Spirit of camaraderie draws LEC back to OMNI

'I'm so happy to be back here,' says Candice Stewart

June 19, 2012 -- Deron Hamel

Springdale Country Manor life enrichment co-ordinator (LEC) Candice Stewart says the camaraderie found in OMNI Health Care long-term care homes is what she missed most about being away from the organization for two years.

Stewart, who previously worked at as a life enrichment aide at Burnbrae Gardens and an LEC at Maplewood, came back to the company she loves to work for and to her passion, which is long-term care.

“I missed camaraderie — I think it’s something you take for granted when you work for another company,” she tells the OMNIway.

“I’m so happy to be back here. . . . I’m back doing what I love most.”

She adds that the feeling of “connectedness” she gets from working at an OMNI home began when she first came to OMNI in 2008 and is something that has stayed with her.

On top of the family atmosphere amongst team members she enjoys at OMNI, Stewart says she has also missed the organization’s emphasis on education.

“(OMNI’s) belief in education and encouraging people to keep learning is something I missed big time,” she says.

In fact, when Stewart found out there was a job opening at Springdale Country Manor in April, she didn’t think twice about applying for the job, even though it meant a more than one-hour commute to Peterborough County from her home in Madoc.

Stewart became the home’s LEC on May 28. She replaced Ann Dillon, who retired from the Peterborough-area long-term care home on April 7, after a 31-year career at OMNI.

While she will have some big shoes to fill, Stewart’s familiarity with OMNI and the organization’s people and culture make her feel right at home, she says.

Now that she’s back at OMNI, Stewart has some big plans in the works. Topping her to-do list is enhancing individualized programming.

During her job interview, Stewart explained that this was something she wanted to focus on if she got the position.

“They said, ‘That’s fantastic, that’s exactly what we want,’ ” she says.

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