ST. THOMAS – A $25,000 grant from the province has provided a boost to a local program dedicated to caring for seniors dealing with dementia and cognitive decline.
The funds from Queen’s Park will help the adult day program at Valleyview Home on Burwell Road, benefiting both clients and their caregivers – a need that local leaders say is growing as the city’s population ages and the demand for long-term care rises.
“It doesn’t seem like a lot, but it’s super helpful,” said Paula Henderson, the program’s supervisor. “Our capacity (on) some days (is) low because we don’t have the staffing to support the complex needs of the clients that are coming in.”
In the year ending March, Valleyview’s adult day program assisted 231 seniors. The program operates two sessions daily, five days a week, where staff provide exercise and therapeutic recreation, dementia-specific activities, community bathing services, transportation, and overnight respite care two nights each week. There is currently a wait list for this service.
The grant will be used for dementia-informed technology such as interactive and sensory-based tools. The recreation and wellness programs will be expanded, and there will be a new lending library where caregivers can borrow resources to help support their loved ones at home. This funding will also enable an additional four-hour staff shift each week over the next year.
Paula Henderson was photographed at Valleyview Home in St. Thomas after it received a $25,000 provincial grant on Monday, July 6, 2026. (Allison Young/The )
Henderson noted that more staff means they can offer better individualized support and therapeutic programming for those clients needing extra assistance.
“I want people to realize where day programs fit into someone’s journey,” Henderson said. “If we’re funded appropriately just to help clients age in place at home longer (and) support their caregivers, they’d be out of long-term care and they’d be out of hospitals… this grant is certainly going to help a lot for this particular program.”
Mayor Joe Preston mentioned that this type of care is becoming increasingly necessary in St. Thomas due to its growing population of older residents who require assistance.
“We know the cost of expanding long-term care facilities and if we can manage more people at those facilities by utilizing day programs effectively, we’ve really addressed what future care needs may look like,” Preston said.
He emphasized that helping seniors stay in their homes longer benefits everyone involved.
“Not having to take up a bed in a long-term care facility means better for all of us; certainly for families involved, seniors affected and institutions facing high demand for space,” Preston said.
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