UPDATE FROM ANDREWS
Dear family members and friends of Andrews Senior Care,
We had a great month at our homes. We celebrated Islander Day and Family Day, hosted Valentine’s Day meals and parties, enjoyed flower donations from Kent Building Supplies and listened to lots of live music.
This month we will be celebrating St Patrick’s Day, are planning a sleigh ride for our residents, hosting Holland College students and getting for spring Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead on March 9!
Wishing you a wonderful March.
Sincerely, Andrews Senior Care
Team member Laura MacArthur, an LPN, and resident Anna Doucette share a laugh while walking to lunch at Andrews of Summerside
M I L E S T O N E
B I R T H D A Y S
Andrews of Summerside celebrated two special birthdays in February - Louis Praught, who turned 103, and Gladys Bernard, who turned 100. Louis was born in Grand River, P.E.I. in 1922 into a large, farming family. As an adult, he moved to Richmond, P.E.I. and worked for 45 years as a carpenter. He raised a large family of his own - 10 boys and one girl. Gladys was born in 1925. She grew up in O’Leary, P.E.I. but lived in Summerside and Kingston, Ont., as well during her life. She was a homemaker who prioritized family. She loved swimming, linedancing, sewing and cooking.
M E N ’ S G R O U P A T
Our men’s groups keep growing. This month our Park West group got together for a game of Codenames. The game is simple, with participants split into two teams. Each team has a designated spymaster who tries to get their team members to guess the words on the board using one-word clues. The first team to guess all their words, wins. We also enjoyed donuts, coffee, tea and conversation. It was a great afternoon.
W O M E N ’ S G R O U P A T P A R K W E S
As the popularity of our men’s groups has grown, some of our homes have started women’s groups as well. Andrews of Park West’s group met this past month for trivia, donuts and coffee and tea.
A R O S E B Y A N Y O T H E R N A M E
Andrews residents were treated to Valentine’s flowers, courtesy of Kent Building Supplies. Our photographer was at Andrews of Summerside to document the delivery.
V A L E N T I N E ’ S C E L E B R A T I O N S
In addition to flower donations, our residents enjoyed special Valentine’s Day meals. Andrews of Summerside hosted a Valentine’s buffet with roast beef, shrimp, ribs, chicken and salads.
Mindy Anderson, centre, and her daughters Paige, left, and Olivia, right, give new meaning to the phrase “work family.”
‘It’s just good to spend time with them’
Working with family has its perks
A lot of people talk about “work family.” Mindy Anderson and her daughters Paige and Olivia Barry live it.
The trio work in the kitchen together at Andrews of Charlottetown. Mindy is the home’s sous-chef, Paige is a cook and server and Olivia is a dishwasher.
Working in close quarters with family might sound like a nightmare to some, but Mindy, Paige and Olivia make it work.
“I just love it,” said Mindy “I have one resident tell me all the time, she goes ‘I can’t get over Paige being the age she is and she can cook for every single one of us at once ’ It makes me really proud ”
The work arrangement didn’t happen by accident Before joining Andrews, Paige was working at McDonald’s and wasn’t happy She was interested in nursing, so Mindy suggested applying at Andrews where she’d get to experience first-hand what nurses and care staff do every day Mindy suggested Olivia apply as a dishwasher a few years later
For Paige, the best part of working with her mom and sister is getting to spend more time with them outside of the house
“It’s kind of a different side to see them as, not just at home,” said Paige, adding there have been lots of opportunities for kitchen dance breaks over the years
Olivia shares her sister’s feelings around spending more time together while at work
“Because we ’ re so busy we barely see each other at home so it’s just good to spend time with them,” Olivia said “We get to bond more and learn more about each other ”
One of those moments for Mindy was watching Olivia, who Mindy knew as notoriously shy, come out of her shell around the residents
“She actually volunteered a couple of times with Heather (the activity director), and then she she’s like ‘I really enjoyed that ’”
While Mindy and her daughters are in a unique arrangement, they aren’t the only family dynamic at Andrews Senior Care Naida and Irish Bawag have both worked at Andrews of Park West for roughly a year now Naida is the home’s activity director and Irish is an RCW For them, working together is a net positive
“My favorite part is that we have a built-in support system that allows us to help one another,” said Naida “We understand each other’s workload, so there’s no need to explain why we ’ re tired after a lo shift we just get it We also get to celebrate small and big achievements together, and even attend special company events together.”
