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Justin Lagace, CEO and Director of CareWhat distinguishes human-centered care from traditional long-term care delivery models today?
At The Convalescent Home of Winnipeg (TCHW), a layer of humanity underpins how residents experience long-term care, moving beyond routine tasks to focus on relationships, individuality and meaningful engagement.
It serves octogenarians, many of whom live with chronic conditions like dementia or require round-the-clock support. TCHW integrates emotional well-being, human connection and a sense of belonging—elements often missing in traditional care models—into every aspect of residents’ daily life.
“We go beyond basic care to provide purpose, meaning and enjoyment, building meaningful connections with our residents,” says Justin Lagace, who has worked in various roles for the Convalescent Home over the past 13 years and has been recently shifted to a new role as CEO and director of care.
The Rhythm of Everyday Life
How does TCHW structure daily activities to support holistic resident well-being effectively?
TCHW adopts a holistic approach to care, addressing residents’ social, emotional, cognitive, physical and spiritual needs. This is reflected in its therapeutic recreation program, which offers a wide range of activities, from bingo and card games to religious services, along with seasonal celebrations like St. Patrick’s Day events with Irish dancers and Christmas gatherings with choir performances.
These group activities and celebrations help residents escape loneliness, desperation and depression while creating shared experiences that reconnect them with others to build a sense of community. In addition, initiatives like the Tune-Up Café bring people from both inside and outside the facility together, creating a shared space to connect and engage.
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We go beyond basic care to provide purpose, meaning and enjoyment, building meaningful connections with our residents.
On the clinical side, residents benefit from 24/7 nursing support, physician access and medication management, complemented by a rehab aide who guides exercises and walking programs to support mobility and overall well-being.
Nutrition is also a critical component, with on-site services ensuring meals are freshly prepared rather than brought in pre-made. By preparing meals like soups, salads, sandwiches and desserts in-house, TCHW creates a more personal and responsive dining experience tailored to residents’ preferences.
For instance, a resident’s strong preference for Italian food made the transition difficult and required a more tailored approach. While standard meal planning could accommodate her tastes only occasionally, TCHW collaborated with a family, combining in-house preparation with dishes brought from outside, contributing to a stronger sense of comfort and belonging for the resident.
Care Led by People, Not Roles
Why does a people-centered culture influence the quality of care in long-term facilities?
Underlying these experiences is a culture shaped by the people who deliver them, defined by a strong sense of approachability across the home. Whether a director of care, nurse, housekeeper or CEO, all are encouraged to bring their authentic selves into their roles, allowing personal interests and individual strengths to create genuine interactions that residents recognize and respond to. Support is not confined to defined responsibilities, and moments of attentiveness emerge naturally through small, spontaneous acts that cater to a resident’s needs.
In one instance, a resident struggling to adjust found comfort through a deeply personal routine. Recognizing his preference for a strong, stiff cup of coffee, a nurse went beyond standard provision, grinding beans at home and bringing them in to prepare it just the way he liked. This simple gesture conveyed to the resident that he was valued and cared for, making the experience as positive as possible.
In what ways do facility upgrades and personalization improve resident living experiences?
Beyond personalized care, TCHW is renovating its resident rooms as these details matter deeply to residents and their families. With a building that dates back more than 50 years, these upgrades are focused on creating more comfortable living experiences. Through its ‘Rooms to Thrive’ renovation project, the facility aims to transform sterile, institutional spaces into warm, inviting environments that feel truly livable, aligning the physical setting with its resident-centered approach.
By putting humanity at the heart of everything it delivers, TCHW provides personalized care and tailored services that go beyond meeting needs and shape how residents experience each day.
What Defines Excellence in Senior Personal Home Care Services
Demand for senior personal home care services continues to rise as populations age and chronic conditions extend over longer periods of life. Decision-makers are no longer evaluating providers solely on clinical sufficiency or regulatory compliance. Basic expectations, including safe supervision, hygiene support and nutritional adequacy, have become table stakes across most care environments. Differentiation now rests on how consistently a provider can translate care into lived experience, particularly for residents requiring continuous supervision due to cognitive decline, mobility limitations or complex medical needs.
A critical distinction emerges in how care is framed at the point of delivery. Facilities that operate strictly through task completion often meet baseline health outcomes but struggle to address emotional disengagement, social isolation and loss of identity among residents. Environments that sustain engagement tend to integrate structured medical care with intentional human interaction, where daily routines are not reduced to checklists but shaped around individual preferences and histories. This shift is not cosmetic; it directly affects resident stability, cooperation with care plans and overall well-being.
Consistency in daily life also depends on how services are organized and delivered within the facility itself. On-site capabilities, particularly in nutrition, play a meaningful role in maintaining familiarity and comfort. Freshly prepared meals tailored to resident preferences support physical health and maintain continuity with prior lifestyles, which becomes increasingly important for individuals adjusting to institutional settings. Facilities that rely heavily on standardized external inputs may achieve efficiency but often lose the nuance required to personalize care at scale.
Equally important is the integration of recreational and therapeutic engagement into the care model. Structured programs that range from physical rehabilitation to social and cultural activities help counter cognitive decline and emotional withdrawal. These are not peripheral additions but central to sustaining a sense of belonging. When residents are given opportunities to participate in meaningful interactions, whether through community events, shared spaces or simple daily rituals, the care environment begins to resemble a living community rather than a clinical endpoint.
The human component behind service delivery ultimately determines whether these elements function in isolation or as a cohesive experience. Facilities where staff operate within rigid role boundaries often encounter gaps in responsiveness. In contrast, environments that encourage cross-functional attentiveness, where any staff member feels responsible for resident comfort and safety, create continuity that residents and families recognize immediately. Authentic engagement, rather than scripted interaction, tends to build trust more effectively and reduce the sense of institutional distance.
Personalization remains a decisive factor when evaluating long-term fit. Residents entering care often face a disruption of routine, identity and independence. Providers that actively collaborate with families and adapt to individual preferences, whether through dietary accommodations, daily habits or small personal gestures, are better positioned to ease this transition. These adjustments, while operationally modest, often have a disproportionate impact on resident satisfaction and adjustment over time.
The Convalescent Home of Winnipeg reflects this direction through a model that extends beyond clinical adequacy into sustained personalization. It combines continuous nursing supervision with in-house nutrition services, therapeutic recreation and rehabilitation support, ensuring that medical care is reinforced by daily engagement. The organization’s emphasis on staff authenticity and shared responsibility further strengthens its ability to respond to nuanced resident needs. This alignment of clinical care, environment and human interaction positions it as a strong choice for organizations prioritizing long-term resident well-being over baseline care delivery.
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