The administrator of Riverview Manor in Peterborough says establishing the home as a “force for good” in the city is paramount.

She says this year Riverview will be represented by a boat in the Dragon Boat Festival in Peterborough for the annual breast cancer research fundraiser. The home also sponsors the Peterborough Firefighters Men’s softball league. “These are examples of community involvement and we have to continue to be out there, to make sure our home has a real presence in the community,” says Sue.

Riverview also opens its doors at no charge to the local Alzheimer’s Society, the CNIB and a stamp-collecting group. “They meet here at no charge because they’re a part of the same community we are. So are we being good neighbours? That’s really what we have to be,” notes Sue.

Sue says she read in a recent OMNIway article that Springdale’s administrator, Pauline Dainard, was doing the meals-on-wheels program for the village of Millbrook. That got Sue thinking about other partnerships that can be struck up in the community. She will call the Red Cross, for instance, to see if they wish to hold a community blood clinic at Riverview.

Sue also sees recruitment, retention and occupancy as major focal points for the home, given the level of competition that exists for long-term care beds now. “I find staffing to be way more competitive than it used to be. We don’t get the same number of applications we used to. People aren’t coming in and saying they really, really want to work here. In other words, they don’t have to take the first thing that comes along anymore. So we have to make sure we become their first choice,” she says.

Although nearby Fairhaven is the competition, Sue says she sometimes refers to it as a “sister home.” “We’re not always competitive about everything. We sit on the same interdisciplinary committee, we both look at doctor coverage for our homes, as well as hospital admissions. Yes, we both want the same residents, but we still have to treat each other well,” notes Sue.