Informer Feb 2026 (2) by Andrews Senior Care

CHANGES, CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES

I want to start by congratulating our 2025 Exceptional Care Award Winners

Annelize, Tina, Paige, Israel, Cielo and Anu - your hard work, dedication and commitment to our residents is inspiring You are appreciated - and not just by me Your peers selected you as deserving of this award You have made a positive impact in the lives of both our residents and your coworkers You should be proud

I also want to shine a spotlight on our activity teams. Hosting after-hours proms, weekend ceilidhs, community Christmas light events and more all go a long way to providing exceptional experiences for our residents Well done!

LOOKING AHEAD

The next phase of accreditation is on the horizon

All our homes have been hard at work in preparation. As the date nears, I encourage everyone to take time to refresh themselves on policies pertinent to their role We’ve been through a version of this already and did well I have full faith that we will succeed in our goal of accreditation providing we work together as a team Don’t hesitate to ask questions reach out to Cathy or your DOC for any queries or questions you may have

CHANGES

Our phone systems are undergoing some changes. This project is currently being managed by our IT team and should be complete in the coming weeks Once finished, all our homes will have a new automated call system that will not need to be updated every time someone changes roles If you have any questions about the phone system upgrade, reach out to Nathan (nrochford@andrewsseniorcare.com) and he will follow up with IT. You will notice subtle background music that is our new brand tune, let us know how you like it.

Likewise, Kimberly, our People & Culture Co-Ordinator, has been going through our existing policies and some have been updated Be sure to check Itacit to ensure you are up to date, she is also working on the handbook to ensure the information are updated so stay tuned for updates on itacit.

Sincerely,

A C T I V E A T P R O T E M

We had a wonderful time making bird feeders, baking, making flower arrangements and snowflake art and enjoying our special musical guest Pastor Phil Williams

H O C K E Y D A Y S A T A N D R E W S

A N D R E W S O F P A R K W E S T

Players from the QMJHL team the Charlottetown Islanders visited Andrews of Park West recently. The players answered questions, showed residents how to shoot a puck and spent some time chatting Thank you to the Charlottetown Islanders for making these special visits possible!

A N D R E W S O F S T R A T F O R D

Our men ’ s group at Andrews of Stratford recently met for a few games of pool noodle hockey. Dietitian Hamid Ferdowsi even jumped in for a game The guys had a blast

Our Park West men ’ s group also met this past month for a lively conversation where we took turns sharing what we would do if we were Prime Minister for a day

L O V E B I R D S

As part of our annual Valentine’s Day celebrations, we asked our resident couples to share with us their advice for a successful relationship Check out what they had to say!

Wayne and Gretchen Schleyer “Respect and love for each other and a commitment to stay and work at your marriage forever ” - Gretchen

“Just listening to each other.” - Iris

Raymond and Dorothy

“Sense of humour ” - Dorothy “I think you have to be prepared for that, not jump into it There has to be a great deal of determination. Determination both ways - when times are good and when times are tough ” - Raymond

Carl and Toice Millar “Living and loving every day.” Carl

David and Iris Rogers

Ron Burnell & Jean Profitt “Trust ” - Jean “Trust sounds good.” Ron

Toews

Ralph Burns and Margaret Sherren “Living kindly toward each other every day ” - Margaret

L O V E B I R D S

“Good communication and loving one another, which we ’ ve done now for 63 years. ” -

“Just hang in there ” - Clyde

“Be quiet ” -

Compromise ” - Kent

“Look out for the other’s well-being ” - Heather

“Be

“Just being together and doing things together ”

Clyde and Jeanette Pirkey

Jeanette

Shirley Gallant and Mike Perry

Mike

Lloyd and Cathy

good to your husband and do what he tells you ” - Cathy

Kent and Heather Shaw

Hermine and Eric Barlow

- Hermine

“Food.

“Some days are great and some days aren’t as great You deal with it.” - Gloria

“Hope, I guess ” - Daniel

“Patience.

“Be true to one another

Love and care and understanding ”

“Yes ” - Mary

George and Beverly Aiken

Lots of it.” - Beverly

Fred and Arlene Gallant

lots of patience. He loves me because he can’t get anybody else to put up with him ” - Arlene

David and Gloria Thomson

Myron and Lorna Taylor

Love each other, which we do ”Lorna

Daniel and Cathy MacGillvray

Bert and Mary Wilcox

Bert

‘If you don’t use it, you lose it’

Staying active can lower risk of serious falls

Regular physical activity, specifically activity that promotes better balance, upper body mobility as well as leg and foot strength, is a proven defense against a serious fall.

