Yee Hong Newsletter

One year ago, Yee Hong marked a historic moment with the ground-breaking of its fifth long-term care residence, the Yee Hong Ng Siu Chan Centre. This milestone event on November 30, 2023, was attended by Ontario’s Minister of Seniors and Accessibility, Raymond Cho, and then Minister of Long-Term Care, Stan Cho, highlighting the provincial government’s commitment to add capacity and expand senior care in our community.

Today, the Scarborough Finch campus has been transformed from a green field into a vibrant construction site. The new residence has reached its third floor, with the project team celebrating a series of achievements, including site preparation, foundation work, and the installation of a tower crane in April 2024. The structure is on track to be topped off in early 2025, with project completion expected by spring 2026.

Collaboration Drives Success

The Yee Hong Ng Siu Chan Centre’s progress is a testament to the collaborative approach shared by Yee Hong, BTY Group, Graham Construction, Montgomery Sisam Architects, and various trade partners. A commitment to seamless coordination, along with support from the City of Toronto and Ontario government, has kept the project moving forward on time and within budget.

The project has also benefited from the flexibility and understanding of staff, residents, and visitors at the existing Finch home, who have adapted to the challenges of ongoing construction. The broader community’s encouragement and support have further strengthened the project’s foundation.

Addressing a Critical Need

The new centre will significantly enhance Yee Hong’s capacity to deliver high-quality, culturally appropriate care, addressing Ontario’s urgent need for more long-term care beds. Featuring 224 beds with a mix of private, basic, and semi-private accommodations, the facility will also include community programming spaces and underground parking.

Currently, the four Yee Hong’s long-term care homes face a staggering waitlist of over 9,000 people, reflecting the high demand for culturally appropriate long-term care. Designed with insights gained during the pandemic, the Yee Hong Ng Siu Chan Centre will offer a safe, supportive environment for seniors, their families, and staff and represents a crucial step forward in reducing this backlog and providing timely access to care for seniors in need.

Love Gives Capital Campaign: A Community Effort

The Love Gives Capital Campaign has been the driving force behind the fundraising efforts for the Yee Hong Ng Siu Chan Centre. Launched in 2022, the campaign seeks to raise funds to support the construction of Yee Hong’s newest long-term care home along with other critical capital needs.

The Ng Siu Chan family’s $5 million contribution has been a cornerstone of this campaign, reflecting their profound dedication to supporting seniors. Countless other donors, sponsors, and community members have also stepped up, making generous contributions to ensure that Yee Hong can meet the growing demand for culturally appropriate care.

Through the Love Gives Capital Campaign, Yee Hong is significantly increasing its capacity from 805 to more than 1000 beds, significantly expanding its ability to provide exceptional culturally sensitive care to seniors across the Greater Toronto Area. This campaign exemplifies the collective power of community support in addressing critical healthcare challenges.

Looking Ahead

As construction continues, the Yee Hong Ng Siu Chan Centre is poised to become a vital part of the community, offering essential services and fostering vibrant, inclusive spaces for seniors.

Stay up to date on the Yee Hong Ng Siu Chan Centre’s development and make a gift to support the Love Gives Capital Campaign.

Together, we can build a future where every senior has access to the care they deserve.

Join us to support a great cause! Yee Hong Dragon Raffle is back with an exciting opportunity to drive away a new Audi A3 Sedan Komfort, valued at $49,998.96! The grand prize is generously donated by Audi Uptown, which has been a longstanding supporter of Yee Hong and our senior community.

 

We are delighted to share the highlights of a successful Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Yee Hong, held this past June with an impressive turnout of board members, dedicated staff, community members, and representatives from our Family Councils.

This year, we are excited to welcome new Yee Hong Centre board members who will bring fresh perspectives and dedication to our organization: Robert Fox, David Lai, Patricia Li, Roger Ma, and Anne Marie Yamamoto. Their diverse backgrounds and shared commitment to our mission will be invaluable as we continue to enhance the quality of life for our seniors and expand our services to the community.

A highlight of the AGM was the series of tours conducted for attendees, showcasing the heart of our work and our vision for the future. Participants were given the opportunity to explore our existing Finch Long Term Care Home, where they saw firsthand the exceptional care and vibrant community we provide for our residents. We also offered a preview of our new Finch II home, currently under construction, which represents an exciting expansion of our capacity to serve more seniors with the quality and compassion that defines Yee Hong. Lastly, attendees visited the Yee Hong residential hospice, currently the only hospice in Scarborough, and Yee Hong Garden Terrace, our life lease building, which provides an innovative housing option for independent seniors within a supportive environment.

Staff members shared their insights and success stories from the past year, showcasing the hard work and passion that make Yee Hong a place of care and compassion. We are grateful for their ongoing hard work in supporting our residents and their families.

This year’s AGM was not just a reflection on our achievements, but a celebration of the collective effort that makes Yee Hong a beacon of excellence in senior care. We are excited about the road ahead, and with the support of our new board members and our dedicated team, we are confident that Yee Hong will continue to thrive and grow.

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to making this AGM a success. Together, we are building a community where every senior can live life to the fullest with dignity and joy. Here’s to another year of progress and partnership!

