Welcome Home! Gene Zwozdesky Centre Norwood

February 8, 2024 - Residents of the new Gene Zwozdesky Centre at Norwood have officially moved into their new building and have begun to make home. Since the move-in process began in the fall, residents have taken on the exciting responsibility of making their rooms into homes and discovering new routines and possibilities in all of the gathering spaces.

To celebrate this move CapitalCare hosted a housewarming event called, "Heartwarming" on February 8 to celebrate the move-in. Residents and staff gathered for an afternoon celebration with cake and a musical performance by Ariana and Joe Whitlow. Families and volunteers, as well as the Zwozdesky family, were part of the celebration.

“It’s incredibly exciting to see our residents in their new homes. It’s worthy of a celebration and a thank you to our staff who have worked so hard to make sure our residents and patients have been supported throughout the move,” says CapitalCare COO Aileen Wong. “This is a welcome start to new living spaces, patient care, and innovative approaches to continuing care.”

CapitalCare staff at Norwood and across the organization have worked hard to move an entire community from one building to another, overcoming obstacles and seeing opportunities.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled for our staff to be able to explore the potential of this building,” says Mike Rickson, site director of the Gene Zwozdesky Centre. “They have worked diligently to oversee every detail of this move and they deserve congratulations in making it a success.”

Staff continue to take on learning about the new space and finding new opportunities to create healthy independent living for residents.

The Gene Zwozdesky Centre officially opened in the fall of 2023, with staff and residents moving in throughout the fall and winter last year. The centre was built with the idea of person-centred care at the heart of its design and was intended to create a home-like space for residents. The building brings continuing care into a modern era with greater opportunities for innovative practices throughout the spaces in the building.

The CapitalCare Foundation has supported the development of the building with fundraising toward the details that make a space a home including artwork and additional furniture for gathering spaces. The Foundation continues to fundraise to support the Teaching Research Learning Centre which will create action-oriented training focused on best-practices in continuing care.