Optima team members’ achievements demonstrate the organization’s growing influence in shaping the future of seniors living and continuing care
Calgary, AB – October 13, 2026 – Optima Living is pleased to announce that two team members received Alberta Continuing Care Association (ACCA) Awards of Excellence at the Association’s gala in Calgary last week. Optima leaders also presented five education sessions at the Annual Conference, which Optima Living sponsored.
Angela Grottoli, Chief Operating Officer, was honoured with ACCA’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and Uzzie Buhia, Recreation Therapy Aide at Wentworth Manor, with the Care Provider of the Year Award.
Grottoli has held senior leadership roles in Canada’s seniors living and continuing care sector for more than two decades. These include 15 years with Chartwell Retirement Residences before she joined Optima Living in 2023 as its first Chief Operating Officer. She has served with the Ontario Retirement Communities Association and the Ontario Long Term Care Association. Today, she sits on the ACCA Board of Directors and is Vice President of the BC Care Providers Association.
“Angela joined Optima Living at an important point in our growth, and her leadership has helped strengthen every part of our organization,” said Farid Damji, Co-Founder and Principal, Optima Living. “She has a rare ability to balance operational excellence with a deep understanding of what residents, families, and team members need from us. While this award recognizes her contributions to the sector over many years, those of us who work with Angela every day have seen firsthand the difference she continues to make.”
Buhia has worked at Wentworth Manor since 2015 as both a Health Care Aide and a Recreation Therapy Aide. In the community’s secure memory care neighbourhood, he builds connections with residents through trishaw rides and programs such as the Wine on the Hill Club, creating opportunities for residents to enjoy familiar experiences, deepen relationships, and engage in community life.
“Around Wentworth Manor, we often say, ‘Everyone needs an Uzzie,’” said Carolyne Mondoux, Senior Director, Operations. “His ability to brighten someone’s day, build relationships, and make people feel welcome is truly exceptional.”
Optima leaders also shared their work in five conference sessions:
- Grottoli moderated a national panel on what Alberta can learn from other provinces about building continuing care capacity.
- Alison Andrews-Paul, Project Manager, and Nimeera Shamji, Head of Resident Services, presented Optima’s process for using resident and employee satisfaction survey results to drive continuous, measurable improvement within communities.
- Elizabeth Fulcher, General Manager at Tudor Manor, shared the results of a staffing initiative that reduced unfilled shifts, overtime costs, and reliance on casual team members, giving residents more consistent care.
- Holly Johnson, General Manager at Cambridge Manor, co-presented with Healthcare Excellence Canada on a national project to improve the appropriate use of antipsychotics in long-term care.
- Liping Fei, Manager, RAI-MDS, co-presented on using a physician dashboard to improve quality of care.
With two Awards of Excellence and five sessions led by team members, Optima Living was recognized and represented on one of the industry’s largest stages. That work reflects Optima’s place among Canada’s leading seniors living and care providers and its commitment to being the best place to live for residents and the best place to work for team members.
About Optima Living
Founded in 2007 by two friends inspired by a love for seniors and their families’ dementia journeys, Optima Living was created to offer a more home-like experience in seniors housing and care. What began as a personal mission has grown into one of Western Canada’s leading seniors living and continuing care providers, offering Independent Living, Assisted Living, Supportive Living, Long-Term Care, Brain Health and Memory Care, including Optima’s proprietary brain health and care model: Spark, Your Wellness, Your Way.
Today, Optima Living is the only Top 10 Canadian seniors living and care provider focused exclusively on Western Canada, serving more than 6,000 residents across Alberta and British Columbia with more than 6,200 suites under management, and was named one of Canada’s Top Growing Companies 2026 by The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business magazine. Guided by our North Star, Let us welcome you home™, we are committed to People, Place, and Community. With a resident-first philosophy, deep community ties, and a focus on innovation, we are shaping a future defined by integrity, dignity, and empathy.
Contact:
Katie Matthews
Director, Communications
Optima Living
T: (236) 988-5883 | E: katie.matthews@optimaliving.ca
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