About the Wales Home

Everyone here at The Wales Home would like to thank you for your interest. It means a lot that you are thinking of us!

Executive Committee

President: Ralph Farley 
Vice President: Lee Gale
Recording secretary: Anne Tremblay
Fran Dewar
Chet Perkins
Nils Bodtker 
David Crack
William Taylor
Marc-André Martel

To read more about the Executive Committee members click here.

Photos by Tracey vidal

The Wales Home Users' Committee

In compliance with section 209 of the Act respecting health
services and social services (art. 209, LSSSS), The Users’ Committee of the Wales Home has been
formed to defend the collective rights and interests of the residents.
To read more on the responsibilities of the Users' Committee click here users_committee_pamphlet.

Management

Executive Director: Brendalee Piironen. Ms. Piironen became Director of Operations at the Wales Home in February of 2007.  Ms Piironen worked at the Wales Home as a student during her studies Champlain college.  Brendalee then attended York University (TO) to study Psychology for one year, during  this time she worked for a private Jewish organization supporting developmentally challenged adults, after which she returned to work at the Wales Home as a caregiver on the Alzheimer’s unit. She then became the part time activity coordinator for the long term care units and eventually the main Activity  coordinator.  In 2006 Brendalee became the Director of resident services and acting COO. In May 2008 she obtained her certificate in long term care management from the Canadian Healthcare Association and in July 2008 her certificate in not for profit long term care from the Ontario Association of Non-profit Homes for Seniors. In 2011, Ms. Piironen became the Executive Director of the Wales Home. bpiironen@waleshome.ca

Human and Informational Resources Manager: Eric Neil. Mr. Neil is the human resources Manager since July 2011. Mr. Neil has a certificate degree in Business Management, a certificate in human resources management. After his studies, Mr. Neil has worked in the public sector in many functions related to human resources management and in the private sector as a manager in human resources. eneil@waleshome.ca

Financial and Material Resources Director: Emilie Lessard. Ms. Lessard has been the accountant and controller for the Residence Wales, Wales Home Farm and the Wales Home Foundation since February 2008. Mrs. Lessard studied administration at Collège de Sherbrooke and was recruited by a private enterprise in the region as accountant where she acquired her working experience over a period of 10 years. She then pursued her career as accountant with the firm Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton in Sherbrooke. She was appointed by this firm to replace a leave of absence at the Residence Wales from October 2007 until February 2008 as an external consultant. In February 2008, she was offered the position at the Residence Wales which she currently occupies.  elessard@waleshome.ca

Maintenance Director: Jean Louis Huard. Jean Louis has been and employee at the Wales home since 1982. In 1991, after 9 years of service, Jean Louis transferred into the Maintenance department and eventually became the Maintenance Manager in 2003. He has his License for Méchanicien Machines Fixes Classes #4. Passionate for golf, Jean Louis is also the father of two children Martin, and Carolyn, and has one grandson Zoïk. jlhuard@waleshome.ca


Photos by Tracey Vidal

Administration

Accreditation Coordinator: Anne Tremblay
Administrative Assistant - Human Resources: Amanda Gunter
Head of Food Services: Joanne Goorts

Purchasing: Brenda Shea 

Quality and Complaint Commissioner: Remi Lavigne
Administrative Assistant - Reception and Finance: Rebecca Taylor

  

Activities

Activity Coordinator/Social Facilitator: Carol Ann McElrea
Activity Aide: Lisa Fowler

Nursing and Rehabilitation

Head Nurses: Catherine Frank &  Camille Peason 

Physical Rehabilitation Therapist: Edith Bourassa & Sophie Boisvert
Occupational Therapist: Kimberly Bailey

  

Quality and Complaint Commissioner

The Wales Home’s Quality and Complaint Commissioner, Remi Lavigne, was welcomed to The Wales Home team last year. His services include handling requests and helping people express complaints. He examines the complaint to try and resolve it in the best way possible.  Remi’s services are necessary to allow all parties to be heard and have their ideas acted upon.

Our mission

(Re-Formulated November 17th, 2006)

The Wales Home is a non-profit private organization that provides a home with a continuum of care for seniors, based on the needs of the community.

