Pharmacy Services would be provided to our clients/residents residing at Park Meadows Village and West Highland Centre in Lethbridge, Garden Vista in Magrath, South Ridge Village in Medicine Hat, and Vista Village in Pincher Creek. 

Click here for more information.

For 20 years the community in the Edmonton area has been showing their support of quality care for seniors through our Spirit of Caring Golf Tournament, which raises funds for our residents and clients through a day of fellowship and fun. Plans are underway for our 20th Annual Servus Credit Union Spirit of Caring Golf Tournament taking place on Thursday, June 14, 2012 at The Links in Spruce Grove.

Tournament proceeds will be in support of our 156-bed Stony Plain Care Centre re-build.  Originally built in 1963, this new senior’s care site re-build was needed in order to provide the home-like environment that The Good Samaritan Society is known for.

We would like to take this opportunity to invite you to support this initiative by joining us in this year’s Servus Credit Union Spirit of Caring Golf Tournament. The $180 golfer’s fee includes green fees, golf cart, golfer gift, 18 holes of Texas Scramble, breakfast, mid-day meal, banquet luncheon, silent auction, fantastic prizes, hole contests, a generous tax receipt, and a great day of fellowship and fun.

The impact of the new site in Stony Plain is significant. Residents – current and future – can stay close to home while receiving the care they need. Join us in developing the future of seniors’ care in our community by supporting this special fundraising event.

To reserve a playing spot please register on-line at: http://www.gss.org/events.

Register to Golf by Friday, May 4, 2012 to be entered into the Early Bird Prize Draw! One night stay (Friday or Saturday) in an Earth King Room at the Metterra Hotel Includes wine tasting, continental breakfast, valet parking, and Wi-Fi and a $50 Gift Certificate for brunch at Murrieta’s Bar & Grill.

We look forward to seeing you at this year's golf tournament!

The Good Samaritan Society bylaws state the following regarding Director qualifications:

1. Directors shall be voting members* of the Society, at least seven (7) of whom shall be Lutheran.
2. Other Requirements – No person otherwise qualified to be a Director of the Society shall be elected or appointed or serve as a Director if that person is;

a)    declared bankrupt and remains undischarged from same;
b)    an employee of the Society; or
c)    mentally incompetent.

*Voting members must agree to uphold and further the mission, vision and values of the Good Samaritan Society (A Lutheran Social Service Organization).  Click here to download the membership application.

The Society is currently accepting nominations for three regions.  The three regions, as defined in the by-laws are:

• Southern Alberta District shall mean all parts of the Province of Alberta lying south of the most northerly point of the City of Red Deer (and for greater certainty includes the City of Red Deer).
• Coastal British Columbia District shall mean all parts of the Province of British Columbia lying to the west of a straight line which is drawn to the southerly and northerly borders of BC and which would cross the following two points (a) the most westerly point of the City of Hope, in BC and (b) the most westerly part of Watson Lake in the Yukon Territories.
• Central British Columbia District shall mean all parts of the Province of British Columbia that is not part of the Coastal British Columbia District. 

Click here to download the Candidate Information form.  For further information e-mail Joanne Dusterbeck at jdusterbeck@gss.org or call 780-431-3706.

Deadline for nominations is May 15, 2012.

After several months of consultations with Alberta Health Services, Alberta Seniors, and Royal Oak Developments Ltd, we have decided that effective February 1, 2012, The Good Samaritan Society will transfer operational responsibility for the program to Royal Oak Developments Ltd.

There are two primary reasons for transitioning the program to Royal Oak Developments Ltd: 

• Royal Oak Developments Ltd. has always been the owner of Royal Oak Manor.  In operating the supportive living program The Good Samaritan Society has had a lease agreement with Royal Oak Developments Ltd.  The life lease portion of the building has always been operated by Royal Oak Developments Ltd.  
• With Royal Oak Developments Ltd. being awarded new beds on the adjoining property, it made sense for them to operate the entire facility.  Royal Oak Developments Ltd. and their parent company Christenson Developments Ltd. manage contracts for other supportive living facilities in Alberta. 

