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North Toronto Ontario Health Team to improve coordination of care

December 2019

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The Ontario government has announced the North Toronto Ontario Health Team will move forward with building a connected health care system, making it easier for patients and families to navigate the system and transition between providers.

Robin Martin, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health, made the announcement on Wednesday, December 4 at SPRINT Senior Care.

“With our new North Toronto Ontario Health Team, patients will benefit from better integrated health care, with a seamless experience when moving between different health care services, providers and settings,” said Martin. “I would like to thank all the health care providers and organizations that helped plan the North Toronto Ontario Health Team; there is lots of work to be done, but with their dedication and hard work, we will continue to improve health care in our communities and ensure Ontarians get the care they deserve.”

The North Toronto Ontario Health Team is the result of significant work and strong collaboration from a number of partners:

“The partners of the North Toronto Ontario Health Team have demonstrated an extremely collaborative spirit; we are committed to ensuring residents thrive in their communities,” says Stacy Landau, CEO, SPRINT Senior Care. “We share the same goal – to make our health care system better for patients, clients and their families.”

The North Toronto Ontario Health Team will continue to grow its strategic focus to ensure connected care for all people living in North Toronto. In the first year, partners will focus their efforts on improving access and ensuring seamless navigation and coordination of care for frail seniors.

Cherie Miller’s mother is 88 years old and receives support from SPRINT Senior Care.  “We have been very fortunate to receive excellent, caring and responsive healthcare services. None the less, the healthcare system is very complex, fragmented, and siloed,” says Cherie. “The Ontario Health Teams are committed to improving communication and changing practices between agencies and with clients and caregivers. This integrated model will improve our healthcare system and is an excellent step forward.

The North Toronto Ontario Health Team is committed to creating a model of care to ensure there is a connected system of care for all health care providers and agencies in North Toronto. The partners will work together to ensure patients are accessing the right care when they need it most.

“This partnership is a remarkable opportunity to ensure connected care for all people living in North Toronto. The North Toronto Ontario Health Team is truly invested in the health of our community, and includes primary care physicians, patient and family advisers, mental health and addiction services, community agencies, home care and two hospitals. This focused collaboration will explore how local health services can be better coordinated to improve health outcomes and patient experience,” says Dr. Andy Smith, Chair, North Toronto Ontario Health Team planning committee and President and CEO, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

Our phone extensions have changed!

Beginning Monday, December 2nd, 2019, all staff and departments at SPRINT Senior Care have new phone extensions. 

Below are the new extensions for our largest departments:

In-Home Services: 8851
Transportation: 8223
Information Desk: 1225
Adult Day Program: 8830
Community Wellness: 1287
Meals on Wheels: 1251

Our main phone number, 416-481-6411, will remain the same. If you do not know the new extension for the department or staff member you are trying to reach, please call the main line at 416-481-6411 and our receptionist will direct you. 

 SPRINT Senior Care welcomes visitors from Singapore's Woodlands Health Campus

November 2019
 
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On Monday, November 18, SPRINT Senior Care was honoured to host visitors from Singapore's Woodlands Health Campus. 

Woodlands, currently under construction and set to open in 2022, will comprise an acute/community hospital, outpatient clinics, and a long-term care home. Along with our partners from Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Baycrest, we met with them to discuss the opportunities of integrated health care systems and our North Toronto Ontario Health Team. 

Slaight Family Foundation funds SPRINT Senior Care-Sunnybrook project

October 2019
 
Through a generous donation, the Slaight Family Foundation has established the Senior Care Navigation Pilot, a landmark partnership between SPRINT Senior Care and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. This project will introduce a new model of care to help seniors and their families. 
 
Click here to read the full press release. 

North Toronto area partners a step closer to becoming an Ontario Health Team 

August 2019

We’re excited to announce that patients, families and caregivers, together with health care and community service providers in North Toronto, are a step closer to a new vision for health care. Extensive progress has been made with the Government of Ontario, as well as our partners, in moving towards building an Ontario Health Team for our local community.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Health announced a new vision for a connected health care system, making it easier for patients, community service clients, and families to navigate the system and transition between providers.

To date, the group has completed a ‘self-assessment submission’ indicating how we will work together to provide integrated care, ensuring patients are supported throughout their entire journey with the health system.

We’re pleased to announce that the North Toronto Health Collaborative Ontario Health Team has been selected to “proceed to full application”. This is the result of significant work and strong collaboration from a number of partners:

We will grow our strategic focus to ensure connected care for all people living in North Toronto as our partnership evolves. For example, for our senior population, we intend to work together to foster a comprehensive approach to care to support seniors to be active, healthy and socially connected.

In October, we will submit the full application for the North Toronto Health Collaborative Ontario Health Team to the Ministry of Health. Along the way, we are committed to continuing to broaden involvement with other agencies and organizations in the area. These strong partnerships are key to ensuring the success of this integrated model of care.

This new model will provide better and more connected care across Ontario. We will keep you informed as we move further along, together with our patients, clients, families, and other health care and community service organizations. Visit our wesbite by clicking here. 

Thank you for your Toronto Challenge support! 