At Andrews Senior Care and ProTem Memory Care, we work proactively to help our residents put their best foot forward when it comes to fall prevention by focusing on these types of exercise in our fitness classes.

“If you don’t use it, you lose it,” said Amanda Shea, activity director at ProTem Memory Care “Moving our ankles and our feet is often something we often overlook so we try to include it in absolutely all our exercises Having poor strength in your feet is actually one of the number one reasons for falls”

Amanda works exclusively with residents living with dementia, so her fitness program is tailored to meet their needs She often masks exercise as something fun, knowing residents will be more likely to engage if it’s cardio drumming, tai chi, yoga or Zumba

“That’s my sneaky way of doing it,” she said “I try to make it very engaging, really fun and sometimes short-lived Sometimes our exercises can last 45 minutes and other times 10 to 15 I read the residents, read the room I always want them to feel successful so I don’t want them to tire before it’s done”

Regardless, the goal is the same

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“Having that physical strength to catch yourself and hold yourself upright is of utmost importance,” she said

Briana Matthews, assistant activity director at Andrews of Stratford agrees.

“It’s really important for this demographic because as we age, we tend to lose muscle mass and just overall balance,” she said.“Maintaining that level through exercise and certain exercises focused on that is very important to help reduce the risk of a fall.”

Briana, a fourth-year kinesiology student at UPEI who previously worked with Spinal Cord Injury P.E.I., leads fitness classes along with activity direct Sharon Woods-Bryenton. The programs at all our Andrews homes follow a similar blueprint focused on low impact resistance exercises targeting the whole body including but not limited to, leg extensions, toe taps, weighted presses, and other chair-based mobility exercises

One of the best exercises for core and lower body strength is the squat However, the exercise can be challenging so moderated versions can be used depending on the person ’ s mobility, existing leg strength and overall comfort

“If the ability were there, I would recommend squats,” she said “That’s a reallife movement that translates well If you think of getting up and off the toilet or in and out of a chair or out of a bed, the squat movement very closely mimics that”

Whatever the exercise, the most important part is its real-life carryover

“We are just trying to replicate real life movements and keep going,” Briana said

Exercises classes at all our homes are available for residents a minimum of three days a week, often more. To learn more about our fitness programs or our activity schedule, visit www.andrewsseniorcare.com.

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A W A R D W I N N E R S

We want to extend congratulations to our 2025 Exceptional Care Award Winners! The Andrews Award for Exceptional Care is an annual award established to formally recognize and honour outstanding team members who consistently exhibit Andrew’s core values of Care – we treat others with kindness, Teamwork – we are better together, and Experience – putting our residents and team members first, both in how they interact with other team members and how they treat residents and families.

2 0 2 5 E X C E P T I O N A L C A R E

A W A R D W I N N E R S

W E L C O M E B A C K !

Andrews of Charlottetown’s former activity director Jackie VanderZwaag MacDonald is back!

Jackie will be the acting activity director until May, when she’s expected to go on maternity leave

We are thrilled to have her back at our home and are looking forward to all the fun activities over the next few months!

Welcome back, Jackie!

L O O K I N G

B A C K

Throwback to the first openhouse at Andrews of Summerside in January 2000

Look at how young Basil Stewart is!

Are You Feeling Stressed or Overwhelmed?

Take advantage of our Employee Assistance Program through Lifeworks. This program is available 24/7 online or over the phone and services to help you with work, family, health, money, and life The following is information on how you can access the program:

Toll-free support line: 1-877-207-8833

TTY: 1-877-371-9978

Through their website login lifeworks com

Username: murphy

Password: eap

Community Cash 50/50

DON'T MISS OUT ON THESE BENEFITS

Paid vacation time starting at 4% per year (Approximately 2 weeks)

Health and dental coverage, of which we cover 50% of the costs

A pension plan where we match your contributions of up to 4% of your salary annually

A fitness subsidy of up to $250 annually

Discounts with local companies, including pharmacies, home heating oil providers and restaurants