Interview with Delmanor Glen Abbey management, Charmaine Pelletier

First and foremost, I get to spend my days with the residents. To me, that is the most important part of my day. Spending time with my residents, with my team, and just making their lives better. They’re a wealth of knowledge, and anything you can do to make their life better totally encompasses what makes me enjoy my job.

What drew me to the field was that I kind of fell into it not knowing what to expect, and once I got my foot in, there was no going back. I knew that what I wanted to do for the rest of my life was spend time with the residents and assist them in any way. It’s the respect that you have for the elderly.

I am a Red Seal chef, and it was dietary concerns for me that led me to go down another path. I knew I didn’t want to be in the culinary field anymore based on my restrictions. I also knew that I didn’t want to leave retirement, so it only made sense for me to go to school, study, and choose this career path. Thankfully, it worked out.

It gave me an understanding of what it is that the residents really wanted. When they came to me with concerns, I knew exactly what those concerns were and where they were coming from. I think it helped me become a more rounded general manager because I had been on the other side and know what the ultimate priority for the resident is.

When any resident moves into a community, top of mind is the food. All of our executive chefs are Red Seal chefs. Our food is made in-house, and that is what sets us apart from a lot of other competitors.

Everything is made in-house. Our menus are made by our chefs. They get together and do the menu based on the residents’ likes or dislikes. We take into account the diverse residents in our communities, and with that, it’s tailored to each community.

Menus are also reviewed by a registered dietitian, so we make sure that we are meeting the Canada Food Guide. We may feature a dining room menu, but we also have a pub with an entirely different menu, which gives residents more flexibility depending on their day and what suits their lifestyle.

When I came here, we had designated seating. We’ve switched that over so that residents can come in at any time and do whatever suits their lifestyle. Families can join them, and the pub gives them a more relaxed atmosphere than the white linens.

My weakness is French fries. Honestly, all the team eats there as well. I myself, on a daily basis, am eating the exact same menu items as our residents. So when a resident asks which we would choose, we can honestly say this is what we would choose and why we would choose it.

What makes Delmanor Glen Abbey unique is the fact that we’re not a high-rise. We’ve got a lot of people out there looking for a retirement community, but they don’t want the apartment style. For us, we’re nestled in Glen Abbey, in amongst the residential area, and we don’t really stick out, which the residents really like. It’s more like home.

For us, it’s a family. Delmanor was built by a family, so we are more of a family. It’s a small community where everybody knows their neighbors, and it’s very nice. You walk out, and there’s always somebody that you know.

There are walking trails, but there’s not a lot that’s really close by, as far as being able to walk to the store.

We do have a bus where we take the residents out. They go do their banking and do their shopping, so we do have excursions quite regularly. A lot of our residents actually are from the Oakville area or have their sons or daughters living in Oakville. They may be coming in from other communities, but they come back to Oakville just to be close.

We recently did renovations and renamed a lot of our rooms in the building. For instance, the library is the Chisholm Library. We’ve got the Notting Hill Pub and the Granary. They’re all closely linked to areas and buildings throughout the Oakville area.

I tell them, "Look around. Do your homework. Dig deep to find out what’s right for you or your loved one."  Because this is a huge decision. It’s one of the most important decisions that you’re going to make at this stage of your life, and for a lot of people, it’s scary. They’ve lived most of their life in the house that they purchased 60 years ago.

To leave all that behind, downsize, and move into a community such as Delmanor Glen Abbey, it’s something that you really have to dig into and make sure that all the services that you’re looking for are being offered. Understand that there are some services, no matter where you go, that do cost extra.

We provide behind-closed-door care, just the day-to-day living for the residents. We offer medication packages, their meals, and housekeeping. It’s quite an extensive list.

We talk to the residents and keep them informed. We keep the POA informed as well, so that if, as they’re nearing that stage, there are always options. There are many options, some of which do cost more or require additional fees. But what we find is that many residents want to stay there. They choose to stay there through end of life.

With that, we do the behind-door care where it’s not advertised as assisted living. However, we do the care as needed with the resident. True enough, residents do get beyond our care, and we also assist them in finding the right home for them if they can no longer remain with us. Again, that’s a very scary next step.

We have resident ambassadors who help those residents when they first move in. When a resident first moves in, they’re introduced to that ambassador. That ambassador will go and get them and bring them to programs, bring them to their meals, dine with them, and introduce them to others.

It’s a nice little way of helping them navigate the waters in a new building. Some people may be shy, and they’ve lived in their house for many years in their community. Now it’s like high school. You’re going back again and being introduced to a ton of new people. This way it helps them really get involved in the community, feel as one, and gives nice guidance for the new resident.

Senior living has evolved a lot. One of the things that our residents have recently become involved with is technology. They’re on cell phones, doing FaceTime, doing Zoom, keeping in touch with their families, which is really amazing to see. For us, we take it for granted, and for them, this can be something very new. It’s great to see their thirst for knowledge.

What I see changing in the retirement industry is just keeping up with demand, keeping up with what our future residents want, and making sure that we’re capable of providing that. This is staying one step ahead of the curve at all times, and I think as a company, Delmanor is wonderful at doing that.

One misunderstanding with retirement living is that people seem to throw us all in the same basket with long-term care. I think that’s the biggest misconception out there, and it’s a hard one to get away from. We’re not long-term care. We’re entirely different.

People are free to come and go as they please. You’re in a lovely suite, not just a bed in a room. You’re leading pretty much the same lifestyle that you’ve always led. You just don’t have to cook for yourself and you don’t have to clean. You can actually enjoy yourself every day. The work part is gone. You’ve done that all your life. You don’t need to do that anymore

People want to know if this is right for them. They want to know if they’re making the right decision. It’s something they’ve thought about, and it comes down to the decision: Am I making the right decision?

We dig in and find out what it is they’re looking for. Are they tired of doing their yard work? Are they tired of the upkeep of home? What would they like to do? We have a LivingWell™ program and a dedicated LivingWell coach who works one-on-one with the residents and with groups. It’s about what they’re looking for and what we can offer them.

One of my favorite memories is when I left there and went to one of our other properties, then still came back and visited. Seeing residents that were there when I was there before, and just the greeting and the smile on their faces, it’s just like you’re coming home. To me, that’s probably the most incredible.

Make sure it’s what you want. Do your homework. That’s the best advice I can give anybody. We’re not the only community out there, but I do believe that we are the best community out there. Don’t just visit one, visit others, too, so that you can compare. Then you'll know exactly what it is that you’re looking for and make sure you're getting what you want.