June 2019
 
SPRINT Senior Care participated in a successful Toronto Challenge this year on Sunday, June 9!  
 
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The aim of the 5K walk, 5K run and 1K walk is to raise awareness and funds for seniors’ charities in Toronto. SPRINT Senior Care was a proud participating agency this year! Our team had a great time at the event, which happened at Nathan Phillips Square. SPRINT Senior Care had participants running and walking in all three events!
 
We are proud to share that we raised more than $3,000 this year from donors who pledged our runners and walkers. All funds raised will go directly to our programs and services, which help to improve the lives of seniors in the community. Thank you to both our participants and to the donors who helped support this important campaign!   

SPRINT Senior Care featured in Toronto Star article

The following article features quotes from our CEO and Senior Director of Client Services, and was published in the Star on Saturday, June 15, 2019. 
 
Solo retirees face challenges
By Nina Dragicevic
 
Retirement promises to be the best chapter yet. For many Canadians, it means leaving the workforce with decades of good health and active living ahead.Retiring solo, however, brings its own unique opportunities and challenges - particularly around health care, finances and social connections. The last is arguably the most important.
 
Health, safety and care
 
"We hear time and time again from people who are retiring solo that they are quite worried what will happen to them if they don’t have anyone to take care of them," says Laura Tamblyn Watts, national director of law, policy and research at the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP).
 
Without a spouse as a stand-in caregiver, arrangements will have to be made elsewhere when the time comes, she says. This can mean hiring a caregiver or moving to a facility where services are available, or cohabitation. "We’re seeing a real increase in interest in what we call co-housing," Tamblyn Watts says. A so-called Golden Girls arrangement brings seniors together to share a living space, which provides additional care and security. But increasingly, inter-generational pairings are also an option.
 
"For people who find themselves a single senior, there are a lot of new initiatives - particularly in big cities, there are students living with seniors," says Stacy Landau, CEO of SPRINT Senior Care, a not-for-profit community support service agency in north Toronto. Such an arrangement can mean cheaper rent for the student in exchange for housekeeping tasks, Landau says - such as garbage removal or snow shovelling - as well as providing simple care, including help to go up and down stairs.
 
Planning further into the future is also crucial. While your health is still good, make decisions now on the care you want if your health-care needs change.
 
"One of the key issues most people don’t like to talk about - but we promote all the time - is advanced care planning," Landau says. Her agency has prepared a detailed kit on the topic, which includes details such as a living will, power of attorney and decision-making on your care if you’re no longer able to decide on your own.
 
"This is a perfect time to really start having those conversations if you haven’t already them - about finances and health."
 
Money matters
 
As Canadians live longer and longer, financial planning throughout retirement keeps your situation updated as your needs evolve. Health problems can pop up, and some may be costly. Naomi Ziegler, senior director of client services at SPRINT Senior Care, says there’s a "major gap" in disability insurance in Canada.
 
"In the States they have what’s called long-term care insurance," she says. "It’s really not easily accessible in Canada, but it’s coming. I think this is a huge window of opportunity for insurance companies and it needs to be something our community investigates."
 
Cohabiting with other seniors is a smart move on the financial side as well, not just for sharing rent and utilities, but for care costs."If you need some home care and you have four people, you can schedule that home care much more effectively and get better value for your dollars," Tamblyn Watts says. "You’re able to purchase those services at a more economical rate."
 
Planning for additional health costs isn’t the biggest concern for your finances - remain vigilant about protecting the money itself. Watch out for "new best friends," Tamblyn Watts says, and "romance scams, grandparents scams, phishing scams." She says financial fraud is at a breaking point in Canada.
 
"This is an explosion; this is billions of dollars each year financially exploiting older adults in Canada," Tamblyn Watts says. "It is only growing. And remember these are professionals - they’re really good at it."
 
Social connections
 
"Loneliness is a really important piece here," says Tamblyn Watts. "Loneliness has been found to be as detrimental to your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Loneliness is an actual killer."
 
Social isolation also makes seniors more vulnerable to financial scams, elder abuse and neglect. Staying socially active is "the best protective factor," she says.The good news? Resources are everywhere. Libraries, service agencies, community centres and Active Living Centres offer countless programs to suit every hobby and interest. Tamblyn Watts says programming that combines light exercise with social interaction is the best bet, such as a "Nordic walking plus coffee" group.
 
Cohabiting comes with social support built-in, in addition to its health and financial benefits. Other options for social enrichment include volunteering, working part-time, joining online communities, and even dog ownership or dog-sharing arrangements.
 
Seniors today are lucky - they’re part of the biggest cohort in the country. In other words, you are definitely not alone."We know the number of seniors aged 65 and over is almost projected to double," Landau says. "There are more seniors now than any other type of population in Canada."

Annual Volunteer Recognition Event 2019 

On Wednesday, April 17, 2019, SPRINT Senior Care celebrated our incredible volunteers at our Annual Volunteer Recognition Event, held at The Bob Rumball Centre for the Deaf. We would like to thank all those who joined us for this special event, and congratulate our award recipients below.

We would also like to thank our generous donors: Mellow Walk, Liberty Market Pharmacy, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Cineplex Yonge & Eglinton, California Sandwiches (2474 Dufferin St.), and The Second City.

