Fairmount Home opened as a long-term care facility on outer Montreal Street, now Battersea Road, in 1968. The Rotary Club of Kingston-Frontenac, only two years old itself, realized the new facility would allow an excellent service opportunity for us to reach out in many ways.
Today, Fairmount is a 128-bed licensed long-term care home having 24-hour nursing and personal care. It is operated by the County of Frontenac and funded by the Ministry of Long-Term Care, South East Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), resident accommodation fees, City of Kingston, County of Frontenac, and generous donations from people in our community.
Out of the starting gate, our club set up a monthly bingo and music evening there. Members’ children (and grandchildren) joined in the glee of the residents. Following the bingo, a couple of Rotarians and several local musicians led a rousing session of old-time musical favourites from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, bringing broad smiles to the faces of the residents, many of whom just had to join in ‘dancing the light fantastic’. Santa joined us every Christmas both for the music and to deliver a present to each and every resident. Today, after fifty some years, club members still host an afternoon bingo on the first Wednesday of every month.
Financial support has included the funding of two large gazebos, a passenger van, a hydrotherapy bath (and lift), paved outdoor walking paths, and sundry. The expansion of 2004 saw the outfitting of a volunteer room as they too have needs when serving the residents. A couple of years ago, the facility saw a new auditorium extension supported by and named after the Rotary Club of Kingston-Frontenac.
We are proud of our continued relationship with an organization that is committed to the “Gentlecare” philosophy: resident-focused care which empowers residents to make individual choices. A tour by our club, following the 2004 expansion, saw many members enquiring about how to get on the waiting list.
In recognition of their commitment to the residents, our club presented a Rotary Certificate of Appreciation to Fairmount Home. The certificate is equivalent to a Paul Harris Fellowship that would be bestowed upon an individual. It is the highest honour a Rotary club can bestow to an organization. It recognizes the performance of Fairmount in living up to the spirit of Rotary: Service Above Self. In 2015, Accreditation Canada gave the long-term care facility exemplary standing, the highest possible grade.
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