Free Communication, Eating & Wellbeing Screenings for the Older Adults in Your Care

1. Reach out by phone or email. Tell us a bit about your setting — the type of facility (LTC, supportive living, memory care, lodge, day program, or community senior centre), approximate number of interested residents, and any specific concerns. We’ll go over our facility partnership agreement on a quick call. No paperwork on your end.
2. We send you a confirmation email. Once we’ve agreed verbally, we follow up with a confirmation email containing the visit date, a written summary of what you’ve agreed to, and both Option 1 and Option 2 family email templates side-by-side — so you see exactly what we’re preparing for your residents’ families. The Option 1 version is the one ready to forward.
3. Forward the family email template to your families (or POAs). The email contains a direct link to our family consent Google Form. Each interested family completes the consent form themselves — no paperwork chasing for you.
4. On the visit day. Our qualified clinician arrives during your regular hours. You provide a quiet corner. Each consenting resident is screened for about 10–15 minutes — during free time, after meals, or whenever fits the resident’s routine. Staff or family can sit in if helpful.
5. Each family receives a personalized written report by email from a registered clinician. Your job is done.

1. Reach out by phone or email. Let us know you’d like to send the link to your families. We’ll set a date together by which you’ll have shared it — this lets us reserve clinician time to review submissions and prepare reports.
2. We send you a confirmation email. It contains the screener URL and both Option 1 and Option 2 family email templates side-by-side — so you see exactly what we’re preparing for your residents’ families. The Option 2 version is the one ready to forward. Want to preview the screener itself? View it at https://www.rubytherapy.ca/complementary-senior-screening.
3. Forward the family email template to your families. Each family completes the screener (about 10 minutes) from their phone or computer at their own pace. The questionnaire is designed to be filled out by the resident, by a family member, or by your staff — whichever fits the resident best.
4. A registered clinician reviews every submission as they arrive.
5. Each family receives a personalized written report by email directly from a registered clinician.

If a family isn’t comfortable with online forms, your staff can complete it on behalf of a resident (with consent) and send us the answers. We’ll follow up with the family directly from there.

10–15 minutes per resident during free time or after meals. We bring everything we need. No paperwork or prep for your staff.

The screener is designed to be completed by the resident themselves, by a family member, OR by your staff. Cognitive ability doesn’t gate participation — observer-completion works equally well. For residents with significant cognitive impairment, family or staff who know them well complete it on their behalf.

Your nursing team handles medical care brilliantly. This is a different scope. Speech-Language Pathology (communication and swallowing), Dietetics (nutrition and malnutrition risk), and Counselling (mood and wellbeing) are specialized disciplines that complement — rather than duplicate — nursing care. The screening surfaces concerns in those three domains and feeds clear, written reports back to your team and families.

That’s literally Option 2 — send them the digital link. No commitment from you, and you’ll see how many are interested before you decide on a visit.

Then we don’t come. There’s no cost, no pressure, and no minimum.

No. Every family receives a personalized report — if everything looks on-track, the report says so plainly. If something warrants a closer look, our team reaches out to walk through next steps. That’s part of the service, not a pitch — there’s no pressure, and no obligation.

Each family or resident provides their own consent. Ruby Therapy collects only what’s answered in the screener — no access to your facility’s charts or medical records. Reports are sent directly to the family who provided consent. Our screener handling follows Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), and your facility doesn’t need to share any clinical records with us.

A qualified clinician from our team — registered with the appropriate Alberta college (SLP, Dietitian, or Counsellor). Every screener is reviewed by a registered clinician before the report goes out.

Yes. We can come back twice a year if there’s enough demand in your area. Some facilities run it once in the fall and once in the spring as part of their regular calendar.

• Voice changes — quieter, hoarser, breathier, or fatigues quickly
• Word-finding difficulty — filler words, describing instead of naming, long pauses
• Reduced engagement in conversation — particularly in groups
• Speech clarity changes — slurring, mumbling, harder to understand than before
• Coughing or throat-clearing at meals — recurring during or after eating
• Wet or gurgly voice after swallowing — a clinical sign of aspiration risk
• Recurrent pneumonia or chest infections — especially when paired with other swallowing signs
• Pocketing food, slow eating, or fatigue at mealtimes

• Unintended weight loss — clothes fitting looser, scale changes
• Reduced appetite — smaller portions, skipped meals, less enjoyment of food
• Narrowing diet — eating the same few foods most days, avoiding once-favourite foods
• Eating alone — which often reduces intake
• Fluid restriction — intentionally drinking less to avoid incontinence or bathroom trips
• Dental or denture issues — affecting chewing or comfort at meals
• Difficulty managing prescribed diets — diabetes, renal, cardiac, or modified-texture
• Constipation, dehydration, or related GI changes

• Withdrawal — from people, activities, or hobbies once enjoyed
• Persistent low mood — sadness or flatness lasting weeks
• Anxiety, worry, or insomnia — particularly when affecting daily routines
• Loneliness — fewer visits, less meaningful contact, isolation
• Recent significant losses — bereavement, a move, a diagnosis
• Memory changes — repetitive questions, missed events, increased disorientation
• Sudden new confusion — a medical concern that needs same-day attention (delirium)
• Recent falls or near-falls