Check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for photos of the event!

Charlotte Maher Outstanding Achievement Award: Carole Cohen

Departmental Volunteer of the Year Awards: 
Administrative Support Award: Naomi Makino
Transportation Award: Tom Smallwood
Community Wellness Award: Barbara Goodbody
Pine Villa Award: Dayeon (Angela) Pyun
Ewart Angus Award: Cindy Shaw
Meals on Wheels Award: Bill Barber, Sara Hormuz & Molly Weaver

5 Years of Service Awards: Eric Aagaard, Bill Barber, Mindy Coplevitch, Mary Gordon, Luz Huaman, Naomi Makino, Heather Rumball, Patricia Simmie, Marcelle Suske, Andrew Violi, Judy Walker, Ruth Ziegler

10 Years of Service Awards: Julie Bolton, Sudha Chandrakant, Sharon Cuerrier, Klaudija Gricnik, Chandrakant Gupta, Yunok Lee, Gordon Lewis, Mary Pattison

15 Years of Service Awards: Pat Fraser, Lee Shouldice

Join SPRINT Senior Care for the Toronto Challenge 2019!

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WHO? You! We’re encouraging anyone in the SPRINT Senior Care community and beyond who cares about the quality of life of seniors to join us.This includes clients, staff, volunteers, and their family & friends! 

WHAT? Toronto Challenge is an annual family-friendly 5K run, 5K walk or 1K walk downtown that is organized by the City of Toronto, aimed at raising money for non-profit organizations improving the quality of life for seniors.
 
WHEN? Sunday, June 9, 2019
 
WHERE? The Toronto Challenge begins and ends at Nathan Phillips Square 
 
WHY? We’re committed to improving the quality of life of seniors in our community, and the Toronto Challenge is a great way to garner the continued support we need to provide exceptional care and quality services. All funds raised through pledges of participants go directly to SPRINT Senior Care.
 
Please get in touch with Alison, Communications & Development Lead, if you are interested in participating: alison.shouldice@sprintseniorcare.org, or 416-481-0669 ext. 248. 

Thank-you to Crescent School students for volunteer collaboration! 

April 2019

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We are excited to continue our collaboration with Crescent School. 
 
Grade 7 students volunteered at Ewart Angus SPRINT Home, our Adult Day Program and Pine Villa every Tuesday in January and February. Our clients enjoyed when the students were around and they had a lot of fun together. 
 
Thank you to Crescent School for this great partnership!

Councillor Josh Matlow joins Meals on Wheels delivery

April 2019

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SPRINT Senior Care was happy to welcome Ward 12 City Councillor Josh Matlow, who joined us for a Meals on Wheels delivery on March 22. 
 
Councillor Matlow participated as part of March for Meals, the annual North America-wide event to raise awareness of, and encourage participation with local Meals on Wheels providers. March 19-23 was 
“Community Champions Week,” when organizations are encouraged to invite elected officials and other 
prominent local figures to help with a delivery. 
 
Thank-you, Councillor Matlow, for helping raise awareness of this important community program! 

 Celebrating Pine Villa's 1st anniversary

April 2019

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March 2019 marked the first anniversary of the Pine Villa transitional care centre – a partnership between SPRINT Senior Care, Sunnybrook Hospital and LOFT Community Services, with support from the Toronto Central LHIN. The 68-bed facility on Eglinton Ave W. provides short-term stays for patients who no longer need hospital care, but still require support.

Over the past year, SPRINT Senior Care facilitated more than 70 short-term stays at Pine Villa. Residents benefit from a supportive environment in which they will either regain the strength, mobility and confidence to reintegrate back into their homes and communities, or transition to a more supportive long-term care facility. The primary members of SPRINT Senior Care’s Pine Villa team include a client care manager, client care supervisors, personal support workers, a social worker, a transitional care lead, a recreation therapist and several dedicated volunteers. 
 
The Pine Villa team has won the Sunnybrook Team Award, underwent building renovations to improve accessibility, increased external care providers through partnerships with Baycrest, hosted several visits with the Ministry of Health and our local City Councillor Josh Matlow, created community outreach connections with volunteer students at Crescent School, and has established a supportive volunteer community. 
 
This past year has been a whirlwind of activity, success and learning. We thank the entire Pine Villa team for all of their support and effort, which has directly impacted the success of clients transitioning safely back to their homes or to long-term care facilities. Keep up the great work, team!

SPRINT Senior Care achieves perfect score in accreditation review 

December 2018

SPRINT Senior Care is thrilled that we have once again been Accredited with Exemplary Standing by Accreditation Canada, achieving a rare perfect score in our review.

From November 5-7 2018, Accreditation Canada surveyors visited SPRINT Senior Care to perform site visits and meet with clients, families, staff, volunteers (including SPRINT Senior Care’s board of directors) and some of our partner agency representatives.

They asked questions, made observations, reviewed our documents, and evaluated the quality of our services and our organization. Their evaluations were based on standards of excellence that have been developed for the health care sector and that act as the backbone of quality improvements at SPRINT Senior Care. Accreditation Canada found that our organization met 100% of the applicable standards.

