By Richard Dagenais, SAPA Communications Specialist
Nothing says home like the smell of freshly baked bread.
That’s the premise—and inspiration—for the bread-baking program in CIUSSS West-Central Montreal’s long-term care centres.
Alan Maislin, the CIUSSS’s former Board President, remembers first testing the program at the Father Dowd Residential Centre in 2010.
He believed that smelling freshly baked bread in long-term care centres would be a morale booster for residents and staff because, as he points out, “there is nothing more wonderful than walking into a bakery filled with the aroma of freshly baked goods.”
Josie Di Benedetto, Coordinator of Therapeutic Leisure and Recreology, says since its beginning, the bread-baking program has brought joy and engagement to long-term care residents, fostering a sense of purpose and community.
“It creates a warm, home-like environment in which residents, staff and caregivers share a joyful, non-medical moment.”
Josie Di Benedetto, Coordinator of Therapeutic Leisure and Recreology
Educator Louise-Ann Monteiro, who bakes bread weekly on the fourth floor of Mount Sinai Hospital, where there are long-term care beds, describes the program as “amazing.”
She says residents often comment that the smell reminds them of home. Participants enthusiastically help measure and mix ingredients, as well as clean up afterwards. “It’s important for them to be active and contribute in any way they can,” explains Ms. Monteiro.
Ravi Pattanshetti, SAPA Program Coordinator at Mount Sinai, says the bread-baking program is one of the best initiatives adopted by his team, helping residents feel at home while stimulating their senses and promoting social interaction. He hopes to expand the program into a bigger cooking area, so that more residents can participate.
Gertrude Kozlick, a resident at Mount Sinai, fondly recalls her mother getting up at 4 o’clock on Friday mornings to bake challah, an egg-rich bread that is usually braided.
“She would give it to people who couldn’t afford it, so the bread-making here reminds me of the smell of challah; it’s a wonderful memory,” Ms. Kozlick says.
Residents without dietary restrictions are able to eat the freshly baked bread; Sabrina Udashkin, a resident at Mount Sinai, is one of them. She says the smell reminds her of visiting bakeries.
“The smell is wonderful, and the hot bread is delicious.”
Sabrina Udashkin, resident at Mount Sinai
Science has long established a connection between olfactory memory and the limbic system, the part of the brain responsible for emotions. Food scientists have repeatedly confirmed a link between the smell of bread and the release from our brains of the feel-good chemical, dopamine.
In May, 2025, the bread-baking activity was expanded to all of CIUSSS West-Central Montreal’s long-term care centres, with funding for bread-making machines and ingredients generously provided by the Donald Berman Maimonides Foundation.
Elyse Berenbaum, Educator at the Henri Bradet Residential Centre, says eight to ten residents take part in the bread-baking activity once a month. One of them is John Allcock, who says that while he enjoys the smell of the freshly baked bread, “I like the chemistry of the bread-making process.”
Alice Efondem, a Patient Care Attendant at Mount Sinai, bursts into a smile when discussing the bread-baking program. “It makes a very big difference to many of the residents,” she says, adding, “the smell makes them feel like they’re in their homes, especially the ladies.”
Mr. Maislin says he would like to inspire the implementation of bread-baking programs in long-term care facilities across the world.
