QCH Clinicians Are Turning Care into Connection for People with Dementia
At Queensway Carleton Hospital, people aren’t just part of our work, they are at the center of everything we do. Two of our incredible clinicians are leading the way in transforming and elevating dementia care in acute care hospital settings.
On December 17, 2025, the Meaningful Engagement Resource Guide (MERG), a provincial, evidence-based tool for dementia care, was showcased in a national webinar with 600+ clinicians from across Canada and the US. This guide isn’t just a “nice-to-have”—it’s critically needed for people living with dementia, especially in busy hospital environments where stress, unfamiliar routines, and overstimulation can quickly trigger distress.
Melissa Laroche, our Advanced Practice Nurse in Geriatrics, co-led this work alongside two other partners, with the support of Behavioural Supports Ontario (BSO). She helped design, built and roll out MERG across hospitals, long-term care, and multisector care settings in Ontario and a the national level. Her focus? Ensuring evidence-based care meets the real-world needs of older adults living with dementia and their care partners in acute care hospitals.
Stephanie Neville, our extraordinary Recreational Therapist in Dementia Care at QCH, contributed her insight, creativity, and compassion to designing the guide, putting personhood and lived experience front and center. Stephanie’s work reminds us that every story matters—and that engagement is about connection, not just completing tasks.
Why MERG matters:
Because meaningful engagement transforms care. When activities align with a person’s interests, abilities, and cultural identity, they’re not just “occupied”—they’re seen, valued, and connected. Feeling heard and understood as a hospitalized patient living with dementia isn’t optional—it’s essential.
Reduces boredom, loneliness that can escalate into moments of distress
Lowers the use of chemical and physical restraints in hospitals
Boosts mood, cognition, and overall quality of life for hospitalized patients
Supports care partners and families, making interactions calmer, safer, and more meaningful
MERG is built on equity, diversity, and inclusion, making it effective for everyone: patients, families, volunteers, and staff. It’s practical, flexible, and designed for the realities of daily life in acute hospital settings.
At its core, MERG is about dignity, autonomy, and belonging. It’s about asking, listening, and meeting people where they are, not forcing them into tasks that don’t fit. Because meaningful engagement isn’t optional, it’s what great care looks like.
We are immensely proud of Melissa, Stephanie, and all the provincial clinicians and care partners across Ontario who made this possible. Their collective work proves that with the right tools, collaboration, and mindset, care can be empowering, compassionate, and truly transformative, even in the fast-paced world of acute care.
Learn about the guide: MERG – Meaningful Engagement Resource Guide
Watch the webinar: Transforming Care Through Meaningful Engagement