The surveyors noted some highlights since our last accreditation survey, including:

• Our Client and Family Advisory Council

• Our new Community Wellness initiatives

• Our collaborative work in the Pine Villa supportive transitional care site. 

We are proud that the final report mentioned that client and family-centred care is embedded everywhere in our organization. Thank-you to our staff, volunteers, clients and partners for their part in helping SPRINT Senior Care receive a perfect accreditation score!

A holiday gift from Greenrock Charitable Trust 

December 2018

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SPRINT Senior Care is grateful to be a recipient of a $20,000 donation this holiday season from Greenrock Charitable Trust.

Our agency was one of five local charities selected by the residents of Greenrock Property Management buildings, who voted for the organizations they believed were most deserving of a donation. Several of Greenrock’s properties are located in Davisville Village in SPRINT Senior Care’s catchment area.

The other charities that received a $20,000 donation were Camp Ooch, Casey House, Stella’s Place and The Redwood.

Thank you to Greenrock for this impactful donation, and for supporting local charities making a difference in Toronto!   

New wheelchair-accessible van donated by Rotary Club of Toronto Charitable Foundation 

October 2018

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SPRINT Senior Care has received a brand new wheelchair accessible van to help transport clients to our Adult Day Program. This vehicle was funded by a generous donation from the Rotary Club of Toronto Charitable Foundation and is part of the Foundation’s three-year commitment to donate $351,000 to the Toronto Ride partnership to replace the most urgently needed vehicles in the Toronto Ride fleet. 

Toronto Ride, led by SPRINT Senior Care, is a partnership of 13 not-for-profit, community support service agencies that provides assisted, door-to-door transportation to seniors over 55 years of age and adults with disabilities who are not eligible for Wheel-Trans. The partnership provides approximately 189,000 rides per year to over 4,000 clients, the majority of whom are seniors.

Thank you to the Rotary Club of Toronto Charitable Foundation for this generous donation, and for their ongoing support of this vital service!

Generous donor funds music therapy at SPRINT Senior Care's Adult Day Program  

October 2018

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On a recent Wednesday, music therapist Dave had feet tapping, hands clapping and voices singing at our Adult Day Program (ADP).

It’s a new weekly class where seniors gather to express themselves in a different way – through music. Dave, equipped with a guitar, passed out tambourines, shakers, sticks and drums to participants. He then led them in rousing versions of  “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” and “Hit the Road Jack.”

“It’s one of the best classes you can go to,” according to ADP client Ada, who says that singing and playing instruments makes her feel warm inside.

This new and engaging music therapy program was made possible through a generous donation from the Lorraine Johnston Foundation. 

Music therapy differs from a typical music class in that the instructor comes in with goals for participants based on their needs or strengths. These goals could be social, such as encouraging verbal expression, or movement-based. “I’ve gotten to know each client, so I form goals with each client. I know how the music reaches them,” says Dave, an accredited music therapist with Miya Music Therapy. “I’m not just singing with everybody – I’m watching how people are singing and going with what they do, and responding to changes.”

During a rendition of “Twist and Shout,” the instructor encouraged the seniors to move their egg shakers along with the song’s rhythm, from the floor all the way to a high stretch. Later, when one client began to sing on her own, he strummed his guitar along to encourage the improvisation. “I love to be able to ask the clients what they like and what they want to do,” he says. 

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Those with dementia or Alzheimer’s, which includes many of our ADP clients, particularly benefit from music therapy: beyond the activity’s social and physical benefits, music can help tap into one’s long-term memory. Singing a familiar song, for example, may prompt memories associated with that song. “It’s an entry point into asking memory-based questions and stimulating long term memories,” Dave says 

SPRINT Senior Care would like to express our gratitude to the Lorraine Johnston Foundation for making this program possible.

Unique partnership between SPRINT Senior Care, Sunnybrook and LOFT addresses hospital overcrowding 

September 2018
 
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Have you ever had a loved one in the hospital who had to wait for a bed?
 
Hospital overcrowding is a growing problem in Ontario and beyond. By helping seniors live safely in their homes, SPRINT Senior Care is dedicated to being part of the solution. We’re also helping to tackle this issue in a new way: through Pine Villa, a unique partnership with Sunnybrook Hospital and LOFT Community Services, with support from the Toronto Central LHIN. 
 
In March 2018, the doors opened at Pine Villa, a 68-bed facility providing short-term stays for alternate level of care (ALC) patients who no longer need hospital care, but still require support. The Eglinton Ave W site is a former retirement home repurposed for this new use. SPRINT Senior Care staff, including personal support workers, nurse practitioners, client care supervisors, social workers and a recreation therapist, work on site to provide care. The goal is to have residents stay for a short-term period, in preparation for their final discharge, typically back home or into long-term care. 
 
Transitional care sites such as Pine Villa are an important element in reducing the strain on overcrowded hospitals. They allow patients to get care at the level they need, and transition quickly to their ideal living situation. The Pine Villa team recently won a Sunnybrook Team Award for their partnership in this model. 
 
