For long-term care homes across Ontario, the push toward evidence-based practice isn't just a strategic priority—it's a responsibility to residents, families, and care teams. At Glen Hill Strathaven in Bowmanville, Ontario, that responsibility has shaped a multi-year journey focused on improving documentation, strengthening clinical workflows, and empowering staff with technology that genuinely supports better resident outcomes.
Glen Hill Strathaven has been serving the Bowmanville community for over 30 years and proudly became part of the Durham Christian Homes family in 2011. Glen Hill Strathaven is currently home to 158 residents, and is eagerly anticipating the opening of their new 224-bed home, Glen Hill Gardens, in spring 2026.
With a focus on best practice and quality outcomes, Glen Hill Strathaven set about transforming practice to reflect a modernized approached to clinical documentation in a way that respects experienced staff, prioritizes resident safety, and aligns with evolving regulatory and best-practice standards.
That challenge became an opportunity when the home implemented Jubo's VitalLink, automated vital signs capture and charting solution, that integrates directly with PointClickCare EHR. According to Janice Elder, Director of Care, the impact has been transformative—not just operationally, but culturally.
As many established homes across the province know, change can be difficult. The team has to balance the drive for quality and innovation with the comfort of familiar processes to long-tenured staff.
"One of our greatest challenges here at the home was that we really struggled with introducing new technology," Janice explains. "A lot of our staff have worked here for many, many years and often fear the unknown. The implementation of technology was new to our home and new to our team. That can be scary."
Manual-based documentation can result in time delays from the time data is collected to the time it is input into the electronic health record. It can also result in limited real-time visibility to clinical data. Jubo VitalLink allows for data to go directly from the device into the resident’s electronic health record, significantly reducing time and error-proofing against transcription errors.
"Manual-based documentation took our nurses a great deal of time," Janice says. "When we implemented Jubo's VitalLink, it really helped our nurses with time management."
Having worked with other automated charting systems in the past, Janice approached the decision carefully. What stood out about VitalLink was its usability, clinical relevance, and alignment with resident-centered care.
"When I was introduced to Jubo VitalLink, I immediately felt the technology was closely aligned with our goals and simple enough to not be overwhelming to our staff.”
Just as important as the technology itself was the implementation experience. Transitioning long-tenured staff from manual to digital tools can be daunting—but Glen Hill Strathaven found the process supportive, well-paced, and collaborative.
"Our implementation process really went quite smoothly," Janice notes. "The Jubo team was extremely supportive. There was education during implementation, and the follow-up support has been amazing."
The seamless transition extended to specific clinical tools as well. Features like the head injury routine and the Behavioural Supports Ontario Dementia Observation System (BSO-DOS®) mirrored what staff had been using on paper, making adoption natural and intuitive.
"The head injury routine was a tool that we implemented very soon after working with Jubo VitalLink, and it was a seamless transition for our team," Janice recalls.
One of the most immediate benefits of VitalLink has been its impact on clinical workflows—particularly during high-pressure situations like outbreaks or emergency events.
"For example, when we're in an outbreak situation, our team is able to focus on infection prevention and control," Janice explains. "They have the tools right at their fingertips to provide safe resident care."
Because vital signs are captured digitally and synced automatically to PointClickCare, staff can move quickly from resident to resident while maintaining accurate, up-to-date records. The system's hands-free functionality and ease of cleaning between uses have also supported infection control protocols during respiratory outbreaks.
"The equipment is easy to clean in between usage of residents," Janice adds. "When our residents are in an isolation situation, for example, the nurses are able to assess residents in a timely manner, clean the equipment, and move on to the next resident."
VitalLink has also changed how Glen Hill Strathaven responds to falls and other urgent clinical situations. According to Janice, the difference is measurable—and meaningful.
"Our team has very quickly adapted to a faster response time," she says. "If a resident has a fall, for example, and staff need immediate access to information, they have it right there on an iPad, directly at the bedside."
In one memorable case, a resident experienced a fall outside their home area. With VitalLink, staff were able to complete a head injury assessment and capture vital signs immediately—before emergency services even arrived.
"By the time EMS arrived, the resident had already had a full assessment, and their vital signs had been taken and auto-populated into the health record," Janice recalls.
