Awards

In 2011, the Wales Home was chosen as one of the prestigious winners in the AVIVA Insurance Community Fund.

The Wales actively competed for months prior to winning this Canada-wide contest, which provides one million dollars in funding for projects which have a fundamental impact on the community at large. The Wales Home’s project, a Therapeutic Garden designed specifically for residents suffering from Alzheimer’s and related dementias, was selected as a winner among an initial 1724 projects!

In 2013, the Wales Home accepted the Gold honour for the Not-for-Profit category at the Gala de Reconnaissance Estrie.

The evening was designed to reward companies that achieved success in the previous year. Applications were evaluated by experts from major financial institutions and accounting firms from the Sherbrooke region.

In 2013, the Wales Home was awarded the prestigious title of “Résidence de l’année” by the Regroupement Québécois des residences pour aînés (RQRA) for one hundred residents or more.

For the first time, the RQRA recognized outstanding residences for a project they launched to improve quality of life of their residents.

In 2013, the Wales Home received a Certificate of Merit from the McKnight’s Excellence in Technology Award (USA) in the “Transition” category.

This award was received for the Wales’s Real-Time Location System; residents wear a tag around their wrist. When residents press the button on their tag, a duress alert is sent to employees’ iPods, signalling that the resident requires assistance and identifying the resident’s current location. The Wales Home is the first facility in Canada to have this Wi-Fi technology both inside and outside the building.

In 2013, the Wales Home received honourable mention of the MSSS Prix d’Excellence award for “Initiative of safety and services category” for its Guardian Angel Program.

This initiative was designed to surpass basic standards for safety, quality of care, and the optimization of autonomy for seniors through three ambitious projects: the creation of a therapeutic garden, the complete modernization of the CHSLD, including the creation of two micro-milieu units for seniors with dementia, and the deployment of an advanced Real-Time Location System.

In 2014, Executive Director Brendalee Piironen was honoured at the tenth annual “soirée Aequitas,” sponsored by les PÉPINES.

This event honoured women in the Estrie region who are exemplary leaders in their environment. Brendalee was selected as the winner for the Val St-François region, and was recognized for her achievements in geriatric healthcare.

In 2015, the Wales Home was named Most Innovative Corporation by the Centre d’aide aux entreprises.

The Wales Home was selected for its implementation of numerous Best Practices, including the modernization of the CHSLD, the Guardian Angel Program, the Therapeutic Garden, the deployment of the Real-Time Location call bell system, therapeutic elevator door wrappings, and the recent installation of a Sky Factory Ceiling.

In 2015, at a gala event held at the Palais de congrès in Montreal, the Quebec government and the Mouvement Québécois de la qualité awarded an Honourable Mention of the Grand prix Québécois de la qualité for a not-for-profit organization to the Wales Home.

This award recognizes private and public companies that have implemented stringent quality-improvement systems and achieved outstanding results. The Wales Home is the first seniors’ residence to receive a Grand prix Québécois de la qualité.

In 2016, the Wales Home received the Performance and Outreach Award from the Gala Reconnaissance Estrie.

In 2016, at a gala event held in Toronto, the Wales Home received a Bronze Award in the Quality and Project category from the Canada Awards for Excellence.

Excellence Canada’s mission is to help organizations in all sectors become best-in-class by implementing standards for excellence. Their annual awards program recognizes outstanding achievements by organizations in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors, from coast to coast across Canada. The following factors were evaluated: leadership, strategic planning customer approach, information management, human resources, operations (purchasing and interdisciplinary intervention plan), and organizational results (client satisfaction rate, occupancy, and financial results).

In 2018, Brendalee Piironen, Executive Director, received an award from Planetree Québec for the superior quality of her leadership.

In 2018, the Wales Home Activity Department received an award from the Fédération Québécoise du loisir en institution in the “Loisir et qualité de vie” category.

This award highlights the Activity Department’s achievements in providing excellent recreational activities for Wales Home residents, which in turn improves quality of life.

In October 2018, several Wales Home employees travelled to Boston to receive Gold Certification. While there, the Wales Home was also awarded a Global Person-Centered Care Innovation Award for its Wellness Room.

The Wellness Room, a Best Practice, provides a rejuvenating and peaceful retreat for residents, employees, volunteers, and family members alike. Complete with massage chairs, music therapy, aromatherapy, an E-Sea Virtual Aquarium, and wall mural depicting a scene from nature, the Wellness Room is a space where individuals can recharge and return to their everyday routine with a fresh perspective and positive outlook.

For the second time in 2018, Executive Director Brendalee Piironen was honoured with an award for her leadership.

While in Boston in October, Brendalee received the prestigious Planetree Scholar Award in recognition of her commitment and achievement as a proponent of person-centered care.

On October 10th, 2018, the Wales Home and CHSLD Wales Inc. received Gold recognition for Excellence in Person-Centered Care from Planetree International. Executive Director Brendalee Piironen travelled to Boston with six employees to receive this prestigious honour at Planetree’s fortieth annual International Conference on Person-Centered Care.

Planetree uses its international “Person-Centered Care Certification Program” to formally recognize excellence in person-centered care in various types of healthcare facilities. There are three tiers of recognition: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Each tier represents an incremental level of achievement. There is a total of 133 Planetree-certified sites worldwide: eighty-two Gold certifications, six Silver certifications, and forty-five Bronze certifications. The Wales Home is thus one of eighty-two Gold-certified healthcare facilities in the world, and one of four in Canada. The CHSLD Wales is the only gold-certified long-term care facility in Québec.

In 2021, the Wales Home's Front-of-House landscaping won first place at the Association des paysagistes professionel's forty-second landscaping competition in the Business World Landscape category.

Judges were impressed with the peaceful and unique nature of our landscaping. This large-scale project attracted the judges' attention through Wales landscaper Signé Garneau's superb execution. Judges also appreciated Garneau's attention to detail in slope management and respect for the area's rural spirit.