Ever since Karen was young, she knew she wanted to be a part of a healthcare team. At the age of 14, she started her first job working at a retirement residence as dietary staff. She spent time getting to know the residents and building bonds with them. This was the beginning of the career that she is so passionate about now.

Even before joining Memory & Company, she had over 8 years of nursing experience-including Director of Care experience in retirement residences, Long-term Care, hospital, and community settings. Karen plans to continue educating herself on other ways that could make a difference to better the lives of those living with memory loss.

On her personal time, she enjoys spending quality time with family and friends. Camping trips with her hubby, vacations down south, gardening with her grandparents, hiking and biking are just some of her favourite things to take part in.

Carly Collier brings... (read more).

Memory & Company is proud to have Executive Chef Paul Maxwell on our Oakville Club team.

Trained at the Disney Institute of Customer Service (California), and in French and Pacific Coast cuisine, Chef Maxwell has travelled across North America to perfect his art.  He has worked and managed restaurants, pubs, a YMCA youth help centre, and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre delighting families, to pub crawlers, to Heads of State.

In his spare time, he enjoys sports, music and renovation projects.  Most of all, he enjoys spending time with his wife and planning culinary and wine adventures, and time with his dog, Wally.

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Memory & Company is proud to have Executive Chef Denvil Christie on our Markham Club team.

Having a private chef means our Members and their Caregivers can have peace-of-mind that healthy, wholesome meals are being prepared, fresh, in-house, with nutrition and dietary restrictions in mind.

When we asked Chef to write his bio, this is what he said:

“I’m a humble person who is hardworking and also a team player. I like to travel and worked in many different places.  I’m a family man like to spend time with my kids and like to go to church and just praising my Lord and Saviour.

Pretty much down to earth.  I also consider myself a giver who cares for others.  I love to watch movies and cartoons.  I don’t like to gloat much or talk about myself.”

He was too humble to say he’s been an Executive Chef in the glamorous L.A. to the opulent Cayman Islands, and in the past decade has specialized in the Senior care industry where he finds the perfect work-life balance for his true love: his family.

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She brings over 15 years of nursing experience; 10 years focused on dementia care. She has developed a strong commitment to providing compassionate, person-centered support and ensures the highest quality of care for Members and their families.  She always see the Members first, then dementia second.  

"From the moment I first learned about Memory & Company and its mission, I felt a deep connection to its values. I am truly passionate about contributing my skills and experience to this organization and look forward to growing within a team that shares the same dedication to excellence in care.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family, watching sports (though I don’t play any myself), and traveling whenever I get the chance. These experiences keep me balanced and bring joy to my life, which I believe also impacts the care I provide in my professional role."

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Sir Remington III (first in line to the Royal Canin) a.k.a. “Remy”

Remy is a Biewer Terrier and has been making visits since he was eight weeks old.  He understands his assignment and is always ready for a cuddle or a game of fetch.  He’s so loved, even our Members with Memory Loss remember to ask for Remy.

Remy does not have email. He's a dog.

UPDATE: Hunter’s a bit of teen now-a-days.  He’d rather be on his phone so it’s been a while since he’s hung out at the Clubs… so we introduced a Clubhouse dog instead.  Hunter is still passionate for the cause.  He still attends Club functions and charity events.

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In short, Hunter comes to the Club to chat and play with the Members after school and on PA Days.  Members look forward to his visits, and Hunter looks forward to joining in the activities with them.

During COVID-19, the owners moved into the Markham Club in solidarity with their team.  This also meant Hunter became the first 8-year old to live in a “retirement home”.

His parents (the owners) look forward to raising a child where memory loss and dementia have no stigma.

Hunter Snaps. He does not do email.

Cara has always been drawn to a career focused in customer service and has excelled in those positions.  It was her passion and enthusiasm that inspired her education in recreation, as well as her empathetic and caring heart that motivated her career in senior care. She is able to conduct a recreation program that seniors can enjoy and are fully capable of participating in at any ability.

After fulfilling an education in Recreation and Leisure, Cara obtained a diploma along with high honours. With the hopes to make a difference in seniors’ lives, Cara continues to focus on educating herself through courses such as Mental Health, First Aid and Dementia Care programs.

On her personal time Cara enjoys traveling and soaking in other culture, architecture and history. Australia has become a second home and favourite destination after living in Sydney for a year.  Other activities such as horseback riding, cheering on her favourite sports teams, nature hikes with her dog, and enjoying family time up at her cottage make up the foundation of her happiness.

Cara is extremely excited to processed with a life long dedication to help promote activity and over all wellness within the senior community.

Stephany comes to Memory & Company with over ten years of nursing experience.  Most recently, she was part of the Behavioural Support Team at the Alzheimer Society of Hamilton Halton.  She has hospital experience working in Neurobehavioural units, and has lead Memory Living teams in Retirement Homes.