We are committed to respecting the dignity of all seniors by providing them with a clean, safe and secure homelike environment while promoting independence, friendship and comfort for residents and providing a welcoming atmosphere for their friends and families.

The Wales Home accomplishes its mission with an invaluable team of skilled employees, volunteers, other health care providers and community partners.

Press room

Accomplishments of the Wales Home Ensure a Bright Future with a High Quality of Care

Cleveland, Quebec - We all want our voices to be heard and proper changes made in order to enhance our daily lives and work environment - the Wales Home is listening and taking that initiative. 

Recently, the Wales Home has accomplished two challenging endeavours by receiving Accreditation from the Conseil québécois d’agrément (CQA) on March 17th as well as Certification from the Agence de la Santé et des Services Sociaux de l'Estrie on May 14th. Primarily, these achievements has the Wales Home meeting first-rate governmental standards that will help us in providing optimal care for our residents as well as meeting proper standards that will improve the operations of the Home.

The process of Accreditation provides us with quality improvement objectives resulting from feedback from staff, residents, and recommendations from the internal review committee of the CQA. These objectives will be accomplished within a three year span; improving the services to the long-term care units of the Home. Being accredited was a considerable undertaking that require a significant amount of time and effort. Our strengths and weaknesses are acknowledged through processes set by government standards and is an accomplishment that the Wales Home is very proud of. Accreditation will not only improve our quality of service, but has also resulted in the rekindling of motivation among our employees.

Unlike Accreditation, Certification is not an assessment of the quality of services, but ensures that the residence meets all government standards. Verification for obtaining certification is done through the validation of a disaster plan, employee files, ensuring the understanding and application of policies and procedures by the staff. Certification provides the home with a level of standards that ensures that our home is compliant with all necessary safety and regulatory procedures.

With our recent achievement of Accreditation and Certification, the Wales Home strives to be seen differently. We encourage partners of the health care network to recognize the high quality institution that we are and the objectives we aim to achieve. We have a dedicated staff that provides care for equally outstanding residents. We want our all surrounding communities to be aware of our professionalism, high standards and elite quality of care.

The Wales Home is confident in the level of class and excellence these changes will bring forth and is proud to continue to provide a home of comfort, care and countryside. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
BRENDALEE PIIRONEN (819) 826-3266 EXT. 247 OR bpiironen@waleshome.ca

History

Horace Pettes Wales, founder of the Wales Home

The Wales Home was founded in 1920 when a wealthy Richmond merchant, Horace Pettes, Wales, bequeathed his farm and a substantial cash contribution to provide quality care for the elderly. Mr. Wales was our very first donor.

Mr. Horace Pettes Wales had a brother who resided in the United States, along with three nieces. Mr. Wales himself was childless. He retired to the area where his family had been located for three generations and died in 1918.

Mr. Wales proposed a site near Richmond, Quebec, to provide a home for seniors. Also, included was a 162-acre dairy farm that has now been expanded to 450 acres. The farm was to provide as much food as possible for the residents “ to keep costs low, and a constant supply of food for the table”.

A campaign was launched to raise funds to put up a suitable building for the home and provide an endowment for operating purposes. By May 31, 1920, $175,000.00 had been raised.

In the spring of 1921, a $70,000 contract was awarded to Newton and Dakin of Sherbrooke for the construction of the home with the objective of accommodating forty-one “inmates” (now referred to as residents). The first resident was Mr. C. Mackie who moved into the home on March 17, 1922. Since then over 3,050 seniors have made the Wales Home their home.

The Wales Home is a private Not For Profit Corporation and has been independent of government funding or assistance since it was founded in 1920.

The Wales Home has evolved from the place Horace Pettes Wales envisioned to care for the elderly in 1920 to a modern facility that incorporates advanced medical, social and technical knowledge of geriatric care, as well as a range of accommodation from autonomous living to retirement living with full support options namely meals, housekeeping, laundry, activities to encourage and maintain the residents’ physical, social and intellectual capacities, and daily medical supervision.