firetrucks from the Collingwood Fire Department driving by to salute all Bay Haven Care Community staff members

The amount of love and support that Bay Haven Care Community is receiving from the Collingwood community is astonishing! Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bay Haven staff have received a large number of gifts, food, PPE donations, cards, positive feedbacks, and more. It is so nice to see the community come together to help out our frontline workers with all their generosity. All staff members appreciate the amount of love that they are given by the community, whether it be wood fired pizza from Pie Wood Fire Pizza Joint, freshly brewed coffee from Tim Hortons, or PPE donations from local businesses around the community, all of the surprises and gifts that Bay Haven has received during this pandemic brings a smile to our faces as we continue to work hard to prevent COVID-19 from entering our home.

Here is a list of some of the generous donations and gifts that Bay Haven Care Community received during the COVID-19 pandemic:

  • Pizza from Pie Wood Fire Pizza Joint.
  • Subs from Subway.
  • Donuts, Timbits, and Coffee from Tim Hortons.
  • Beautiful hand-written letters and cards from families and supporters.
  • Donations of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as gowns, masks, and gloves.
  • Positive feedback through phone calls and from our Facebook page.
  • Firefighters driving by Bay Haven Care Community to salute all staff.
  • Families decorating our outside windows and gazebo with creative designs and colourful ribbons.

These are only some of the generous gifts that were given to us during the pandemic. As you can tell from the list, the community love and support that people have given us is absolutely amazing for our workers. To everyone who supports us during this difficult time, we would like to say thank you for all of your love, kind words, and for your generosity. You guys are the best!

Marco Sanfilippo
Marketing Specialist/Recreation Assistant

Bay Haven Care Community Celebrates 51 Years of Quality Living for Long-Term Care and Retirement Home Residents

Posted on by Reagan Morgan
Administrator Scott Strandholt cutting Bay Haven Care Community’s 51st anniversary cake with Nursing Home resident Joyce Hayles

Bay Haven Care Community celebrated its 51st anniversary on Wednesday, January 15th along with residents, staff, and guests. The celebration began with the Town of Collingwood’s official town crier Ken Templeton presenting a speech about Bay Haven’s longevity and its continued impact on Collingwood. After that, Scott Strandholt held a speech about the history of Bay Haven and how it was established when both of his parents began Bay Haven after moving from Toronto to Collingwood to start a new life in 1969. Scott explained how his father, Elwyn Strandholt, was in charge of the office work and bookkeeping, and his mother, Dawn Strandholt, was doing a lot of the house work and cooking for their newly established business. Scott continued his speech by elaborating on the success that Bay Haven has achieved over the 51 years; he said he is looking forward to the future of the company when Bay Haven Care Community and the Collingwood Nursing Home merge into one business to develop a brand-new facility. Scott also delivered a shout-out to the head nurse Roseanne Beaupre, who has been working at Bay Haven Care Community for over 50 years.

After Scott finished his speech, Cynthia Strandholt took the podium and began talking about how Bay Haven is like a huge family and thanked all of the staff for their hard-work and dedication to keeping a high quality of care for the residents on the Long-Term Care and Retirement Home side. After the speeches were over, Scott Stranholt and Nursing Home resident Joyce Hayles both cut the cake together. The anniversary celebration had delicious food from the Bay Haven dietary team, music performance by Linda Ross, and beautiful decorations from the Bay Haven recreation team.

Happy 51st Anniversary Bay Haven! We are all excited to continue to be part of the Bay Haven team and its 51-year history. Together, all of the staff are going to work hard to continue delivering the highest quality care and make Bay Haven the best place to live for all residents.

Marco Sanfilippo
Marketing Specialist/Recreation Assistant

Reflecting on Bay Haven’s 2019

Posted on by Reagan Morgan
Looking Ahead To 2020

2019 was an incredible year for Bay Haven. Since this is the last blog of this year, I would like to take a moment to reflect on some of the activities and events that we had throughout the year. During the year, Bay Haven staff and recreation team did an absolutely great job providing so much for the residents that live at Bay Haven. Our mission is to make Bay Haven the best Retirement Home/Nursing Home in Collingwood, and in order to do that, we need to provide the best programs for them.