Over the course of Stephany’s career, she has found herself trialing many avenues of nursing but always finding herself circling back to the geriatric population living with dementia. She has always had a passion for helping people living with dementia; helping families connect with their loved ones again; helping them remember who their loved one was BEFORE the disease took over; and helping them navigate the disease and figure out how to have a meaningful connection again.

Her plan is to continue to share her passion with the Memory & Company Team and families by connecting with our Members and impacting their lives in a positive way and helping you do the same.

In her personal time, you can find Stephany outdoors going on exciting new adventures with her family or anywhere she can find a food truck.  She loves to stay BUSY by finding new hobbies and is an Amazon bestselling author.

Lauren holds an MBA focused in Healthcare Operations from the Bedfordshire School of Business, where she completed extensive research on cognitive aging experiences.  She also holds a B.A. (hons) in Gerontology from McMaster University and an Ontario College Business Certificate.

Following years of global experience, Lauren finds herself back home to continue her dream of transforming the aging experience through leading our Oakville Team. She brings a versatile range of skills and strong business knowledge to Memory & Company and looks forward to making a difference in people’s lives one Member at a time.

In her previous roles, Lauren has transformed retirement communities by enhancing programming and introducing alternative services. She has largely focused on creating age-friendly communities and achieving person-centred care through holistic approaches and building meaningful relationships.

Lauren enjoys trying new food in new places and keeping active through motor sports, running and trying to golf.  Her goals include being a lifelong learner, simplifying life’s transitions, and getting a hole in one. ⛳

Victor Kwong is formally trained as an Avionics Maintenance Technician. He started his career fixing communication and navigation systems on airplanes and helicopters but he soon found himself unsatisfied because it lacked the element of human interaction.

Victor then set off to find a new path that would have the most human interaction, and that he would enjoy. He came across teaching and policing.  To “test the waters”, Victor became a high-school supply teacher and volunteered as an Auxiliary Police Officer.

While trying out both fields, Victor took his education and started a company of his own installing electronics in business vehicles, and converting them into mobile offices. At the early age of 21, as a sole-proprietor, Victor got his first taste as an entrepreneur. His professionalism, attention to quality, and most of all, customer service, out-weighed his young age and won him contracts with a provincial government and two universities.

Four years later, in 2000, Victor proudly joined a metropolitan police service.

He spent the first several years as a front-line officer, a scenes-of-crime officer, a collision investigator, and a criminal investigator.  Truly believing that cross-training makes for a better employee, Victor then applied to the service’s corporate side.

While on the job, Victor studied for his Business Analyst certificate, and joined a team tasked with consolidate the service’s numerous records management systems.

Certified in analyzing work-flow and data-flow, his keen and fresh sense of communicating change, and the management of change, was discovered by the service’s Command.  Victor was transferred to the service’s Corporate Communications office where he was the spokesperson, Public and Media Relations Officer for over 13 years. Today, he is the service's Compliance Officer ensuring all training meets the latest standard in law, recommendation, and best practice. He also represents his service on a committee of Ontario police services, advocating for better support and outcomes for local communities.

Victor is the recipient of an award for rescuing seniors from a fire at a Long-term Care facility. He is also the recipient of a life-saving award for resuscitating a passenger, and coordinating the subsequent emergency landing of the international flight, while off duty.

Ashley Kwong has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Gerontology/Sociology from McMaster University, and an Activation Coordinator/Gerontology Diploma from George Brown College.

Ashley has been in the senior care industry since 1997, including six years in upper-management for Sunrise Senior Living (three years as Department Coordinator of the Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias neighbourhood, and three years as Executive Director). She was the trainer for all the Executive Directors and dementia neighbourhood Department Coordinators in Eastern Canada, a recipient of an award for Top Executive Director in Ontario, and credited with implementing an activity program in the dementia neighbourhood, a practice now adopted corporate-wide.

Ashley has dreamed of opening her own care-home for seniors since she had her first co-op experience in high school at 17-years-old. As soon as Ashley graduated from high school, she made steps in her life to gain knowledge and experience to be qualified to realize this dream. Ashley looked at this industry every day with an entrepreneurial sense, and looked at where this industry was headed, what was needed to be successful, the strengths and weaknesses of the competitors, and how she could make a mark in this industry.

Ashley recognized a missing and very needed area in the industry, and with the Canada-wide drive towards a future that focused on community-based services, her idea of a Health Club for people with memory loss was brought to life. That is when Memory & Company was created. Ashley is a dedicated, empathetic person, who is very passionate about improving the lives of seniors, especially those with memory loss, dedicating her life to this cause.

In Ashley’s pursuit of her dream, she has been trained in, and has held, every single position under the roof of a care-home.

In 2016, Ashley received a Premiere’s Award nomination for Outstanding Ontario College Graduate in the Health Sciences field.

In 2017, Ashley received George Brown College’s first-ever Alumni Innovator of The Year award.