Many of our homes have combinations of spouses, extended fam working together, something Group GM Mizan Uddin says comes the territory.
“Family is important to Andrews,” Mizan said. “We have a lot of t members who’ve been with us for more than 25 years. You get to their families and they get to know yours. We feel honoured whe team member recommends us to a family member and they’re ab join our larger Andrews work family.”
He emphasized that while Andrews values and encourages famil referrals, the company maintains a clear policy to ensure fairness equal opportunities for all employees
Naida, top, and Irish have been working together at Andrews of Park West for roughly one year. The married couple have nothing but good things to say about sharing a workplace.
ABOVE & BEYOND
February 2025
Every month our team and residents recognize one team member for showing exceptional care
Our Above and Beyond winner for February is Sharanpreet
Sharanpreet is a dedicated team member, always willing to help where and when she’s needed We are fortunate to have her at Andrews of Parkhill Congratulations, Sharanpreet!
Our Above and Beyond winner for February is Navneet Kaur
Navneet is a dedicated, passionate team member
We are fortunate to have her at Andrews of Summerside.
Navneet started working as a caregiver at Andrews in October, 2024 Prior to joining our team, she worked at Tim Hortons while going to school
For Navneet, whose grandmother was a nurse, knowing she’s making a positive impact in the lives of our residents is the best part of her day
“I always feel happy when I am with the residents,” she said “Because when I help residents, they always say thank you and hug me Then I really miss my family because they are in India. While working in Andrews I feel it’s my home and the residents are my family ” Outside of work, Navneet enjoys reading and regularly borrows books from the library
Our Above and Beyond winner for February is Sumandeep Kaur
Sumandeep is a dedicated team member, always willing to help where and when she’s needed. We are lucky to have her at Andrews of Charlottetown
Sumandeep started working at Andrews as a caregiver in August 2024
Prior to joining our team, she worked in a similar role at a care home in Montreal
For her, the best part of her job is knowing she has team members she can rely on
“I like everything,” she said “The environment, the staff The staff are really great. They always help ” Outside of work, Sumandeep enjoys reading and painting
While she’s learning a variety of techniques and doing painting different subjects, she prefers landscapes
Our Above and Beyond winner for February is Cristen Malone Cristen is an excellent team member, always willing to go the extra mile for residents and her fellow staff We are fortunate to have her at Andrews of Stratford Cristen started working as an LPN at Andrews in the fall of 2024 Prior to joining our team, she worked for 14 years as an LPN at a care home in Ontario
For her, the most rewarding part of her day is building relationships with the residents
“I like listening to their stories and life experiences,” she said “It’s cool to know all their backgrounds ” When she’s not at work, Cristen enjoys spending time with her family As newcomers to the Island, they especially like exploring beaches and lighthouses. Their favourite beach is Basin Head
Our Above and Beyond winner for February is Jane Ivy Valero
Jane is a dedicated team member, always willing to go the extra mile for our residents We are fortunate to have her at Andrews of Park West
Jane started working as a caregiver at our home in December 2023 Prior to joining our team, she worked as a nurse for six years in an intensive care unit while living in the Philippines
She has always been drawn to working with seniors, crediting her relationship with her grandparents Helping seniors is its own reward
“It’s an amazing experience,” she said.
“Growing up with grandparents, I have respect for them (seniors).” Outside of work, Jane enjoys watching movies.
Her favourite genre is Korean dramas
Parkhill Summerside
Charlottetown Stratford Park West
Sudoku
The object of the puzzle is to fill the remaining squares, using all the numbers 1–9 exactly once in each row, column, and the nine 3 × 3 subgrids
Community Cash 50/50
Weekly 50/50 draw in support of support not for profit groups including Murphy s Pharmacies Community Centre and the Holland College Athletics Department Anyone can play for just $2/week
If you or someone you
Community and Nursing Care Decision Guide
A comprehensive guide to help you select a community care or nursing home on Prince Edward Island. Some topics covered in this guide:
How to navigate the senior care system on PEI (pg 4)
How to choose a community care or nursing home home (pg 11)
How to have the talk with your loved one (pg 28)
Home evaluation checklists (pgs 13 and 24)
Selling your home (pg 45)
This resources can be downloaded from the email version of this newsletter or by visiting www communitycarepei ca
you have any questions or would like to book a tour please contact our Senior Living Advisor
Should you not be happy for any reason during your first month at Andrews, we will refund your money (private
