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Skip Navigation LinksSimcoe County > Long Term Care > Wellness Specialists

Wellness Specialists

​​​​​​​The County of Simcoe has four (4) Wellness Specialists providing support at all four of our Long-Term Care and Seniors Services campuses.  Our Wellness Specialists are Social Workers who work with individuals, families, groups and communities to improve individual and collective well-being.  

Meet our Wellness Specialists:​​

​​​Melody Irwin, ​Welln​​ess Special​​​​​​ist, Simcoe Village & Manor

​Emai​​​l: Melody.Irwin@simcoe.ca

​Phone: ​​​ (905) 729-2267​ ext. 1​253​

​Melody has ​22 years of extensive leadership experience in large organizations and multi-bed facilities that emphasize person centered care and quality driven services. A track record of projects and innovations that have led to improved customer service perceptions, enhanced quality of life fo​​r residents and better evidence-based care approaches for staff. Melody has spoken across the province and won awards related to end of life care, advance care planning and interprofessional teamwork. Specialized ​expertise in municipal management, investigations, project management, PIECES, Gentle Persuasion Approaches coaching, crisis management and first responder & peer support care.​

Katie Nar​​​dini, Wellness Speci​​alist, Trillium Ma​​​​nor

​Email: Katie.Nar​​dini@simcoe.ca

​Phone: ​(705) 325-1504​ ext. ​1067​​​

Katie holds an Honours bachelor's de​gree in social work acquired from Lakehead University in Orillia. Katie has worked 3.5 years in multi-bed facilities with the primary focus of improving residents' quality of life through person centered care. Katie has always had a passion for working with seniors and feels that everyone deserves to have a dignified life right through until their last days. Some skills include experience with transitional support after moving into the long-term care setting, coping with loss of independence, system navigation, improving quality of life, facilitating end of life communication, discussions around goals of care, and, bereavement support. 

​Lisa Huson, Wellnes​​s Specialist, Ge​​​orgian Village & Manor

Em​ail:  Lisa.Huson@simcoe.ca

Phone:  (705) 549-3166  ext. 1334​​​​​​​

Lisa has spent the last 15+ years as a social worker providing advocacy and mental health care to individuals and families in a variety of community settings. In meeting residents and their families, Lisa focuses on people's strengths, interests and desires while reducing barriers to accessing physical, emotional and mental health supports. She has worked within a variety of interdisciplinary teams and enjoys learning from the diverse group of colleagues in order to provide holistic care. Lisa is resourceful in assisting people to have their needs met ​​​​while also providing counselling services, such as coping with depression, grief, anxiety and life stress. 

Jessica Newton, Wellness Specialist, Sunset ​Manor and Suites

Email: Jessica.Newton​​@simcoe.ca

Phone:  (705) 445-4499​  ext​​​​. 6177

​Jes​​​​​sica has extensive community experience having worked with marginalized individuals and families in various settings since graduating with her Honours Bachelor of Social Work in 2005. Jessica's passion for education and continued growth led to the completion of her Master of Social Work Degree in 2010. After spending several years in East Africa working and collaborating with non profit organizations Jessica returned to Canada and had the opportunity to provide social work services in the community of North Simcoe Muskoka. Jessica thrived in this experience as she values working collaboratively with clients, families and multidisciplinary teams providing supportive counselling and therapeutic interventions, designing and implementing treatment plans and providing advocacy support for clients and families dealing with physical and mental health challenges. Jessica believes in the importance of increased supports for individuals, families and care partners within the long-term care environment and has significant experience helping people cope with transitional life changes and the impacts of caregiver burnout. Jessica prioritizes person centred care and a strengths-based approach to her practice.​

​What can a Wellness Specialist help with?

  • Addiction & Mental Health
  • Advocacy
  • Anxiety
  • Capacity Concerns - Work and Home
  • Coping with Illness of Oneself or Family Member
  • Coping in a Pandemic or Emergency Situation
  • Depression
  • Education and Connection to Resources
  • Family Conflict
  • Financial Stress
  • Transitional Support

​​Please refer to the table below to help you determine if you would like to book an appointment with one of our Wellness Specialists:​​​​

Referrals chart.png 

(Click on the chart to open the PDF)