“SPRINT Senior Care is thrilled to be a part of this innovative model of an integrated healthcare system approach,” CEO Stacy Landau says. “There needs to be a multiprong approach to this complex issue and the Pine Villa site is doing its part to help out.” 
 
Client Pam lived at Pine Villa this spring after having shoulder replacement surgery. “Remembering my grandmother and mother in a nursing home haunted me,” Pam wrote in a letter to staff. “I didn’t know what to expect.” 
 
Pam writes that she was “totally and pleasantly surprised” by her experience at Pine Villa, particularly by the attentive SPRINT Senior Care staff. “They could not do enough to make me feel welcome and did not once make me feel that I was imposing, too needy, or too dependent. I witnessed the compassion and care given to each and every patient in your facility,” she writes. 
 

A caregiver's experience on the Client and Family Advisory Council 

September 2018

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Helen, an Adult Day Program caregiver, is getting to know SPRINT Senior Care in a whole new way.
  
Helen is a member of our Client and Family Advisory Council, where she regularly meets with staff to share feedback on SPRINT Senior Care’s client care, policies and projects – from her perspective as a caregiver. 
 
During monthly meetings, staff present their projects to Helen and her fellow Council members, who have the opportunity to ask questions and give their opinion. The Council has given feedback on a variety of initiatives, including a review of our agency values, staff recruitment strategies, transportation communications, a brochure for fundraising, and our falls prevention strategy. The committee’s feedback helps to drive improvements in quality and ensure that our care remains as client-centred as possible.
 
Helen says she first got involved with the Council because she wanted to learn more about the organization that was taking care of her partner Rosemary, who attends our Adult Day Program four days a week. 
 
SPRINT Senior Care staff who meet with the Council are interested in getting honest feedback, she says. Hearing the truth will lead to better care, she added, and all organizations would benefit from it. “There are few organizations that are brave enough to do that,” Helen says. 
 
Helen believes that clients and caregivers can bring a unique perspective to discussions that would normally happen between staff. In the end, it benefits everyone, leading to better care. “I’ve been really impressed,” she says of SPRINT Senior Care. “I hadn’t realized how many different aspects there were to the organization. Nor had I realized the high standards that they have in all of the programs that they’re offering. It’s an honourable organization that I feel proud to be connected with.”

MP Rob Oliphant meets SPRINT Senior Care summer student

August 2018

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Member of Parliament Rob Oliphant (Don Valley West) stopped by SPRINT Senior Care’s Adult Day Program on August 9 to meet one of our summer students, Noah.

Oliphant, a former North Toronto-area United Church minister, is a longtime supporter of SPRINT Senior Care. During his visit, he spoke to Noah about his future career path and the work he’s accomplished this summer at the Adult Day Program. Noah is one of six students at SPRINT Senior Care funded by the federal government through its Canada Summer Jobs program.

Noah, who will be starting his second year as a psychology student at the University of Guelph this September and is interested in a social work career, spent his summer planning and running activities, and serving meals to our senior clients. “It’s very hands-on,” he says.  “It’s a good stepping stone to become a social worker.”

He says SPRINT Senior Care is very client-focused, which he believes is beneficial. One of his favourite experiences has been talking to seniors about their lives and their pasts. “It’s interesting that clients from so many different walks of life end up at the same table,” he says.

2018 Annual Volunteer Recognition Event

On Wednesday, April 25, 2018, SPRINT Senior Care celebrated our incredible volunteers at our Annual Volunteer Recognition Event, held at The Bob Rumball Centre for the Deaf. We would like to thank all those who joined us for this special event, and congratulate our award recipients below.

We would also like to thank our generous donors: Cineplex Yonge & Eglinton, Mellow Walk, FoodShare, Lindt & Sprungli, California Sandwiches (2474 Dufferin Street), MLSE, and several anonymous donors.

Check out our Facebook for photos of the event!

Charlotte Maher Outstanding Achievement Award: Michael Moore

Departmental Volunteer of the Year Awards: Dementia Care Award: Adam Dinoff; Community Wellness Award: Jenny Huynh; Meals on Wheels Award: Matt Madill; Office Support Award: Helen Neville

5 Years of Service Awards: Barbara Goodbody; Margaret Boland; Heather Bates; Paula Schipper; Claire Perkins; Barbara Gruber; Jocelyn Charles; Barry Yontef; Mary Fraleigh

10 Years of Service Awards: Eileen Greer; Sukhanpreet Dhanotta; Sally Lew; Mary Pat Moore    

15 Years of Service Awards: Paul Colman; Ian Fraser

20 Years of Service Awards: John Fuller; Ines Couperthwaite

CBC News features SPRINT Senior Care in story highlighting shortage of Meals on Wheels drivers 

On Thursday, March 15, 2018, CBC News published stories on their website and on Metro Morning highlighting the shortage of Meals on Wheels volunteers in Toronto.

SPRINT Senior Care’s Volunteer Services Specialist Ashika Iqbal; Meals on Wheels Supervisor Eileen McGeean and a Meals on Wheels Client provided their insight on this important issue.

Please follow the links below to read and listen to this story.

