Springdale residents treated to pool party

Inviting people to your home is the ultimate show of respect, says administrator

September 9, 2009 -- Deron Hamel




Six residents at Springdale Country Manor were recently treated to an annual tradition at the Peterborough long-term care home -- a summer visit to the swimming pool at the home of administrator Maureen Imamovic's parents.

Imamovic says what makes this event most special is the fact residents are being invited into someone's home -- a move that Imamovic notes is the ultimate show of respect.

"What bigger sign of respect is there then to say, 'Please come to my house,'" says Imamovic.

"To invite residents into your home indicates to them that we really do value them."

This sort of activity is also representative of an ever-evolving long-term care sector and a mindset within OMNI's 17 long-term care homes that underscores the core corporate value of fun and laughter and the organization's aim to provide residents with the highest quality of life possible, notes Imamovic.

While the weather that day was too cool for people to swim Imamovic emphasizes that it's not the activity that matters, it's the companionship.

Imamovic isn't the only OMNI team member who has invited residents home for a swim.

Angie Acheson, the life enrichment co-ordinator at Almonte Country Haven, invited 15 residents from the Ottawa-area home to her house for a pool party in August.

Residents, says Acheson, "still feel young at heart," and this type of outing provides a forum for them to live the lives they want to lead -- and that's what long-term care is all about.

"(The sector) is more personal now," says Acheson. "I truly believe in the values of OMNI and that it stands for hope, purpose and belonging, and I really value that, too."

Imamovic says the event is not only an occasion she and residents look forward to, it's also one that engages her parents.

"It's something that my mum and dad really look forward to every year," she says, adding her mother baked 200 cookies for the occasion.

"It's a random act of kindness that my parents enjoy."

Do you have a story about an event you would like to share with the OMNIway? If so, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

If you have feedback on this article, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

 

 

 

 

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