Making seniors feel at home
By Pam Brodie
Nearly 35 years after it began its valuable work, Unionville Home Society (UHS) is once again breaking new ground in providing quality care and services to our growing seniors population.
Its Union Villa state-of-the-art long-term care facility, scheduled to open in July of this year, will provide 160 spacious rooms, as well as upgraded and improved services for York Region seniors.
A charitable, non-profit organization, UHS was formed back in 1967, with the initial goal of building a home for senior citizens as a centennial project. Many ambitious projects have followed since those early years.
In 1970, Union Villa was built as the first phase in an ongoing program of care for seniors. By 1980, the development included Heritage Village Bungalows, a project of 91 self-contained bungalows.
Since the opening in 1981 of the Heritage Centre, the community’s seniors have benefitted from a variety of cultural and recreational activities, while 1987 brought the addition of Wyndham Garden Apartments, a four-storey building housing 122 ‘life-leased’ apartments.
Situated on 19 acres of land right in the heart of Unionville, the UHS campus has created a home-like setting, complete with spacious outdoor areas, lounges and a chapel.
The services on offer reflect the varying interests of the people who use the facilities.
For example, the Adult Day Guest Program offers physical, social and cultural activities, while The Anna Russell Spa provides a full array of health and personal care services.
The Garden Restaurant at Wyndham Gardens and Home and Community Services provides various services, including a 24-hour on-site emergency response system. There is also an on-site physiotherapist, as well as a geriatrician. In fact, UHS is York Region’s only long-term care facility with an on-site geriatrician, Dr. Howard Dombrower whom the Society shares with Markham Stouffville Hospital.
The goal of UHS is to promote wellness, independence, quality of life and self-determination of the individual within a caring community. For more information, visit www.uhs.on.ca
For more information on Unionville Home Society and The Brick by Brick Fundraising Campaign please visit our website at www.uhs.on.ca.
2600 John Street, Unit 207, Markham, ON L3R 3W3 T: 905.475.5222 F: 905.475.6369