CBC News article

Metro Morning

Are you interested in volunteering with SPRINT Senior Care’s Meals on Wheels program? Call 416-481-6411 ext. 723 or email volunteer@sprintseniorcare.org.

South Korean delegates visit SPRINT Senior Care to learn about Toronto Ride

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Neighbor System's Jungwook Choi, Principal Research Scientist and Chisong Ryu, Senior Researcher, joined by interpreter Emma Lim, Women's Empowerment Program Facilitator at North York Women's Centre, visited SPRINT Senior Care on Wednesday, January 24, 2018, to learn about Toronto Ride.

The delegates met with our team to discuss how Toronto Ride provides transportation services for older adults and people with disabilities, and they were particularly interested in learning about the challenges we have faced and how we have dealt with them. Through a demonstration of our centralized scheduling software, we showed how it enables us to work more closely together with our partner agencies.

This meeting was a great opportunity to learn about how Toronto Ride differs from comparable transportation services in South Korea; yet how they are similar in many ways, with  the same challenges being faced such as securing sufficient funding for vehicles and providing equitable service for all clients, regardless of where they live. 

We are very thankful to Jungwook, Chisong and Emma for taking the time to visit and learn about Toronto Ride.

SPRINT Senior Care contribues to UHN OpenLab's story on the detrimental effects of bed bugs on seniors

The Local is a storytelling platform that brings a human dimension to population health data in the Toronto Central LHIN. It tells hyperlocal stories about population health issues and grassroots innovations happening within the Toronto neighbourhoods that make up the LHIN’s five sub-regions.

On Wednesday, November 15, 2017, The Local published a story titled When a Bedbug Problem Snowballs into an Emergency, on how “something as mundane as a bedbug infestation, which might once have been considered a minor public health issue, can quickly snowball into a costly and traumatic ordeal.”

For the story, SPRINT Senior Care contributed our input on the devastating effects infestations can have on seniors in our community.

Earlier this year for a different story by The Local, two SPRINT Senior Care client stories were featured. 

2017 Annual Volunteer Social

On Wednesday, November 1st, SPRINT Senior Care hosted our Annual Volunteer Social, bringing together our incredible volunteers for an evening of socializing and saying thanks.

We would like thank our host The Bull: A Firkin Pub, and our sponsors who graciously provided us with prizes for the event, including:

• The Rom

• Casa Loma

• Mellow Walk

Check out our Facebook page for photos of the event.

SPRINT Senior Care celebrates Community Support Services Month

October is Community Support Services Month – an opportunity to celebrate the services and the individuals that help seniors and people with disabilities live independently.

Community support services support nearly one million Ontarians each year, including seniors and people with disabilities. They help clients live independently in their own homes and communities as long as possible, and reduce the burden on family caregivers and other parts of the health care system. As Ontario’s population ages, community support services will become even more important.

Here at SPRINT Senior Care, we see firsthand how critical community support services are to building a sustainable health system, and we are committed to providing exceptional care and quality services that enable seniors to live at home and thrive in their communities. We know this simply wouldn’t be possible without our dedicated staff and volunteers. Throughout the month of October, we are excited to acknowledge their dedication and the important work they do.

Rotary Club of Toronto Charitable Foundation makes incredible donation to Toronto Ride

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The Rotary Club of Toronto Charitable Foundation has committed to donating $351,000 to Toronto Ride over three years to replace the most urgently needed vehicles in our aging fleet. 

Toronto Ride, led by SPRINT Senior Care, is a collaborative partnership of 13 not-for-profit, community support service agencies that provides assisted, door-to-door transportation to seniors over 55 years of age and adults with disabilities who are not eligible for Wheel-Trans. The goal is to help our clients continue to live independently in the community by providing transportation to their healthcare and other important appointments. The partnership provides approximately 189,000 rides per year to over 4,000 clients, the majority of whom are seniors.

This generous donation from The Rotary Club of Toronto Charitable Foundation will allow Toronto Ride to maintain its commitment to providing safe, reliable transportation service throughout Toronto, reducing isolation amongst seniors and adults with disabilities and enabling them to live independently.

”For the safety of our clients, it is critical that our fleet be well maintained,” says Kai Simmons, Manager of Toronto Ride. “The older the vehicles get, the more often they need to be repaired, which is very costly and impacts the number of trips we can provide to our clients. These new vehicles donated by The Rotary Club of Toronto Charitable Foundation will enable us to provide a more efficient and seamless service to seniors in need.”

Toronto Ride would like to express our sincere gratitude to The Rotary Club of Toronto Charitable Foundation for their commitment to this vital community support service.

Sunnybrook Hospital CEO & President visits SPRINT Senior Care

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On August 30, 2017, we were pleased to have Sunnybrook Hospital's CEO & President Dr. Andy Smith, joined by Malcolm Moffat, Executive Vice-President Programs,  Dr. Karen Fleming Interim Chief, Department of Family & Community Medicine and Tracy Hussey, Patient Care Manager, Academic Family Health Team, visit us to learn about SPRINT Senior Care's role in the healthcare system, and to discuss ways to better collaborate. "It's a team sport," says Dr. Smith.

We also took them to meet Supportive Housing client Margo who told them about the community care she receives, saying “SPRINT Senior Care is my lifesaver.”