This kind of preparedness not only improves clinical outcomes—it also provides peace of mind for staff, families, and emergency responders.
From a leadership perspective, access to real-time data has been a game changer. VitalLink allows clinical leaders to monitor documentation remotely and access reports instantly—supporting proactive decision-making and quality oversight.
Integration with PointClickCare ensures continuity across the care team, regardless of location or shift.
"No matter where I am in the home or where team members are, everyone is able to see the information immediately," Janice adds. "That's been a game changer".
VitalLink has also helped Glen Hill Strathaven improve fulfilment of routine clinical data collection like monthly weights.
"Completion of monthly weights is a huge efficiency," Janice explains. "The team is able to collect that information faster, and it auto-populates immediately into the electronic health record."
Features like voice-to-text dictation, smart inputs, and in-app reminders have further improved documentation quality and consistency across the team.
"When nurses use the voice-to-text option, it supports comprehensive and detailed documentation in a much timelier fashion," Janice notes. "Many of our team members find it more efficient to dictate into an iPad than to type into a computer."
The result? Documentation that's complete, timely, consistent and readily available —a critical factor in providing safe, evidence-based care.
Today, Glen Hill Strathaven is in its second year of a three-year journey toward becoming a Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) Best Practice Spotlight Organization® (BPSO)—a prestigious designation that reflects excellence in evidence-based nursing care.
The BPSO designation recognizes organizations that commit to implementing, evaluating, and sustaining multiple RNAO Best Practice Guidelines. It's a rigorous process that requires strong leadership, staff engagement, and the right tools to support evidence-informed practice.
"We're about halfway through the three-year process," Janice says. "And Jubo VitalLink has really been an integral part of that—in terms of adding technology and documentation support."
She emphasizes that best practices and technology aren't separate initiatives—they're interconnected.
"Our team really feels that the two go hand in hand," Janice adds. "VitalLink has been an integral part of implementing several initiatives that support our Best Practice Spotlight Organization designation."
Beyond workflows and compliance, VitalLink has had a noticeable impact on staff satisfaction—an outcome that matters just as much as clinical metrics.
"Our team is happy they have the technology available," Janice says. "They like working with the equipment—it's portable, easy to use, and helps them move from resident to resident efficiently."
For Janice as a leader, the confidence it provides is invaluable.
"I'm confident my team members are using the right tools, that they're well trained, and that the information being collected is accurate," she says.
That confidence extends to knowing that nurses can focus on what brought them to the profession in the first place: caring for residents.
"Many of our nurses didn't get into nursing because of a desire to do administrative work or paperwork," Janice reflects. "Jubo has helped them get back to the bedside, really and truly. And that's where the heart of their care is."
In Spring 2026, Glen Hill Strathaven will embark on an exciting new chapter as it transitions to Glen Hill Gardens—a brand-new, state-of-the-art 224-bed long-term care facility in Bowmanville. It's a significant milestone that represents growth, modernization, and a continued commitment to excellence in resident care.
As the team prepares for this transition, one thing is certain: Jubo's VitalLink will be coming along for the journey - "our team can't work without it" Janice says with conviction.
This sentiment speaks volumes about how deeply VitalLink has become embedded in Glen Hill's culture of care. It's not simply a technology solution—it's an integral part of how staff deliver compassionate, evidence-based care every single day. As Glen Hill Gardens opens its doors, VitalLink will be there from day one, supporting workflows, ensuring documentation quality, and helping staff focus on what matters most: the residents they serve.
As Glen Hill continues its BPSO journey and builds on its partnership with Jubo, the focus remains on growth, learning, and continuous improvement.
"We're excited about the additional tools that can be added," Janice says. "We see ourselves continuing to grow, learn, and evolve as Jubo offers more technologies."
When asked to sum up the impact of VitalLink in one thought, Janice puts it simply:
"Jubo VitalLink has improved staff satisfaction, made their jobs easier, supported time management, and had positive impact on resident care outcomes."
For long-term care homes navigating the dual challenges of regulatory compliance and staff empowerment, Glen Hill Strathaven's story offers a clear message: the right technology, implemented thoughtfully, can support not just better documentation—but a stronger culture of care. And as they prepare to open the doors to Glen Hill Gardens, that culture—and the technology that supports it — will continue to thrive.