New Leisureworld home, corporate office, look forward to future
Friday February 8, 2008 -- Deron Hamel
Administrator Astrida Kalnins says residents at her long-term care home will benefit from its recent acquisition by one of the province’s largest long-term care providers.

Leisureworld Senior Care on Feb. 1 acquired Tullamore Nursing Home, one of seven homes formerly owned by Diversicare, the company purchased as part of a $67-million deal.

“This is a really exciting time for us,” says Kalnins. “It’s going to be an extremely busy time, as well, but we are looking forward to working with Leisureworld and being a part of the Leisureworld family.”

The Brampton long-term care home has been renamed Leisureworld Caregiving Centre, Tullamore.

Topping the list of benefits, Kalnins says the home’s 159 residents can expect to see upgrades made to the 43-year-old home in the future.

“It’s good to have a company that will be able to support the needs of an old home and to have that ability to be able to rebuild when the time comes,” says Kalnins. “(With) a bigger company, there’s more support.”

Kalnins adds that she’s looking forward to the networking opportunities that will come from working with Leisureworld’s 25 other homes.

Because all long-term care homes in the province follow the same standards set by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, there will no major changes as a result of the acquisition.

However, Kalnins notes staff members can expect to see some minor corporate policy changes, such as the introduction of a new system for staff members to clock in and out of their shifts.

Judy Donnelly, Leisureworld’s vice-president of public relations and business development, says the company’s seven new homes have received the change in ownership well, adding a recent meeting at the company’s corporate office in Markham was successful.

The acquisition not only provides an opportunity for the new homes to learn from homes which have been a part of the company for longer, it’s also a chance for long-standing Leisureworld homes to learn from the new homes, says Donnelly.

Donnelly says residents at Leisureworld Caregiving Centre, Tullamore, as well as the other newly-acquired homes, can expect a “seamless transition.”

“The staff will remain in the homes as they know them and we have all kinds of plans in place to ensure that it is a seamless transition for the residents, their families and the staff,” she adds. “So far, our transition plan is excellent and it’s being executed to perfection.”