A day program for St. Thomas seniors with dementia is getting a $25,000 boost from the Province of Ontario, meant to expand staffing and bring new support tools directly into family homes.
The City of St. Thomas announced on July 6, 2026 that the Elgin-St. Thomas Adult Day Program at Valleyview Home received the funding through the province’s Seniors Community Grant Program. The money will pay for more staff during busier periods, introduce sensory-based technology for clients, and create a lending library of resources that caregivers can use at home.
“It doesn’t seem like a lot, but it’s super helpful,” program supervisor Paula Henderson said. She noted that on some days the program’s capacity was limited because staffing could not support the complex needs of clients. The new funding is meant to help close that gap.
The day program runs two sessions daily, five days a week out of Valleyview, a 136-bed long-term care home owned by the city. Over the one-year period ending in March 2026, it served 231 seniors. With more than 334,500 Ontarians currently living with dementia and that number expected to triple by 2050, the province has been directing more resources toward community-based supports.
Mayor Joe Preston and Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Rob Flack attended the announcement at Valleyview, located at 350 Burwell Road. The grant is part of the Seniors Community Grant Program, which has backed more than 2,100 projects across Ontario since 2018.
