What is Journey?

Journey by Aspira is our specialized memory care program where our team meets and guides you along the path of your own personal Journey. Using our compassionate, person-centred approach, we work with you to ensure a fulfilling, purposeful and meaningful life, while addressing the needs that may arise while living with memory loss. It is important to know that nearly everyone faces challenges with memory loss to some degree as they age. However, our team is focused on identifying individual capabilities and finding meaning behind every interaction, despite the impact of memory loss.

Journey was developed on evidence-based and best-in-class techniques. Our program takes guidance from nationally recognized dementia care standards through the Alzheimer’s Society, the National Institute on Aging, Health Canada, Teepa Snow, Validation Training, Health Quality Ontario, the International Council on Aging, and Montessori for Dementia and Aging. With our enhanced knowledge on memory care techniques, we provide the necessary support for you to live life to its fullest.

How we care for you: The supporting team

No matter where you are on your Journey, you can feel confident that we have the right support in place to meet your evolving needs and preferences. Our program is dedicated to identifying where you are on your Journey so that every day is meaningful. Equipped with enhanced education in Memory Care approaches and techniques, our team is specially trained to meet you where you are at on your Journey by expertly supporting individuals experiencing varying levels of physical or cognitive impairments. Through supportive, caring, respectful relationships, we focus on your personal wants, needs and desires to ensure you receive the comprehensive care you require and deserve. Ongoing education is essential to our approach, ensuring team members stay current in best practices to promote safety, comfort, and peace of mind for you or your loved one every day.

Service Plan Development

As part of your Journey with us, we work with you and your loved ones to create and manage a personalized service plan. Using our evidence-based methods and effective assessments, we gather vital information about you and put care-planning processes in place to respond to your evolving needs. Understanding your requirements and preferences, we carefully shape your personalized service plan, one that respects and protects your dignity, wishes and values.

Calendar

Each day offers a wide variety of experiences for everyone – whether that is successfully completing daily tasks or experiencing something new. Our monthly activity calendars are carefully curated to provide an array of activities and experiences to ensure your mental, physical, social, financial, spiritual, environmental, and vocational needs are met. We work with you to build a personal daily activity calendar, suitable to your interests and appropriate to your physical and cognitive well-being.

We provide access to senior engagement technology, which enhances quality of life by helping you stay connected with the world around you. From playing interactive games, to scenic walks, to music therapy, to surfing websites and reminiscing about the past, there’s something for everyone.

Our engagement stations allow you to partake in pleasurable activities such as arts and crafts, puzzles, reminiscing and much more at your own leisure, and your loved ones are welcome to join you. We also have an indoor garden tower, where you can surround yourself with calming nature, harvest fresh food items, and even add them in your own meals. Whether you need a little support or choose to navigate activities independently, our team is here to help.

Environment

The environment at Aspira plays an important role in your Journey with us. We focus on making your surroundings as inviting and easy to navigate as possible, through the use of wayfinding signage across our various neighbourhoods. Lighting, colour contrast and textures are also considered in design elements, making it easier for you to safely maintain independence.

Communication

Communication is key – you are not on this Journey alone. We know how important it is for you, your loved ones and our team members to be on the same page when it comes to meeting your needs. This is why we deliver monthly newsletters to keep you informed about what’s happening at the community level. We regularly review your Journey by Aspira Guidebook and evaluate your wellbeing to maximize your stay with us. This includes monthly communication touch points with family members and quarterly education sessions for families and community partners.

Is Journey for your loved one?

The following questions will help you decide:

• Does your loved one have difficulties finding their way home?
• Does your loved one frequently forget to turn off the oven or cooktop?
• Does your loved one sometimes avoid cooking or fail to remember to eat?
• Are you worried for your loved one’s safety if left home alone?
• Are the consistent reminders to your loved one starting to overwhelm you?

If you answered “yes” to these questions, Journey by Aspira Memory Care could be helpful for your loved one.

Contact us to learn more about Journey by Aspira memory care at a retirement residence near you.