Meeting residents needs key to building a home

Willows Estate enhancing supportive measures

September 10, 2009 -- Camille Jensen


Whether it's spending one-to-one time with a resident during the afternoon or ensuring a resident receives their favourite snack, staff members at Willows Estate continually create a home by ensuring each and every residents' needs are met.

"Home is where you actually relax and feel yourself, and that is what we are trying to do here," explains Toni Muscat, a life enrichment aide at the Aurora long-term care home.

She says Willows Estate is accomplishing its goal by putting the resident first and being flexible to procedures and routines.

"It's just like home, it doesn't matter if (we) are doing something else," she says. "We give (the residents) their quality of life through meeting their needs."

For example, Muscat says if a resident would like to sleep in, a personal support worker provides care to other residents, returning to the resident at another time.

The home has a resident who enjoys staying in the dining room throughout the day and the kitchen obligingly provides extra coffee or a mid-morning snack at the resident's request.

"At Willows, we are very conscientious of the residents," she says. "We get to know them and their habits and we try to accommodate."

Muscat says staff members know they have accomplished their goal when residents refer to Willows as their home, which they often do.

This type of validation is what spurs on Muscat, who has worked at Willows for more than 10 years.

"I love what I am doing," she says. "I get the joy of it."

Muscat attributes her own work ethic to an understanding of the resident and their family. She says she strives to empathize, and can remember what it was like when it was her own father who was admitted to hospital.

"I don't care how busy you are, take care of my loved one," recalls Muscat.

While it isn't always easy to accommodate everyone's requests, Muscat says Willows Estate prides itself on Supportive Measures, an OMNI core program and is continually looking for ways to enhance the practice at the home.

"We are in a very high-demanding business and you have to have a heart and empathy," she says.

"Staff have became families to these residents and that is what we want to promote."

Supportive Measures is aimed at providing individualized interventions, which adapt to residents' needs. The purpose of Supportive Measures is to minimize agitation in residents by providing them with a comforting environment.

Do you have a story about creating quality moments for residents? If so, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext.24., or e-mail camille(at)axiomnews.ca.

If you have feedback on this article please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext.24., or e-mail camille(at)axiomnews.ca.

 

 

 

 

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