We know this decision is difficult for staff and residents that are currently being served by The Good Samaritan Society.  The decision to transition this program to Royal Oak Developments Ltd. in no way reflects the community of residents who live there, or the excellent work of the staff in supporting them.  Staff that have been working for The Good Samaritan Society will have the ability to transition to Royal Oak Developments Ltd. and continue their employment at the site.

This Christmas give someone the gift of comfort and joy.  Donation packages are available at all of our sites/programs or donate online.  Please give generously.

Accreditation Canada is a not-for-profit, independent organization that provides health organizations with an external peer review to assess the quality of their services based on standards of excellence.  The Accreditation process is an ongoing quality improvement process whereby the work continues over time. 

All of GSS was surveyed with the exception of:

• PPDD: who have their own accreditation process through another organization
• CHOICE programs:  who are accredited through Alberta Health Services
• Seniors’ Clinic and the other day programs: currently have not been assessed against accreditation standards

 Five Accreditation Teams were created in the following areas:  

1. Effective and Sustainable Governance
2. Effective Organization
3. Long Term Care
4. Infection Prevention and Control
5. Medication Management

The Accreditation Canada team of four spent four days reviewing these areas at various sites throughout the organization and at the end of their review, they informed us that The Good Samaritan Society met 421 of a possible 433 standards and had only 5 unmet standards.  The 5 unmet standards, including one Required Organizational Practice (ROP) are currently in the process of being addressed.

The outstanding ROP was in relation to not fully completed work for the Do Not Use Abbreviations for documentation in our clinical records and practice.

For comparison purposes, we met 99% of the standards this time as opposed to 94% of the standards during the last Accreditation survey in 2008. 

The surveyors were very complimentary of the organization as a whole and in particular of the way in which we live our values each and every day. They also said that we had best practices that they were planning to take back to their own organizations.

This year, as part of the annual Spirituality and Wholeness Workshops sponsored by The Good Samaritan Society, we had the privilege of presenting Rebecca Nordeman Servant Leadership: Leading from the Inside Out.  The quote above is from someone that has attended Rebecca's workshop.

The journey to become a more effective leader is a lifelong process.  It is an exciting journey for those with a sincere commitment to serve others.  The workshop explored 7 key practices of Servant Leadership that help explain why this way of leading really works.

Rebecca has graciously given her permission to share the presentation along with a couple of handouts from the workshop.

Servant Leadership: Leading from the Inside Out 
ASSUME Model for Courageous Conversations 
Prayer of a Servant and Watering Dirt 

Servant Leadership, though a seemingly paradoxical notion, is simple and elegant.  It begins, as Robert Greenleaf said, with “the natural feeling that one wants to serve.”  It ends with the legacy a Servant Leader leaves in the lives of those whom they have served. 

Documents for this expression of interest can be found on the MERX website at www.merx.com under the Private Tenders tab.  The closing date for this Request for Expression of Interest will be November 4, 2011 at 14:00 hours MST. 

The closing date for this Request for Proposal will be October 25, 2011 at 1400 hours MST.  Please visit www.merx.com for the complete tenders package which can be found under the private tenders tab.

Mike and Debbie were the owners of the local Joey’s Only Seafood Restaurant which they recently sold.  They have been very generous supporters of Mountain View Centre and have hosted three successful fundraising benefit dinners in support of the Mountain View Centre dementia program. 

The residents thoroughly enjoyed the evening.  Sally, the Assisted Living Coordinator stated, “I have never heard the dining room so quiet and Residents and staff enjoying dinner, conversation and lighthearted bantering.  It was really wonderful”.

The community of Hinton lost two very community minded, kind and generous people, and we can say with absolute certainty that GSS will miss Deb and Mike tremendously.

The entire evening was AWESOME!!