About Melissa Khedar

Melissa Khedar has held diverse leadership roles in both the public and private sectors, bringing a purpose and passion to her vocation that demonstrates her unwavering commitment to improving the lives of the elderly and their families. Her mission to enhance the quality of life of the senior population began in secondary school and continues to this day.

Based in Oakville, Ontario, Melissa has built a distinguished career in the senior services sector with an innovative approach to seniors programming. Her educational background demonstrates a commitment to lifelong learning and includes a degree in Life Sciences and Gerontology from McMaster University. She is also certified as an Administrator in Long Term Care by the Canadian Healthcare Association. Melissa has also completed the Geriatric Certificate Program of McMaster University.

Certifications: Canadian Falls Prevention Curriculum, Regional Geriatric Training, Delirium Prevention and Management, Mental Health First Aid, Smart Serve, U-FIRST, P.I.E.C.E.S., Validation Therapy, GPA, DementiAbility Methods, Investigation Certification.

Melissa Khedar — Q&A

Q: What inspired you to pursue life enrichment for seniors as a profession?

Melissa Khedar: I’ve always gotten a great sense of satisfaction when I’m helping people. Even when I was young, I knew that was going to guide me in my career choice. When I was a teenager, I got a chance to work at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, which helped me explore that inclination. What that experience revealed to me was that, yes, I wanted to use my talents to better the lives of people in need, but perhaps in a demographic other than children. I chose to pursue senior care, specifically the field of life enrichment, because I thought it was where I could do the most good.

Q: How do you stay updated with the latest trends or developments in your field?

Melissa Khedar: I keep up to date mainly by reading trade periodicals. I also learn a lot by speaking with my colleagues about their experiences, sometimes over lunch, and sometimes through phone calls and text messages when something especially remarkable happens to one of us. I’m so grateful for the relationships I’ve cultivated with my peers—they’re an invaluable resource and full of vast amounts of wisdom.

Q: What advice do you have for someone aspiring to enter the profession of life enrichment for seniors?

Melissa Khedar: One thing I would recommend to anyone interested in becoming a life enrichment professional is to volunteer at a local retirement community before you totally commit to it. There’s nothing like first-hand experience to illuminate how you’ll honestly feel about being in the field of senior care. Past that, patience is a really important quality to develop, as is open-mindedness. But above all else, you always have to keep in mind that the seniors under your care are fully-fledged, three-dimensional human beings with real feelings. They are not simply your professional charges; they’re people just like you and me.

Q: How do you handle difficult clients or situations?

Melissa Khedar: That’s where patience becomes crucial. Personally, I find that closing my eyes for a moment, then taking a deep breath, and reminding myself that every problem has a solution is an effective way to deal with difficult clients or extraordinarily stressful situations. Under extreme circumstances, I will ask for assistance, but things rarely escalate to that level. For the most part, everything is fairly peaceful at work.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your work?

Melissa Khedar: Hands down, it’s watching the seniors enjoy themselves! When I look around at a class full of my people learning yoga or some sort of craft or how to cook Greek food—whatever it may be—and I see genuine engagement and joy in their faces, it gives me a wonderful feeling of fulfillment. I’m a life enrichment specialist after all, so I’m happiest when I’m enriching lives.

Q: How do you measure the success of your efforts?

Melissa Khedar: There aren’t any metrics for evaluating the success of a life enrichment campaign, so I very much rely on feedback from the seniors themselves. I encourage them to tell me whether or not they enjoy a certain program, class, or day trip, and then I take their opinions under heavy consideration when I plan the next activity. So, I suppose the answer to that question is that I measure the success of my work by the satisfaction it gives to the seniors under my care.