We had so many activities and events planned out for the residents for both Retirement Home and Nursing Home side. Throughout the year, we had programs like TGIF entertainment every Friday, we played Bingo, we celebrated birthday parties, we watched movies, we had outdoor picnics, we listened to a lot of live music form plenty of guest performers, we had outings to Walmart/Sunset Point/Journey’s Blend, we baked delicious pastries, we celebrated holidays together, and so much more.

Not only did we have programs like these on a weekly basis, we also had a huge cultural experience day. This year we had a Caribbean Cultural Experience Day. Throughout the entire day, staff and residents dressed up and ate Caribbean food. It was a very entertaining time! Not only that, but Bay Haven celebrated its 50th anniversary back in January 2019. Staff and residents had a huge celebration accommodating Bay Haven’s success throughout those 50 years. Additionally, to that, Bay Haven has been posting blogs about the company on a weekly basis. This is a new idea that began in 2019, and we are happy to continue writing more blogs for 2020. As you can see, 2019 was a jam-packed year, and we are looking forward to having an even more packed year for 2020.

On behalf of Bay Haven, we would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy and healthy new year.

Thank you for reading,

Marco Sanfilippo
Marketing Specialist/Recreation Assistant

Halloween At Bay Haven Care Community

Posted on by Reagan Morgan
Nursing Home Residents Trick-Or-Treating

Here at Bay Haven Care Community, we know how to celebrate Halloween! On October 30th, the residents from the Retirement Home side of Bay Haven dressed up and had a Halloween dance party! Not only that, they also baked and decorated Halloween cookies, and ate some candy. The Bay Haven building was fully decorated with spider-webs, bats, ghosts, and pumpkins! It was truly a fun evening for the residents. On October 31st, Bay Haven residents from the Nursing Home side went Trick-or-Treating to the home of the residents on the Retirement Side to receive chips and candy. The residents were dressed as bunnies, clowns, a squid, king, the Grinch, and even a Hula girl. The costumes were so incredible, and we are so proud of all the residents that dressed up!

Not only that, but the staff at Bay Haven Care Community also dressed up for Halloween. Some staff members dressed up as scarecrows, unicorns, witches, a Clone Tropper, a Blue Jays player, a Gum Ball Machine, Minnie Mouse, Piglet, Eeyore, and more. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated in Halloween at Bay Haven this year. We truly know how to party at Bay Haven!

 

To see pictures and videos, please check out our Facebook page.

 

Marco Sanfilippo – Marketing Specialist/Recreation Assistant

Books on Wheels

Posted on by Reagan Morgan
Library Books from the Books On Wheels program

Bay Haven Care Community and the Collingwood Public Library have been working together to provide a program for the residents called Books on Wheels. The Books on Wheels program allows books from the Collingwood Public Library to go directly to the residents that have signed up for the program. Residents that are interested in reading a variety of genres of books will be granted several different books per month. For those residents that are visually impaired, the Collingwood Public Library also offers audible books. The Books on Wheels program is a great way to give the residents at Bay Haven Care Community easily accessible books for their enjoyment. Reading books are very important as they keep your mind strong and active. This is a program that Bay Haven is proud to offer for their residents.

Aside from certain activities that the Recreation department puts together for the residents to stimulate the brain, Books on Wheels is another option for residents to keep their mind healthy, strong, and focused.

We here at Bay Haven are happy to continue this tradition so that our residents do not have to leave their home to go to the library, but rather have those books come to them.


Marco Sanfilippo – Marketing Specialist/Recreation Assistant.

Bay Haven’s Centenarian’s

Posted on by Reagan Morgan
  • Luena is our oldest resident at Bay Haven. She is 106.

What does the term centenarian mean? A centenarian is someone who is 100 years of age or older. Bay Haven Care Community is proud to say that we have THREE centenarian residents, Luena – 106, Isobel – 104, and Annie – 102. All three centenarians are in great health and continue to be active in our recreation programs. In fact, Luena plays the piano for all her fellow residents and staff four days a week. When asking Luena what her secret to longevity is, she said to always keep active physically and mentally. Annie use to be a nurse when Bay Haven began in 1969. Now, her daughter Roseanne is a nurse and her granddaughter Amanda works in house keeping.

