Caring Beyond Treatment: Baycrest’s Approach to Alzheimer’s Care - Cyrelle Muskat
Cyrelle Muskat has been with Baycrest for 11 years, the past six in her current role as Director, Quality Systems and Wellness and Interim Chief Heritage Office. Cyrelle has woven together her expertise in quality improvement with a deep personal connection to the community she serves, leading with both professional skill and lived experience. Her late grandmother once lived at the Apotex, Baycrest’s long-term care home, and other family members have relied on Baycrest’s services. For Cyrelle, her work is more than a role. It is a continuation of family and community ties.
At the Apotex, the focus is always on more than care alone. Every year, the home develops a quality plan that sets out clear priorities to improve residents’ health and daily experiences. This approach ensures residents are not only supported medically but also enriched socially, culturally and spiritually.
Because Baycrest is a faith-based Jewish organization, the Apotex offers programs that honour Jewish traditions while also celebrating the diverse beliefs of all residents. Alongside weekly and community-wide Shabbat services, the calendar includes Easter teas, Christmas dinners and other cultural celebrations. These events help residents maintain important connections to their heritage and create opportunities for everyone to share in one another’s traditions.
Resident and family feedback is at the heart of this work. Over time, it has shaped programs that are now central to life at Baycrest, including intergenerational activities, music and pet therapy, and multi-sensory experiences designed to spark joy and memory. Staff are also trained in approaches that prioritize empathy and communication, ensuring every interaction is guided by compassion and understanding.
For Cyrelle, the essence of her work is building a community where everyone feels at home. She points to programming such as a community challah bake as a multi-sensory traditional activity that welcomes all residents, regardless of faith or cognitive ability, to knead, braid and share together.
“It is important to us to provide residents with the full experience of life they would have enjoyed before they were at Baycrest, as much as possible,” she says. “We want Baycrest to continue leading the way in embedding holistic wellbeing into dementia care, so residents can truly live with meaning and dignity.”