Take Philip McHale, for instance.

The retired offset printer, who resides at Garden Terrace, says since coming to the Kanata long-term care home three years ago, he has more time to do what he loves best – woodworking.

“With me . . . my quality of life has improved 100 per cent,” he says.

Before moving into long-term care, McHale says much of his day would be spent doing household chores, such as cutting grass or shoveling snow.

If you’re looking for McHale these days, you will probably find him in the home’s workshop, focused on one of his projects.

“I have a lot of free time here,” he says.

Not only does OMNI’s staff encourage residents to continue hobbies and recreational activities after moving into long-term care, in some cases residents have been given a new lease on life after joining the OMNI family.

In October 2004, Charlotte Graydon came to Burnbrae Gardens. Requiring a wheelchair and nervous about the transition to the Campbellford long-term care home, the 91-year-old admits she wasn’t in the best of spirits.

“When I first came I was quite sick,” she says. “I had my own place, came here and didn’t know what I was getting into.”

With the help of the home’s restorative care staff, Graydon is out of a wheelchair and now gets around with the help of a walke.

Today, Graydon says she is a new person. She participates in all of the home’s activities, and serves as president of the home’s resident council.

Graydon has nothing but good things to say about life at Burnbrae Gardens.

“It’s a very enjoyable place to be,” she says. “You feel at home. Everybody goes out of their way to make you feel loved, and they think about you a lot.”

Like any other sector, long-term care is evolving and modernizing to meet the needs of clientele.

Gone are the days when long-term care meant living a restricted life. Today, long-term care means living a life of unrestricted possibilities.