In 2025, The RK MacDonald Nursing Home Corporation had many accomplishments.
Please find a non-exhaustive list below:
- Quality Outcomes are posted on our website
- 2x Monthly United Church Services
- Storytelling Weekly Workshops with Artist – Susan Walsh
- Weekly Gospel Music Gatherings
- Completed Phase I of our Operating Systems Enhancement Option Project
- Management Letter (Finance) recommendations from 2024-2025 are complete
- Number of days the Home was closed to the Public due to an outbreak = 0
- Celebrated Canada Day Event – Elbows Up!
- Board of Directors successfully completed Strategic Planning for 2025-2028
- Graduated 15 CCA staff members from the RPK program
- Successful in securing in excess of $500,000 in Emergency and Capital funding for Building Maintenance and Equipment
- Live – in-person music provided 5-6x per week
- Developing an investment plan for our Operational and Capital Renewal Reserve funds
- Hosted Regular Club Bingo with the Lions Club, Kinsmen, 4-H Clubs, and Knights of Columbus
- Very successful resident garden season
- Hosted a Staff and Volunteer Christmas Dinner
- 118 new hires
- Weekly Rosary & Meditation groups
- 5 staff completed Mental Health First Aid
- Networking with Nursing Homes of Nova Scotia Association and the Continuing Care Association of Nova Scotia
- 19 nurses signed a Return of Services Agreement after receiving education funding support
- Highland Games Float & Parade
- Bi-weekly Dr. John Hugh Gillis High School Students visits
- 9 staff completed the Working Mind Training
- WCB Return to Work Claims costs down by $88,000. Time loss down $25,000
- Igility Funding – total amount received for clinical services $93,268.43
- Introduced competitive pricing for administrative / nursing supplies
- Hosted the Annual Summer Resident Family Fun Afternoon
- Bi-Monthly Anglican Church Services
- Website posting of our Quality Improvement Plan
- Best practice Wound Care Policies
- Weekly & special holiday’s Roman Catholic Masses
- Safety: achieved 93% compliance on Senior Leader Monthly Hazard, Safety and Licensing Inspections
- Opened the Dental Hygiene Clinic
- Foundation provided $59,000 in program support
- Children’s Place Day Care visits 1x weekly
- StFX Service Learning Program with 10 large group events with 10-15 students for each
- Hired a Staff Development Coordinator to lead the accreditation process
- Developed consistent process for acknowledging funerals, retirements, sick staff, years of service
- Secured Occupational Therapy contract with CBI Health
- Winter StFX Leadership Visits – Bingo, St. Patty’s Day Karaoke Party
- Hosted Groundbreaking Ceremony for our new home
- 5 RPL students passed the CCA challenge exam
- Foundation provided summer employment for three Resident Mobility Companions
- Kinsmen funded Valentine’s Day supper
- Implementing new software for Housekeeping Department to improve communications, workflow, and accountability
- Annual Remembrance Day Service and reception with Arras Branch 59 of the Royal Canadian Legion
- Ended reliance on nursing travel staff
- Open Art Studio 3 x weekly with Artists – Deborah Jenkins & Emily Chaytor
- 600 vaccines given to residents and staff
- Established Administration inventory review and securing best pricing process
- Hosted spring and fall Memorial Service for deceased residents
- Food Service cost saving measures – meal ticket introduced
- Foundation sponsors Family Fun Day, Resident Lobster Supper, Resident KFC supper, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
- Continue to support staff with supportive COVID protocols
- 81% of staff completed the mandatory education
- Distributed 414,544 resident medications
- Supporting Family Council recruitment and meeting minutes are posted on the RK website
- Laundry completed 8045 loads of wash
- Delivered 148,920 meals this year
- Established a Cost awareness program
- 2 ice machines purchased for the Main dining room and Tanglewood
- 10 staff participated in the Leadership Psychology Safety Certificate UNB
- Hosted monthly General Staff Meetings
- Mark Chisholm and Debbie Horne retired
- Worker’s Compensation Board Merit Status
- Food Establishment Permit and Nova Scotia Liquor Commission License are posted
- Welcomed back musician Wes Croxen
- Successful Emergency Funding Request secured for generator repairs ~$80,000.00
- Implemented Care Clean software in support of Housekeeping
- Continue to welcome St. John’s Ambulance Dog Therapy Dogs & Handlers
- HR attended 3 Recruitment Career Fairs
- Amy took over Clinical Services Scheduling
- Psychological Safety and Harassment policies strengthened to meet Provincial standards
- Creating and Implementing safety processes for Wildfire response planning, Emergency Response, and Confined Space Entry protocols
- Weekly Rosary & Mediation groups
- Enhanced Igility Program access
- Successful Launch of the Song Writers Circle digital album Music Is My Heart (Residents & Artist –Laura Teasdale)
- 7 staff completed the Psychosocial Risk Management Course
- 5 staff received Service Award Recognition – 3 for 35 yrs, 1 for 15 yrs, 1 for 10 yrs of service
- Visits from Halifax Based Musician – Tony Quinn
- Hosted Bi-weekly Colliers Project Manager meetings
- Climate Change Resident Film with a variety of speakers and topics – held in Spring 2025
- Outings to Keppoch with Dr. John Chiasson
- Kinsmen funded art supplies
- Implemented a process to ensure timely website updates
- 2 Dietitians attended a Palliative Care Education Sessions
- Foundation sponsors Family Fun Day, Resident Lobster Supper, Resident KFC supper, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
- Bid Awarded to KVS Electrical to install new Sommers 400kw Generator
- HR Streamlined staff onboarding process
- Kinsmen sponsored Bingos
- Participating in monthly Resident Council meetings and meeting minutes are included in Board member packages
- Completed Phase I of the Admin software update
- Revised the monthly Hazard, Safety and Licensing Inspections
- Promoting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Reconciliation
- 4 outbreaks and 3 had less than 5 residents affected
- Recreation staff completed Dementiability Methods & Communication Training
- Networking with LTC NS Advisory Committee
- Long-Term Care Assistants added to our team Completed the annual Family and Friend Satisfaction Survey
- Hosted the Annual Antique Automobile Show, BBQ, & Music
- Emergency funding secured for a replacement Generator & Temp Gen Set Rental costs & Diesel Tank replacement $314,000
- Provided weekly placement for Winter & Fall StFX semesters for Service Learning Students – 2 hours weekly for 10 weeks.
- Completed the annual Resident Satisfaction Survey
- Implementing new software for Dietary Department to reduce redundancies in workflows, standardizing recipes, digital Individual Meal Plans, raw & complete waste tracking
- Continue to enjoy excellent relationships with both Unifor and NSNU representatives
- Streamlining our Pastry Program to standardize scratch made desserts
- Newly established Resident Support Facilitator (RSF) supported residents in researching, and creating adaptive clothing to accommodate resident’s needs
- Received $18,000.00 from Health + Community Workforce Sector Council supporting Strengthening a Palliative Approach to Long-Term Care
- Resident visits to Crispin Cornect’s Farm – Simply Ducky Farm in Ashdale
- Implemented eMARS for medication administration
- 2x Monthly Visits from Musicians – Bill Grover & Friends
- Received funding for 4.1 care hours per resident – increasing CCA hours by 13%
- Established Charge Nurse roles creating consistency within each care area
- Expanded the CCA Lead positions
- Hosted Dance For Parkinson’s 10 week Program (sponsored by Arts Health Antigonish facilitated by Olivia Rossong
- Monthly Visit from Elizabeth Glinz – People’s Place Library – Community Outreach – Story and Song Program
Wow, and this isn’t everything. We truly are a very special group!