• Peel's transition

News Release: June 21, 2018

Butterfly Homes for Dementia Care coming to Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga

BRAMPTON, ON. (June 21, 2018) - The Region of Peel will create five more Butterfly Homes in its long term care centres over the next three years. As featured in the Toronto Star, Butterfly Homes meet the physical and emotional needs of people living with dementia. The plan was endorsed by Peel Regional Council after a pilot project led to the successful creation of Ontario's first Butterfly Home at Malton Village Long Term Care Centre in Mississauga.

The Butterfly Household Model of Care, created by Dr. David Sheard and Dementia Care Matters in the United Kingdom, improves quality of life for people living with dementia by encouraging staff to learn about the people in their care and meet their needs for affection, activity and meaningful occupation.

"The home is joyous and active," said Cathy Granger, Director, Long Term Care, Region of Peel. "People are busy and happy. They participate in running the home as a way to regain a sense of meaning and purpose."

Staff sick time has also decreased as staff are empowered to be less focused on tasks and more on the people living in the home.

"Long term care traditionally does an excellent job of caring for the body, but often fails to provide what people need emotionally," said Nancy Polsinelli, Commissioner, Health Services, Region of Peel. "In this model, staff learn about emotional needs, by reflecting on their own feelings, which helps them to become more attuned to the needs of the people they are caring for, including recognizing when someone needs a hug or supporting them with an activity that gives them purpose."

Dementia is a group of diseases including Alzheimer's that cause gradual decline in logic, the ability to interpret the world and communication. Responsive behaviours, including aggression, repetitive motions and calling out, result as a person's needs go unmet.

The Region of Peel is supporting the model by funding training and staff for its Butterfly Homes. The Region is advocating to regulators and funding bodies to support these requirements as a way to enable models such as Butterfly to become the norm in Ontario.

For more information on the Region of Peel's Butterfly project, including a video documentary and outcomes dashboard, visit peelregion.ca/ltc/butterfly-home/.

Dementia Care Matters is a culture change organisation operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, USA and Australia that offers an evidence-based approach to improving care in organisations. Its team of expert national directors, consultants and trainers apply 'The Butterfly Model' which creates places where people live, work and support each other as families. It is this approach that realises the possibility to really reach and connect to a person living with dementia to find freedom. In 2017, Dementia Care Matters became part of the Salvation Army Australia global charitable organization.

Media Contacts:

Scott Fry
Communication Specialist
Region of Peel
905-791-7800, ext. 4329