Thank you for visiting, Sunnybrook Hospital!

SPRINT Senior Care and Alzheimer Society of Toronto present Young Onset Dementia program

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SPRINT Senior Care and Alzheimer Society of Toronto are launching a unique wellness program for people living with Young Onset Dementia (under 65), called Saturdays @ SPRINT Senior Care. Find out more: Young Onset Dementia Program.

SPRINT Senior Care does the Toronto Challenge 2017

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SPRINT Senior Care would like to say a huge THANK YOU to all who supported our Toronto Challenge campaign!

We chose to participate in the City of Toronto’s annual Toronto Challenge, because it’s an excellent opportunity to garner support for non-profit organizations – like ours – that are committed to improving the quality of life of seniors. All funds raised through pledges of SPRINT Senior Care registrants come directly to our agency to support us in providing services that enable seniors to live at home and thrive in their communities.

Thank you to the 45 participants who joined us on Sunday, June 11th for a fantastic, fun and sun-filled morning! And thank you to the generous donors who have raised $6422 to date!

For photos of the event, check out our Facebook page. 

Annual Volunteer Recognition Event

On Wednesday, April 26, 2017,  SPRINT Senior Care celebrated our incredible volunteers at our Annual Volunteer Recognition Event, held at The Bob Rumball Centre for the Deaf. We would like to thank all those who joined us for this special event, and congratulate our award recipients below.

We would also like to thank our generous donors: valu-mart on Bayview, Cineplex Yonge & Eglinton, Mellow Walk, The Works, FoodShare, Mysteriously Yours Dinner Theatre.

Check out our Facebook for photos of the event!

Charlotte Maher Outstanding Achievement Award: Lee Shouldice

Departmental Volunteer of the Year Awards: Akihito Mizukoshi, Administrative Support Award; Richard Heystee, Transportation Department Award; Barbara Kulczycki, Community Wellness Award; Tenzin Chun-Wah Ling, Meals on Wheels Award; Mary Fraleigh, Ewart Angus Award; Kathy Morrissey, Cedarhurst Award; Oxana Polyakova, Active Living Centre Award

5 Years of Service Awards: Judith Bell; Mauricio Bobadilla; Victoria Chin-Elliott; Tenzin Chun-Wah Ling; Pierre D’Aoust; Gaston Doiron; Linda Finnigan; Ilana Goldhamer; Kate Griffiths; Gary Kaye; Matt Madill; Kathleen Murphy; Patricia Pinfold; Nina Richmond; Ron Rimer; Caroline Ross; Deborah Taylor; Michael Treuman; Huneid Vakharia; O'Llenencia Walker; Mary Ann Weaver; Ken Wong                 

10 Years of Service Awards: Linda Byron; Sara Hormuz; Bruce MacOdrum; Robert McDonald; Don Priston; Kitty Retter         

15 Years of Service Awards: Linda Gallant; Lynn McLaughlin

20 Years of Service Awards: Marjorie Rogers

SPRINT Senior Care hosts Minister of Health and Long-term Care and Minister of Finance for new caregiver supports announcement, April 25, 2017

SPRINT Senior Care was excited to host Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care and Charles Sousa, Minister of Finance, for a media announcement this morning regarding new provincial supports for caregivers.

From the news release: “Ontario is making it easier for people who care for loved ones, with more respite services that allow people to take a break from their unpaid duties, increased education and training opportunities for caregivers, and a new, streamlined Ontario Caregiver Tax Credit.” 

Five incredible caregivers – Helen, Ruth, Don, Winnie and Gini – who receive caregiver support services from SPRINT Senior Care met with the Ministers prior to the event to share their personal stories, with the Ministers aptly referring to them as the “unsung heroes.”  Following the announcement, Helen publically and poignantly spoke about her experience as a caregiver. 

“As an organization that works with caregivers every day, we understand the significant emotional and physical demands of caregiving, and we are very proud to provide support that helps them cope with their demands and lessens their burden,” says SPRINT Senior Care CEO Stacy Landau. “We are excited about this announcement and hope that this new funding will provide the much needed assistance for valuable caregiver programs in the community – including Adult Day Programs, Caregiver Support Groups, Social Work, system navigation and respite support via Personal Support Workers in the home and community.”

Media coverage of this announcement can be found in The Star, Global News and CBC Toronto.

We're participating in the Toronto Challenge 2017, and we want you to join us!

 

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Register for the Toronto Challenge

In person or by mail: Return the Toronto Challenge Registration Form plus fee payable to the City of Toronto, to SPRINT Senior Care’s Communications & Development Department: 140 Merton Street, 2nd Floor, Toronto, ON  M4S 1A1.

Online: Via Toronto Challenge’s website. NOTE: If you register online, you must notify SPRINT Senior Care to receive your free water bottle. Please also see race kit pick-up instructions below. TEL: 416-481-6411 ext. 248 E: info@sprintseniorcare.org.

The deadline to pre-register through SPRINT Senior Care is Friday, May 26, 2017. You may register in-person on race day; however higher registration rates apply.

Thank you for fundraising!

