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Life in Long Term Care

Creedan Valley Heritage Day Celebrates Culture, Connection and Home

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“I think over time, you tend to feel at home and it becomes your home.”

For Robin Pollack, president of Creedan Valley Community’s Residents’ Council, those words describe the relationships, routines, care and sense of belonging that have shaped her two years at Sienna Senior Living’s Creedan Valley in Creemore.

That feeling of home was easy to see on June 18, when Creedan Valley hosted its annual Heritage Day.

Now in its third year, the Diversity Appreciation and Talent Show brought together residents, families, staff, community members, local dignitaries, local media and the Ontario Long Term Care Association for an afternoon of food, music, culture and connection.

The event began as a way to help staff, residents and families connect while honouring the many cultures that are part of the Creedan Valley community. This year, staff wore traditional clothing from their home cultures and shared food samples with residents and guests, including flavours from Thailand, Portugal, Germany, Ukraine, Nigeria, France and more.
Even the weather became part of the story. When rain threatened to move the event indoors, a local supplier found bright orange waterproof tents to help keep the celebration outside, adding a cheerful splash of colour to an already vibrant day.
Even the weather became part of the story. When rain threatened to move the event indoors, a local supplier found bright orange waterproof tents to help keep the celebration outside, adding a cheerful splash of colour to an already vibrant day.

Creedan Valley is home to 70 residents in Creemore, a village in South Georgian Bay known as “the little village with a big heart.” While Creedan Valley is not a cultural home, Heritage Day has become a meaningful way to celebrate the diversity of staff, residents, families and the wider community.

For Robin, families remain an important part of life in long-term care.

“I think you’ll find moving into long-term care that the family actually gets supported as well as the resident,” she said. “There’s a lot of communication with the family. The family can get involved at whatever level they like to be involved in with their own family member.”

She also spoke warmly about the staff who support her each day.

“We have tremendously well-trained and professional staff who are very caring and compassionate,” she said.

Long-term care is both care and community. At Creedan Valley, Heritage Day offered a simple reminder that homes are places where care is delivered, relationships are built, and belonging can grow through shared food, culture and connection.