Bay Haven Care Community also have many residents that are in their late 90s. Muriel is 99 years old and will be turning 100 in 2020. Other residents’ range between 95 – 99. It is incredible to be surrounded by so many active elders in the Bay Haven community, whenever I come into work, it encourages me to keep active so that I may also live a long, healthy life.

The oldest person to ever live was a woman named Jeanne Calment from France. Jeanne was born on February 21st, 1875 and she passed away on August 4th, 1997. She was 122 years and 164 days old. Currently, the oldest living person is Kane Tanaka from Japan. Kane was born on January 2nd, 1903 and she is currently 116 years old. Kane is still in good health and occupies her time by playing the board game Othello and taking short walks in the facility’s hallways. Her hobbies include calligraphy and calculations. She credits her family, sleep, and God as her secrets to her longevity. Kane also said that she has a strong appetite and likes sweets; she drinks three cans a day of canned coffee, sodas, and various nutritional drinks.

Studies have shown that longevity has been increasing over centuries. As life expectancy is increasing across the world, the number of centenarians is expected to increase quickly in the future. According to a study done in the United Kingdom, one-third of babies born in 2013 in the UK are expected to live to 100. In the end, remember to eat well, keep active, get proper sleep, and live an amazing life.

Marco Sanfilippo – Marketing Specialist/Recreation Assistant

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For Ice Cream

Posted on by Reagan Morgan
Bay Haven Care Community Residents Enjoying Their Ice Cream.

Happy Canada D-Eh!

Posted on by Reagan Morgan
  • Residents at the Bay Haven Canada Day Social.

On July 1st, 1867, Canada officially became its own country when three colonies (Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick) united into a single Dominion called Canada. 152 years later, we continue to celebrate this beautiful country for its rights, freedoms, expressions, and laws that make Canada such a great country. At Bay Haven Care Community, staff, residents and volunteers celebrated Canada Day with a Canada Day Social. Wearing as much red as possible, residents from the Retirement Home side and from the Nursing Home side came together to mingle with their neighbours and friends in the Bay Haven courtyard.

The recreation and dietary team put together a very fun event for Bay Haven’s residents. Some of the recreation assistants put on Canadian themed games for the residents, these games included a Canadian fun facts and trivia, and a Canadian themed bean bag toss. The recreation team also put up Canadian flags and other decorations throughout the entire building. Additionally, the dietary team provided some cold punch, and the members at the Collingwood Royal Canadian Legion were kind enough to donate a large Canada Day cake for our residents! We would like to take this opportunity to thank the members at the Legion for their kindness and generosity. According to the residents, this years Canada Day Social was very fun, warm, and delicious! We cannot wait to do it again next year!

Marco Sanfilippo – Marketing Specialist/Recreation Assistant

Go Environmentally Friendly and Adopt-A-Road

Posted on by Reagan Morgan
Bay Haven Staff Members Ready To Participate In Their Adopt-A-Road Program.

What exactly is the Adopt-A-Road Program? The Town of Collingwood Adopt-a-Road Program is a private/public partnership program where environmental conscious citizens, community organizations, businesses, and other industries make a personal contribution to a cleaner and more beautiful roads in Collingwood. Garbage and other roadside litter can be very unappealing to every Collingwood resident and tourist. Not only that, roadside garbage is harmful to the environment, creates pollution, and completely takes away from Collingwood’s beautiful outdoor scenery. In order to change this, Bay Haven Care Community participates in the Adopt-A-Road Program.

The Adopt-A-Road Program is a public service program for volunteers to pick up litter along certain roads in Collingwood. Every volunteer or organization is assigned a road that they attend twice a year to pick up all garbage found on that road. Bay Haven Care Community’s assigned road is the Pretty Rive Parkway. Bay Haven staff members gather together at the end of their workday to help and clean up the road. Since Pretty River Parkway is one of the larger roads in Collingwood, Bay Haven staff members gather for dinner at a local Collingwood restaurant after their hard work. We are very fortunate enough to live in a Town that offers a program like this that aims to make Collingwood, and the world, a better place to live in. The Adopt-A-Road Program is a great way to help clean up your community, and these days, it is essential that we keep our environment as clean and healthy as possible for our future.