We are excited to share that construction at our new Yee Hong Long Term Care home is progressing well. The concrete foundation has been completed and significant progress has been made on underground plumbing, level forming, and concrete pouring.

It’s exciting to watch Finch II take shape. After years of careful planning, we’re one step closer to opening our state-of-the-art, home that will foster healthy, high quality, dignified senior living.

We were also recently honored to welcome the Ontario Long Term Care Association (OLTCA) Board of Directors for an exclusive tour. This visit provided a valuable opportunity to showcase Yee Hong’s commitment to delivering culturally appropriate, high-quality care to the seniors we serve.

We showcased the unique elements of our facility designed to meet the specific needs of our diverse community. The tour also allowed us to highlight one of our campuses of care that includes our home and community support services, independent living and residential hospice. This continuum of care makes Yee Hong a model for compassionate and specialized care supporting active seniors to those who are at the end of their lives.

In addition to sharing our progress, the tour underscored the importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the sector. By opening our doors to the OLTCA Board and other partners in seniors care, we reinforce the value of sharing our expertise and experience. This collaboration helps strengthen the entire sector, ensuring that more seniors across Ontario can benefit from the high standards of care that we strive to uphold at Yee Hong.

We look forward to continuing to lead the way in culturally sensitive care and to fostering partnerships that enhance the quality of life for all older adults.

A big thank you to everyone who took part in Yee Hong’s latest Family Engagement Luncheon on July 30th. The insights and feedback shared during this key engagement event are vital to shaping our strategic vision and improving care for our residents and communities.

This session was a fantastic opportunity to connect with our family members and unite them in co-designing Yee Hong’s first Family Engagement Framework which specifies how Yee Hong and family members can actively and systematically work together to advance priorities at Yee Hong.

In the coming months, we will be developing more specific action plans to address the priorities discussed including creating an annual Family Engagement calendar to operationalize the Family Engagement Framework. There will be plenty of opportunities to continue our dialogue with family members and work on different topics together.

We deeply value the role of family council and advisory committee members in advancing the mission of Yee Hong. Their dedication and involvement are essential to ensuring that our residents and clients receive the best possible care. We are incredibly grateful for their ongoing support, insights, and advocacy. Together, we will continue to enhance the quality of life for those we serve, and we look forward to working closely with all family and advisory council members across our community services, long-term care and hospice to build a stronger, more compassionate community at Yee Hong.

Yee Hong’s new Workday system is going live in late November, 2024. This cutting-edge HR and payroll platform will introduce several changes and benefits to enhance the employee experience at Yee Hong.

Through it, staff will be able to:

• Update and manage personal information (address, phone number, emergency contacts, banking information, etc.) directly on Workday.
• Submit leave and vacation requests digitally, and review responses to requests online.
• Print out verification of employment letters in real time.
• Readily access internal and external job postings with a simplified application process.

Yee Hong managers will also benefit from Workday. The system enables them to approve requests, enhance team performance, initiate human resources-related changes, and generate robust reports to drive informed business decisions.

Implementing Workday will not only enhance operational efficiency at Yee Hong but also empower staff, improve decision-making, and ensure the organization remains agile in talent development and succession planning in a rapidly changing sector.

The awareness of the Dementia Hub website continues to grow and has received more than 15,000 views since its launch in March. To ensure seniors in our communities can continue to benefit from this invaluable resource, four advertorials were featured in Ming Pao’s Saturday Magazine, spotlighting the Dementia Hub and the dementia care support services provided by Yee Hong. Additionally, the Dementia Hub was featured on 51.ca’s main WeChat official account for the Canadian audience in June, followed by a sub-account reaching the GTA audience in July.

Age Well at Home

Since its launch in September 2023, the Yee Hong Project “Age Well at Home” funded by the Federal Government, has created numerous memorable moments. We’ve had the pleasure of welcoming Former Minister O’Regan to visit senior residents of Yee Hong Chinese Evergreen Manor, hosting groups of seniors for laughter-filled falls prevention talks, providing consultations for seniors & their caregivers, installing light bulb sensors with the help of volunteers, and partnering with AgeTech companies to introduce fall prevention devices. Our community events, like those at Langham Square Mall during Senior Month in June, have brought seniors together in meaningful ways.

Yee Hong Centre is excited to announce the start of our Medical Learners Program. With the assistance of Dr. Yuet Ming Lam, our first resident will officially start their training at the end of this month. The program will begin at the Markham LTC home with the intent to deliver it to all Yee Hong homes down the road.

The Medical Learners Program was created to foster interest in long-term care and Care of the Elderly among the next generation of medical trainees, as well as to showcase Yee Hong as a leader in the field of geriatric care. We look forward to working with Dr. Yuet Ming Lam and all program stakeholders to ensure both these objectives are met.

In addition to masking:

• Please avoid non-essential visits to our home or community location if you have been exposed to a known case of COVID-19 for 7 days after initial contact.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Wash your hands often and thoroughly.
• Stay up to date with your vaccinations.
• Comply with other IPAC measures as instructed by the home or staff during outbreaks.
• When taking a resident out on a leave of absence:
  • Do NOT bring a resident to your home if someone in the household is sick.
  • Remind and assist the resident with cleaning/washing their hands.

Thank you for your full support!