Toronto is one of the most multicultural and multilingual cities in the world, and this is especially true for the city’s senior population. Half of the city’s inhabitants have a mother tongue that is not English, and 15% of Toronto’s seniors cannot speak any English at all.

These statistics highlight the need for families to find assisted living in Toronto that can speak their language, but also senior homes where diversity is appreciated and people with diverse languages and cultures can enjoy life in harmony.

When caregivers speak your language, it can make all the difference

When a loved one moves into a retirement home, it is a big transition. When staff members can speak your language, it can make all the difference for that experience to be as comfortable and as stress-free as possible. At Fairfield Residence Assisted Living for Seniors, our primary language is English, however all of our staff are multi-lingual and many speak fluent Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Russian and more.

Having the comfort of home, and the safety and security of Assisted Living, is top priority for us at Fairfield Residence. A key part of creating this environment is that our resident’s feel understood and heard, so that we can always make sure to meet their needs.

Speaking the language of residents can help by:

• Reducing the stress of transition
  Moving elderly parents into assisted living can be a difficult time. The transition is made easier when the residence is to an environment that feels more like home.
• Helping residents communicate their needs
  Senior residents can more comfortably communicate their needs to caregivers when they speak their mother tongue.
• Connecting to positive memories of the past
  A common language helps residents feel more connected to the stories of their past, culture, and history.
• Understanding their culture
  Nothing feels more like home than a favourite dish fresh from the kitchen.

Fairfield Residence celebrates the diversity of Toronto, a place where all cultures and backgrounds are welcome.

In Fairfield Residence’s neighbourhood in Toronto of Long Branch, Etobicoke, a multitude of languages are spoken locally, with Ukrainian and Russian ranking in the top 5. However, with dozens of other languages also spoken in the neighborhood, we unfortunately cannot speak them all. However, we welcome resident’s from all cultures, backgrounds, and languages with open arms.

As a boutique style residence, Fairfield takes an individual approach to meet the needs of our residents to accommodate their cultural preferences:

• We celebrate all holidays important to our residents. We love any excuse to celebrate, so we are very open to special requests.
• We accommodate most food preferences and do our best to make our resident’s feel like they’re home.
• We offer a wide array of activities tailored to our resident’s interests and passions.
• Acceptance of cultural diversity is one of our core values. We hire staff and select residents with our values at top of mind, because it is of utmost importance to us to create an environment where everyone feels safe and appreciated.

Our staff members speak many languages

We are very proud of the cultural diversity and language ability of all our management and staff members. Below, we highlight a few examples:

Angela, Director and co-owner of Fairfield Residence

• Angela has lived in Toronto since 1989, but has previously lived in Lithuania where she also earned her degree in Nursing.
• Angela speaks not only fluent English and Lithuanian but is also fluent in Russian and has good understanding of many Eastern European languages.

Olga, Lead Care Manager

• Olga has worked at Fairfield for almost 15 years, and brings this unparalleled dedication and experience to overseeing the care and safety of our residents to the highest standard.
• Not only is Olga multi-lingual, but has a previous career as a language teacher. Besides fluent English, Olga speaks Ukrainian and Russian.

Milda, Resident Chef

• Milda is our professional chef, serving delicious and nutritious homestyle meals fresh from the kitchen three times daily. Milda develops our menu with inspiration from flavours from around the world.
• Milda speaks fluent Lithuanian, Russian, as well as some Polish – not to mention fluent English of course.

Mack, Head Caregiver

• Mack’s genuine love for community shines through in all his work. He ensures residents experience the highest quality of care and safety, but also goes out of his way to put a smile on their faces.
• Mack speaks both English and French fluently.