Skip to content

Loving staff, great care

Loving staff, great care Open letter to Premier Dennis Fentie: We are writing this letter this date to express our feelings as to what a gem Yukoners have in Macaulay Lodge. Our mother was a resident of Macaulay Lodge for a period of just over three year

Open letter to Premier Dennis Fentie:

We are writing this letter this date to express our feelings as to what a gem Yukoners have in Macaulay Lodge.

Our mother was a resident of Macaulay Lodge for a period of just over three years until her recent passing on May 12th.

It is hard to actually put into words how blessed we feel that our loved one had a place as wonderful as Macaulay Lodge to spend her final few years in.

Daily, all the staff, no matter what position they hold - from kitchen workers to nurses and management - treat the residents with such care and respect.

They make sure their dignity is never compromised and always go the extra mile.

Many times we have witnessed the staff handle situations that many would find unpleasant to deal with. Not everyone is suited to deal with the needs of seniors.

It is our feeling and first-hand experience the staff at Macaulay Lodge have a special dedication to the people they have been given the responsibility to care for.

There have been many tender and caring moments witnessed by us between the staff and residents. An example of what we are talking about occurred one day when we were leaving to go away on a trip.

We were in the lobby saying goodbye and Mom had tears in her eyes. We told her how much we loved her and, as we said it, a nurse came up behind Mom, put her arms around her and told her they loved her too.

It made us all feel good to reconfirm that she was in a place with people who really did care about her and she mattered. We are not sure if that particular nurse ever knew how much we appreciated her and her caring ways. She made a big difference to all of us that day.

We feel that a lot of praise should be given to the many staff who make sure daily that the residents who call Macaulay home are receiving care and not just basic care but care over and above what we think the staff is compensated for.

It is easy to see it is not just a job to the staff, but a commitment to give the best care they can and to make sure the needs of the residents are met, even if it means going the extra mile to do so.

When Mom was dying, the tenderness shown to her was so comforting and appreciated by us. It was easy to see that the staff did not just treat her like someone they had to care for because it was their job to do so, but treated her like they would have treated someone who was a member of their own family.

When the nurse who had been on shift with her for the whole evening before she passed was leaving, she came in and gave Mom a kiss on her forehead and said goodbye to her.

We were so touched by this gesture and knew it was genuine.

How could anyone ask for more?

Macaulay Lodge is a wonderful place for those in need of that special care required when one is at the stage in their life when they are no longer able to care for themselves.

Our hope for the time when we are in that situation is that Macaulay Lodge, or a place equal to it, is available to us and that it is staffed with people who are as caring, conscientious and dedicated as the staff who presently work there.

We will be forever grateful to all the staff and management at Macaulay for making that time in our mom’s life a special time right to the end.

To the staff at Macaulay, we say thank you for all you have done and please know we will never forget how wonderful you all have been.

The government should be so proud of Macaulay Lodge and the employees who, without any expectations, give so much of themselves to others.

John (Jack) and Linda Robinson

Whitehorse

See more letters page 10.