As 2023 winds down, we are taking a moment to celebrate the achievements (big and small) over the past year as well as reflecting on the lessons learned from the challenges we overcame.  It has been a journey that has been driven by the passion of our staff and board of directors and mostly importantly, by the families who need our support.  Our phones have been ringing off the hook in the last few months which tells us that we need to head into 2024 with a “We Will” attitude and report back next year at this time with a “We Did” report.  Please take the time to read about our plans for 2024 and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.  On behalf of all of us at the Ottawa Rotary Home, we wish all of you a wonderful, safe and healthy holiday season.   

Gina St.Amour, Executive Director 

Highlight Summary 

• Welcome to Martine Labrecque; Clinical Coordinator 
• Open bookings for Children’s Respite 
• Adult Respite – open bookings for the months of January through March 
• Adult Day Program – Fee for Service progress

Children’s Respite 

2024 is going to start to feel more like our traditional pre-pandemic days when families could call and book respite in advance.  We are going to be offering a number of different models of respite for our children under 18 years of age.  Since our ” Respite Adventureland” weekends were such an amazing success, (where our staff “live in” for the weekend) we are committing to booking nine (9) more of those in 2024!  These weekends are focused on children under 16 who are looking for activities and community outings. If interested in any of the weekends below, please chat with Marie! 

Scheduled Dates for adventure weekends (more to come!):  

• January 19-21, 2024 
• February 23-25, 2024 
• April 5-7, 2024 
• May 10-12, 2024 

Regular respite bookings are also available for pre-booking up to 3 months in advance based on availability.  If you are looking for a week or weekend or have questions about how we can support your family during the March Break, give Marie a call so she can check on availability.  

 We have several new children’s families in the initial stages of the intake process, so we are ensuring our staff receive the best training possible to welcome them, as many of them have needs that require specialized medical training. If you have questions about intake or potential next steps, please feel free to reach out to Julia so she can provide an update and support you through the process. 

Adult Overnight Respite 

Adult overnight respite continues at a hopping pace!  We have provided over 850 respite nights to date this fiscal year, making wonderful memories and cannot wait to make more.  If you are interested in booking adult respite, please contact Marie. 

Adult Day Program 

We welcome back our adult day program individuals on September 19th and made countless memories doing fun and engaging activities.  We will contact DSO (Developmental Services Ontario) shortly as we have a couple of openings available for Tuesday/Wed/Thursday from 9-3pm.  

We have also contacted all our Fee for Service Families and are thrilled to have welcomed 3 of those individuals back in 2023 and are looking forward to getting to know several new families in 2024.   

New Member to the team 

We are delighted to introduce Martine Labrecque as our Children’s Clinical Coordinator. Martine joins us from our Community Nursing team, so she is quite familiar with our operations and our respite programs.  She is stepping into the role that Laura De Beck Courcelle has played for the last 6 years.  It is with heavy hearts that we share that Laura will be departing from our organization mid-January, but she is focusing her time on training Martine in the role as we move into the new year.   For any new intake inquiries, please reach out to Julia in the interim. 

Transitioning to Adult Care Information Session 

Youth 14 years and older, along with their care providers, are invited to attend an up coming in-person session on transitioning to adult care.  During the session representatives from different sectors will be sharing resources on transitioning to adult care and be available to answer any question. 

When: January 25, 2024 

When: 18:00 – 20:00 

Where: Roger Neilson House, 399 Smyth Road, Ottawa 

Presenters: 

• Developmental Services Ontario 
• The Ottawa Rotary Home 
• Service Coordination 
• Palliative Care Social Worker 
• Accountant 
• Barrister & Solicitor 

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Aileen Blakeney ablakeney@rogerneilsonhouse.ca.  

IPAC UPDATES (Infection Prevention and Control)  

Respiratory season is upon us, and we are seeing an increase of infections in the community.  To keep the individuals we support healthy, and protect our staff, we will continue to require a mask in all program areas. 

We kindly ask that if you or your child is sick, to please postpone your visit.