Celebrating Our Past
At Trellis, we celebrate the past as it is an important part of our ‘story’ and the history of how we arrived to be in this moment. We encourage everyone to understand the past and respect its impact on our life and on the lives of those around us. We hope that there will always be joy in the stories and there can be events, people and issues that will be troubling too. Yet it is through those unique experiences that we grow, change and become who we are today.
The history of the Gemstone site stems back many years to a time when the land was first used for farming by the Humphrey Desmond family. It was a successful working farm that provided produce to the local community for many years. However, as the city developed, the use of the land changed and became a prime opportunity for redevelopment. The Desmond family recognized this and decided to support seniors in the community by formally designating the land to be used for that purpose. Today, the Desmond land provides a wide range of services for the community seniors, including Long Term Care services at Brocklehurst Gemstone Care Centre.
Our Name
There are two important parts to our name. The first is Brocklehurst which honours our community and our location. This special area of Kamloops where we are located has evolved and grown and seeks to retain an individual identity. We call this place ‘Brocklehurst’ which is a community within the broader Kamloops community
The second part is Gemstone which speaks about the people. This part of our name portrays a very important message about the people who will live and work here. As we know, life is precious and special people are often referred to as gems. In fact, a care home is filled with gems being both our seniors and their caregivers. As you join in on the life at a care home, you will see the treasures that are revealed and the gifts that are shared including ones of tenderness, patience and understanding. They value respect & dignity and most of all, they give love. This is where real living happens and the people involved truly are the gems and ‘Gemstones’ of our new place.
We are proud of our name as Brocklehurst Gemstone Care Centre….in honour of the history, the community and the people we serve.
We extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to our outstanding panel of 2012 judges who represented the community to name the building:
- Kamloops North Thompson MLA/Minister of Environment Dr. Terry Lake
- Kamloops City Councilor Nelly Dever
- Deborah Smith, Director Residential Services for Interior Health
- Don Craft, neighbour and Executive Director for RiverBend Manor
- Kathy McArthur, neighbour and former strata council for RiverBend
- Brenda Prevost, Executive Director for the Kamloops Centre for Seniors Information
The community around the home is evolving and offers modern urban-type living, a vision for a bustling town centre, on-street bike lanes and enhanced pedestrian crossings. The community within the home is focused on creating joy in life and aging…by caring, connecting and celebrating. These supportive features, along with the nearby access to nature walks, parks and tree-lined streets, makes Creekstone a beautiful (caring) community within a beautiful (North Shore) community.
Our Name
There are two important parts to our name, which help define who we are.
The first is Creekstone which honours our location. This special area of North Vancouver where we are located has evolved and grown into its own individual identity within the broader community. ‘Lynn Creek’ is a budding community that values history within an openness for change and growth. We are located near the creek that ebbs and flows and our foundation is solid, like stone. This mirrors how we experience life and aging that runs through time and sometimes needs strong supports, just like in the home. For those reasons, it is proudly the first part of our name.
The second part of our name is Care. We give tender attention to the Residents who come to live here as well as their families. Through skilled and thoughtful acts and kind words, we give from our hearts, bringing our expertise and compassion to serve our residents’ needs. We care for our environment, and are responsible stewards of the resources entrusted to us.
We are excited and proud of our name as Creekstone Care Centre, in honour of our special location in North Vancouver and the people we serve.
Our story began over 20 years ago when Mary McDougall created Trellis Seniors Services. Mary had experienced firsthand the challenges of giving personal care to someone she loved deeply and then the sad feelings of saying goodbye. She also learned through being part of a large family that life’s journey is best traveled together, with people you love, and filled with lots of laughter.
Since those early days, Mary and her husband, Dan, have grown their own family along with growing a family-owned company. Trellis has become a network of dynamic caring leaders who are inspired to create joy in life and aging. We are proud of our story and what we do each and every day in our service to Long Term Care. We live by our values and we love what we contribute. We believe that joy in life comes from having something to do, someone to love and something to look forward to. It is this belief that motivates us to care, connect and celebrate.
“Protecting vulnerable seniors by growing caring communities is how I want to contribute to the world. It stems from my personal experience at a young age of growing up on a farm while providing primary care at home to my mom and paired by the teachings of my dad about hard work and humour. I am fortunate to be able to use my head to lead, my hands to work and my heart to create joy in life for others and those in need. Trellis homes are a place where dignity and accomplishments are respected; wisdom is acknowledged; and vulnerability through the last chapter in life is in kind, caring hands.” ~ Mary McDougall, Founder and President
More than a Name
The name ‘Trellis’ is very purposeful as it helps describe who we are. A garden trellis is a solid structure that is carefully crafted but not intended to be visible. Rather, it is the flowers and vines that are beautiful when supported by the trellis because without it, they could not thrive.
Similarly, Trellis is the leadership, processes and systems that we, as an organization, have in place to support and promote best practice and exceptional service. This allows the unique mix of people who live and work with us to thrive through caring, friendship and love which give meaning to life. Welcome to Trellis!
