Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Department of Health and Wellness’ website location?

  Click on this link for a direct contact with the DHW’s website.   Look under Continuing Care sector. You will find Serenity Lodge listed in the Directory of Licensed Facilities on the left hand sidebar. www.gov.ns.ca/health/ccs https://www.gov.ns.ca/dhw/

What is the Nova Scotia Government’s single entry process for entering long term care?

Important Note to Reader:  this is taken from the Nova Scotia Dept of Health and Wellness website. The term a SEA Participant indicates that admission to the Residential Care Facility (RCF) is exclusively through the Department of Health’s Single Entry Access (SEA) system. Eligible residents of SEA Participating RCFs pay an authorized accommodation charge and have the health care portion of the long term care facility costs covered by the Department of Health. If a facility is not a SEA Participant, it means that applicants must apply directly to the facility and that government subsidy is not available to new […]

Can I wait at home in my community until my name comes up on Serenity Lodge’s wait list?

  Once the application is completed by the senior, they can wait wherever they are presently living until they receive the call from the DHW’s placement office that there is a space available for them at Serenity Lodge. When an opening becomes available the Administration notifies the DHW’s  Placement office as to the availability. The placement officer checks the file to see who is next on the facility’s list. The placement office notifies the family contact and they are asked if they still are interested in this facility. Note :  As stated a senior can stay at their primary home, […]

How can a senior get to reside at Serenity Lodge?

How do I get my loved one into Serenity Lodge?   Answer: Call  1-800-225-7225      Through this 1-800 number you arrange a visit to your  home from a DHW Care Coordinator; who will do an assessment of your needs or your family member’s needs.  This Department of Health Care Coordinator  will go through  the paper work necessary to complete the application for your entry into any long term care facility on the department’s list. A complete list of all facilities is on the N.S. government’s website.  The family names their first two choices from this list. No names go on a facility’s […]

What does it cost to live at Serenity Lodge?

The DHW sets a  Daily Per Diem rate for each resident living in any Long Term Care facility that is part of their Continuing Care Sector. This is set initially during the resident`s application process. Serenity Lodge’s November 1st 2024 max. daily  rate  was set as  a R.C.F.. facility at  $65.50 per day;  no matter what your monthly income may be. Most residents pay less than this daily rate by submitting their annual income tax Notice of Assessment to the DHW to apply for a decrease in their daily rate. This daily rate is assessed annually and can be changed annually on […]

Does Serenity Lodge deal with residents that have dementia?

  It is common for the residents we serve at Serenity Lodge to be showing some form of confusion or to have had a diagnosis of dementia, or early stages of Alzheimer`s disease. We believe  kindness, empathy and dignity are very important tools  for the care plan of such residents. We  readily welcome residents that have experienced these symptoms. We feel the smaller types of facilities, like Serenity Lodge allow staff  the time to  get to know our residents well.  We can  gently assist and redirect when confusion presents itself.  Supervisory care is always present at the Lodge.  The lower […]

What training does the staff of Serenity Lodge have?

“Honour is appreciation in action. We honour others when we treat them with the dignity they deserve!” Professional training will give all our staff the strategies and tools that we need to  enable us to support all our residents in their aging process. The minimum training each staff would be required to have within six months of being hired are: A First Aid Course that is kept current. A Medication Awareness course A Non-violence Crisis Intervention course that is renewed every two years – or  the five day Alzheimer Course A Fire and Life Safety Course A Personal Care Course  

What is a care plan?

We humans are all alike but different too. Thus when it comes to aging there are similarities but no guarantee it goes the same for all. It is our opinion there is no singular approach to quality care.   We strive to know our residents well so we can create a care plan that suits their full needs.  A care plan is the written description our daily staff can turn to to know the goals of what quality care will look like for this specific resident. We will strive to meet all the resident’s needs. From their basic physical needs for […]

What type of care is available to seniors in need through the DHW’s Continuing Care?

As of February 2012, the Department of Health and Wellness has two types of care facilities in their Continuing Care sector; with three levels of care for residents living in these facilities. 1)              A  Residential Care Facility-   there are now a few small facilities with a ratio of 3 residents  to 1 staff but most R.C.F.’s  are home with up to 8 residents per staff. Serenity Lodge is lucky enough to have a maximum ratio of 6 residents to 1 staff, but 8 hours of the day we have a ratio of 6 residents with […]

What sets Serenity Lodge apart from other care homes?

We have many special features in our Lodge that enhance our team’s ability to give quality time and care to each of our residents. We are a facility that  strives for excellence in all we do. Excellence is giving our very best to any task we do. Being a small facility we can be more connected within our team and with our residents. We become a support team for each resident and their families. We will be there when the families cannot be. We care for only six residents at a time. Being a small facility gives us the time […]