Pledgers can support registrants by donating through the registrant, or online via SPRINT Senior Care’s website. Charitable tax receipts are provided for donations over $10.

In person through registrant: Registrant must track and collect pledgers’ information and funds using the Toronto Challenge Pledge Form. Registrant must provide the pledge form including cash or cheque payments to SPRINT Senior Care’s Communications & Development Department: 140 Merton Street, 2nd Floor, Toronto, ON  M4S 1A1.

Online: Pledgers can donate online, noting that their donation is in support of Toronto Challenge. Registrant must still provide enclosed pledge form including any additional cash or cheque payments to SPRINT Senior Care’s Communications & Development Department: 140 Merton Street, 2nd Floor, Toronto, ON  M4S 1A1.

The deadline to submit your pledge form and funds is Monday, June 19, 2017. To get a SPRINT Senior Care Dri-FIT t-shirt, you must submit your pledge form and funds with over $50 raised by Friday, May 26, 2017.

Race kit pick-up

Please select your preference for race kit pick-up (includes SPRINT Senior Care water bottle and Dri-FIT t-shirt, if eligible) on your Registration Form. Online registrants must contact SPRINT Senior Care if they prefer advance race kit pick-up, otherwise they are responsible for collecting their kit on race day as per below.

Before race day, from SPRINT Senior Care: 140 Merton Street, 2nd Floor, Toronto (Date and time TBA)

On race day: Toronto Challenge race kit available from Metro Hall, from 7:30am. SPRINT Senior Care water bottle and Dri-FIT t-shirt available from SPRINT Senior Care booth, from 8:30am.

SPRINT Senior Care is launching an LGBT Educational Series

Please find the details below, or by clicking here. 

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SPRINT Senior Care client’s story featured in UHN OpenLab’s The Local

The Local is a storytelling platform that brings a human dimension to population health data in the Toronto Central LHIN. It tells hyperlocal stories about population health issues and grassroots innovations happening within the Toronto neighbourhoods that make up the LHIN’s five sub-regions.

The majority of neighbourhoods in North Toronto have a higher population of seniors living alone, compared to the rest of the Toronto Central LHIN. In fact, in Mount Pleasant West, 58% of seniors live alone.

Home Alone: A Portrait Series, takes you into the lives of seniors, including 103 year-old SPRINT Senior Care client Mr. Kwok and 92 year-old SPRINT Senior Care client Ms. Palmer, who both live in one of the four Toronto Community Housing buildings from which SPRINT Senior Care provides services to around 160 seniors. Listen to their stories below.

Mr Kwok from Tai Huynh on Vimeo.

Ms Palmer from Tai Huynh on Vimeo.

Toronto Central LHIN Appoints SPRINT Senior Care CEO as North Toronto Community Care Co-Lead

Source: Toronto Central LHIN

Toronto Central LHIN has divided its region into five sub-regions to provide a foundation for the development of local integrated systems to ensure that residents receive better health outcomes. According to Toronto Central LHIN, these local planning areas will assist the Toronto Central LHIN to more effectively plan, evaluate and improve each local health system. This work will be done in consultation and partnership with its residents, patients and health service providers to ensure that the system is responsive to the unique local communities within the city of Toronto. They will use these planning areas as a means to better identify and respond to population need and to better plan together, coordinate and integrate service delivery, and improve population health and equity in health outcomes.  It is important to note that the sub-regions are not service boundaries and will continue to allow for patient choice.

Toronto Central LHIN has appointed SPRINT Senior Care CEO Stacy Landau as the North Toronto Community Care Co-Lead. The Community Care Leads with representation from Community Support Service (CSS) and Community Mental Health and Addictions (CMHA), act as advisors to the Toronto Central LHIN. Leads are responsible for transparent communication, collaboration, and coordination with CSS and CMHA providers across their sub-region and bringing forward the range of perspectives to LHIN-related discussions. These leaders work collaboratively with the Primary Care Clinical Leads, Hospital Resource Partners, and sub-region leads from the Toronto Central CCAC and LHIN.

Further information can be found on Toronto Central LHIN’s website.

SPRINT Senior Care Hosts 2016 Annual Volunteer Social

SPRINT Senior Care could not care for seniors without a dedicated army of volunteers who generously give their time. On Thursday, November 10th, we brought our amazing volunteers together for the Annual Volunteer Social.

We would like thank our sponsors who graciously provided us with door prizes for the event, including:

• The Bull: A Firkin Pub

• Tuft's valu-mart

• Foodshare

• Mellow Walk

Check out our Facebook page for photos of the Annual Volunteer Social.

SPRINT Senior Care clients and caregivers featured in CTV report about Alzheimer's disease 

Read the report: Number of Alzheimer's patients will triple by 2015: study

Premier Kathleen Wynne visits SPRINT Senior Care

Watch the video: Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne visited SPRINT Senior Care's main office to discuss investments in senior care and to meet with our Active Fingers Knitting and Crochet Group.

 

Through a generous donation, the Slaight Family Foundation has established the Senior Care Navigation Pilot, a landmark partnership between SPRINT Senior Care and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. This project will introduce a new model of care to help seniors and their families.