The Good Samaritan Society
(A Lutheran Social Service Organization)

The Good Samaritan Society has 60 years of experience in providing complex/continuing care

Continuing care

A continuing care community, also known as a life-care community, is a type of retirement community where a number of aging care needs, from assisted living, independent living and nursing home care, may all be met in a single residence, whether in an apartment in a congregate housing facility, a...

, assisted living

Assisted living

Assisted living residences or assisted living facilities provide supervision or assistance with activities of daily living ; coordination of services by outside health care providers; and monitoring of resident activities to help to ensure their health, safety, and well-being.Assistance may...

 and other specialized health and community care services in innovative and caring environments. It is one of the largest not-for-profit

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

, voluntary care providers in Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

 and British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

.

The Good Samaritan Society is committed to and constantly strives to provide a quality of care that will enable the elderly and the physically and mentally challenged to experience an optimum quality of life

Quality of life

The term quality of life is used to evaluate the general well-being of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. Quality of life should not be confused with the concept of standard of...

.

The Good Samaritan Society has played a key role in the development of new and innovative programs – ones that are considered industry standards throughout Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

.

The Good Samaritan Society currently serves over 7500 individuals throughout Alberta and in British Columbia. The Society holds an organization-wide three-year accreditation

Accreditation

Accreditation is a process in which certification of competency, authority, or credibility is presented.Organizations that issue credentials or certify third parties against official standards are themselves formally accredited by accreditation bodies ; hence they are sometimes known as "accredited...

 status with Accreditation Canada through 2011.

The Society was created in 1949 and built its first facility, a long-term care

Long-term care

Long-term care is a variety of services which help meet both the medical and non-medical need of people with a chronic illness or disability who cannot care for themselves for long periods of time....

 hospital in 1955. Capital development since then in the greater Edmonton

Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

 area includes five continuing care centres, four assisted living facilities, an apartment building for independent seniors, and many purpose-built or service-provided homes. In 2001, The Good Samaritan Society decided to expand outside of the greater Edmonton area into smaller communities in Alberta and British Columbia. Since that time, GSS has opened programs in Medicine Hat, Lethbridge

Lethbridge

Lethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada, and the largest city in southern Alberta. It is Alberta's fourth-largest city by population after Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer, and the third-largest by area after Calgary and Edmonton. The nearby Canadian Rockies contribute to the city's...

, Pincher Creek

Pincher Creek, Alberta

Pincher Creek is a town in the southwest of Alberta, Canada. It is located immediately east of the Canadian Rockies in the centre of ranching country, north of Waterton Lakes National Park.The town's mayor is Ernie Olsen.- History :...

, Magrath

Magrath, Alberta

Magrath is a town in Cardston County, Alberta, Canada. Its 2006 population was 2,081. Magrath is located near the Canadian Rockies and is south of Lethbridge and south of Calgary.- History :...

, Stony Plain

Stony Plain, Alberta

Stony Plain is a large town in rural Alberta, Canada, just west of Edmonton.Stony Plain is a rapidly growing town with strong historical roots. It is located west of Spruce Grove and surrounded by Parkland County. The town is governed by one mayor and six councillors. The region is dominated by...

, Hinton

Hinton, Alberta

Hinton is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada.It is located in Yellowhead County, northeast of Jasper and about west of Alberta's capital city, Edmonton, at the intersection of Yellowhead and Bighorn Highway, in the Athabasca River valley.-History:...

, Evansburg

Evansburg, Alberta

Evansburg is a hamlet in west-central Alberta, Canada, within Yellowhead County. It is located on Highway 16A, approximately west of Edmonton and east of Edson. The hamlet is adjacent to the Pembina River and the Pembina River Provincial Park....

, and Rocky Mountain House, Alberta

Rocky Mountain House, Alberta

Rocky Mountain House is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada, approximately west of the City of Red Deer. It is located at the confluence of the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan Rivers, and at the crossroads of Highway 22 and Highway 11 .- History :The town has a long history dating to the...

, and Kelowna

Kelowna

Kelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley, in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. Its name derives from a Okanagan language term for "grizzly bear"...

, Penticton, Vernon

Vernon, British Columbia

Vernon is a city in the south-central region of British Columbia, Canada. Named after Forbes George Vernon, a former MLA of British Columbia who helped found the famed Coldstream Ranch, the City of Vernon was incorporated on December 30, 1892. The City of Vernon has a population of 35,944 , while...

, Salmon Arm

Salmon Arm, British Columbia

-Climate:- Education :Public schools in Salmon Arm are part of School District 83 North Okanagan-Shuswap; within the city limits, there are currently five elementary schools , one middle school , and a secondary school with two campuses...

