ROSETOWN, Sask. – Senior care facilities in the province have been under fire recently for mistreatment of clients. Hoping to sway public opinion is an assisted living care home in Rosetown, Sask. which opened with a new concept, one like no other in North America.
“They’re the boss not me, I may be the director of care but they’re the boss and we all work for them,” said Colleen Stenhouse, the director of care at Orange Memories Care Home.
It was a vision in 2013 that officially came to light earlier this month. Orange Memories Care Home is built on residents’ independence, something Stenhouse hasn’t seen in her three decades of working with seniors.
“What I recognize and what I’ve seen in my years of working is that they’re limited to what their choices are, here it’s 100 per cent their choice,” said Stenhouse.
“It’s not an institution, it’s a home and everyone is one big family,” said resident Ross Hayes.
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Hayes moved in a week ago. The retired farmer was in his own house in Elrose, Sask. prior to that. He’s tried other care homes in the province but says they were nothing like this.
“Well you’re just at home, you do what you always do at home,” said Hayes. “They like to say its all family, everybody is there to help you and you don’t have to say anything, they’re right there to help you if you need help.”
The private assisted living facility has 20 rooms with the capacity to have 26 people living there. So far, there are eight.
“If you’re a couple, we have joining rooms and if you want to be in the same space they can have their own space together and that’s something a lot of care homes don’t do,” said Stenhouse.
The client-centered care is more than non-scheduled bedtimes, meals and showers. The uniquely designed model is the only one of its kind in North America. Residents design their own menus, plan their own activities and have their own committee to bring issues or concerns to management.
“They deserve this, they’ve earned this, they should have that intact, their dignity respect and the desires and choices should be there,” said Stenhouse.
Staff at Orange Memories Care Home were handpicked for the unique concept.
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