, New Westminster, Gibsons

Gibsons, British Columbia

Gibsons is a coastal community of 4,200 located in southwestern British Columbia, Canada on the Strait of Georgia. It is the main marine gateway to the Sunshine Coast....

 and Nanaimo, British Columbia. Additional facilities are under construction in Taber, Raymond

Raymond, Alberta

Raymond is a town in Warner County, Alberta, Canada. It is located in southern Alberta south of Lethbridge on Highway 52. Raymond is known for its annual rodeo and its large Mormon population...

 and Cardston, Alberta

Cardston, Alberta

-Demographics:The population of the Town of Cardston according to its 2007 municipal census is 3,578.In 2006, it had a population of 3,452 living in 1,234 dwellings, a 0.7% decrease from 2001...

.

A volunteer Board of Directors

Board of directors

A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...

 governs The Society as a not-for-profit health

Health

Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...

 and social services organization. Registered in Alberta and British Columbia, The Society is owned by members who qualify for membership status.

Presently, there are 3,500 full-time, part-time, and casual employees and more than 1600 volunteers. The populations served include the independent elderly, frail elderly, mentally challenged, physically challenged, and chronically ill. Key service areas include independent living

Independent living

Independent living, as seen by its advocates, is a philosophy, a way of looking at disability and society, and a worldwide movement of people with disabilities working for self-determination, self-respect and equal opportunities...

; assisted living; complex/continuing care; programs for persons with development disabilities

Developmental disability

Developmental disability is a term used in the United States and Canada to describe lifelong disabilities attributable to mental or physical impairments, manifested prior to age 18. It is not synonymous with "developmental delay" which is often a consequence of a temporary illness or trauma during...

; Telecare

Telecare

Telecare is a term given to offering remote care of old and physically less able people, providing the care and reassurance needed to allow them to remain living in their own homes. The use of sensors may be part of a package which can provide support for people with illnesses such as dementia, or...

 personal emergency response services; rehabilitative services; community care programs and day programs.

The Good Samaritan Society is guided in their delivery of services though their commitment to Christian hospitality

Hospitality

Hospitality is the relationship between guest and host, or the act or practice of being hospitable. Specifically, this includes the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers, resorts, membership clubs, conventions, attractions, special events, and other services for travelers...

 which directes them to create environments that are inviting, home-like, promote wellness

Wellness (alternative medicine)

Wellness is generally used to mean a healthy balance of the mind, body and spirit that results in an overall feeling of well-being. It has been used in the context of alternative medicine since Halbert L. Dunn, M.D., began using the phrase high level wellness in the 1950s...

, and allow the guest to be, belong, and become. Services are offered with respect

Respect

Respect denotes both a positive feeling of esteem for a person or other entity , and also specific actions and conduct representative of that esteem. Respect can be a specific feeling of regard for the actual qualities of the one respected...

, dignity

Dignity

Dignity is a term used in moral, ethical, and political discussions to signify that a being has an innate right to respect and ethical treatment. It is an extension of the Enlightenment-era concepts of inherent, inalienable rights...

, trust and choice.

In 1990, The Good Samaritan Board of Directors recommended that The Society adopt a number of strategies to meet the service demands, cultural changes, and economic trends that it had forecast. One of the major outcomes was the development of assisted living. The first assisted living facility in Canada, Wedman House, officially opened April 1994.

The Good Samaritan Society has also developed a unique cottage program for persons with Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...

 and other dementia

Dementia

Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...

. In addition, The Society is a leader in the development of community programs, such as day programs and shared living that seeks to assist people in their own homes and communities.

The parable

Parable

A parable is a succinct story, in prose or verse, which illustrates one or more instructive principles, or lessons, or a normative principle. It differs from a fable in that fables use animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as characters, while parables generally feature human...

 of the good Samaritan challenges them to continue to be mindful of those whose needs are easy to pass by. In a spirit of compassion

Compassion

Compassion is a virtue — one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy are regarded as a part of love itself, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnection and humanism — foundational to the highest principles in philosophy, society, and personhood.There is an aspect of...

, they work in supportive partnerships and open their hearts to others by affirming their goodness and potential. The Good Samaritan Society provides safe, comfortable communities inspiring involvement, where people experience a sense of caring, belonging and purpose. The Good Samaritan Society leads through giving of themselves in service to others, by acting with courage in a trustworthy and ethical manner.

The mission of The Good Samaritan Society is to extend Christian Hospitality through a continuum of care to those in need or at risk, regardless of race or religious belief.

The vision of The Good Samaritan Society is to grow in strength, excellence and creativity

Creativity

Creativity refers to the phenomenon whereby a person creates something new that has some kind of value. What counts as "new" may be in reference to the individual creator, or to the society or domain within which the novelty occurs...

in caring for others.

Reflecting Christian Hospitality, the values of The Good Samaritan Society are:
• Healthy Relationships
• Hospitable Environments
• Servant Leadership

The ministry of The Good Samaritan Society

But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. Luke 10: 33-34