Brighton home thanks community for hearty hospitality

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Seniors receive royal treatment from local residents, employees

Wednesday, April 30, 2014 — Natalie Hamilton

From the Bingo players who keep an eye on residents’ cards to the restaurant servers who deliver a buffet-destined dessert directly to their table, the men and women of Maplewood are pampered “like royalty” by the long-term care home’s surrounding communities.

The hospitality can’t be beat, says Maplewood life enrichment co-ordinator (LEC) Rachel Corkery.

Corkery is expressing her gratitude for the reception residents and staff receive from the small towns nearby the 49-bed long-term care home in Brighton.

Maplewood just finished up its two-week turn with one of the OMNI vans.

“I started thinking about all of the trips and all of the experiences we’ve had with the OMNI van and how well we’re treated…anywhere we go in the local community,” Corkery tells The OMNIway. “I do my best to bring attention to the great community we are part of and myself and the residents always show our appreciation, but sometimes it just needs to go farther than that. It really needs to be said.”

For example, Corkery is giving a big shout-out to the staff at a restaurant in a small community about 15 minutes east of the home.

“At what is now our favorite restaurant, Pizza Hut  in Trenton, once again, we received the royal treatment. The staff are so personable and they now recognize us when we pull up,” Corkery says.

“We never feel rushed and it has now become tradition for them to bring us a platter of the cinnamon bun dessert directly to our table. Every time we go, we get treated more and more like royalty.”

It’s not one particular waitress alone, the entire team of servers makes the group feel special, she notes.

Maplewood also enjoyed a warm reception recently from the local Lions Club. Volunteers helped and catered to residents, Corkery says, adding, “when we left at intermission, the Bingo caller made a special announcement thanking us for coming out and inviting us back again.”

Fellow club patrons also kept track of residents’ Bingo cards after they left and requested the phone number of the long-term care home. “Though no one won, we did get a call from someone to let us know so that we weren’t left guessing,” the LEC notes.

“I shouldn’t be surprised when we are treated like this. When I first started at Maplewood, while on an outing to Presqu’ile Provincial Park, we were approached by another park guest and given $20 to be used for a treat for the group we had out.”

Residents took in a recent drive through Presqu’ile to observe how the waterfowl and park survived the winter. A Maplewood volunteer, whose family member previously lived at the home, and her friends chip in to purchase a season’s pass to the park for residents.

Corkery suspects the outings, while enjoyable for residents and staff alike, also help make the home’s fundraising efforts “the huge success they are.” All of the donations to the home and the proceeds from silent auctions support resident outings — a decision made by Maplewood residents’ council – “so that all residents have an opportunity to go out with no extra costs.”

Discover how outings are helping change the community’s perception of long-term care in an upcoming OMNIway story.

If you have feedback on this article or a story idea to share, please e-mail Natalie@axiomnews.ca or call the newsroom at 800-294-0051.

Frost Manor expresses gratitude to volunteers with food

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Volunteers enjoy a special luncheon at Frost Manor held in their honour.

Volunteers enjoy a special luncheon at Frost Manor held in their honour.

Luncheon is ‘excellent display of teamwork,’ interim manager says

Tuesday, April 29, 2014 — Lisa Bailey

Neil MacDonald counts the recent volunteer luncheon as one of the highlights so far of his time as Frost Manor’s interim nutritional care manager.

“It is quite a special event as it is our chance to thank these wonderful people for all that they do for our home and residents,” says MacDonald, who just joined the Lindsay long-term care home in February.

“Volunteers are such an important part of our team here at Frost Manor, and it is difficult to express the amount of appreciation we have for them and the care and support they provide to our residents,” he says.

It was exhilarating to be able to express gratitude through food while showcasing his team’s skills, MacDonald says. They prepared a gourmet meal from scratch that included a dessert made from a recipe MacDonald brought from his restaurant background. The result was restaurant quality, he says, and part of what made the whole experience unique and memorable.

“Every day there’s always a highlight (working with the dietary staff) but this was a really cool event for us to showcase our skill and what we can do in the kitchen, and to give back to the volunteers because they’re such an awesome part of the team,” MacDonald says.

Approximately 40 volunteers attended the April 10 luncheon, which Frost Manor holds once a year in their honour.

MacDonald, who has also worked at another OMNI long-term care home, has seen the difference that volunteers make in residents’ lives and for staff members. They’re a great help, for example, at special dining events such as luncheons and teas, and the connections they make with residents yield social, emotional and other benefits.

“It’s incredible, because I notice when I go and talk with a resident even for just five minutes in a day, how important it is to the resident and how much it makes them happy,” MacDonald says. “So when a volunteer comes in and spends, say, an hour a week, that impacts a number of residents so much . . . And (volunteers) do such a variety of things like arts and crafts or just sitting and reading with them or singing songs . . . and it really has a positive impact because residents have that interaction, which is very needed.”

MacDonald volunteered at a summer basketball camp while in high school and found it to be a worthwhile learning experience while sharing his love of the sport. “How nice it is to pass a little bit of passion on to someone, and the same thing is shown here and the residents really appreciate the volunteers.”

In addition to a heart-felt expression of appreciation, Frost Manor’s volunteer luncheon was “an excellent display of teamwork,” MacDonald says, noting organizational, communication and other skills were vital to planning and executing the celebration.

The luncheon had the full support of the management team, who also acted as servers. MacDonald also cites life enrichment co-ordinator Vi O’Leary for bringing the whole event together and her and her team’s efforts in organizing the dining room.

The dietary team played a pivotal role in the luncheon’s success, says MacDonald, who appreciates all the support they’ve given him in the short time he’s been interim manager.

“Special thanks to my dietary department staff for helping me to prepare and present this gourmet meal and have a great time while doing it,” MacDonald says. “I could not have done it without them.”

If you have a story to share or feedback on this article please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 25, or e-mail lisa(at)axiomnews.ca.

On the hunt for a fun intergenerational experience

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Pleasant Meadow Manor hosts 10th annual Easter celebration

Friday, April 25, 2014 — Lisa Bailey

Residents, staff members and their families found more than sweet treats at Pleasant Meadow Manor on Easter weekend.

There was also fun and fellowship for the Norwood long-term care home’s extended family, as they enjoyed the 10th annual Easter egg hunt.

“Easter is one of those occasions that is family time,” life enrichment co-ordinator Chris Garden says.

Balancing the deep and serious meaning of Easter with something light and appealing like the egg hunt engages all generations.

“It’s nice to have something where the kids are getting involved and excited and the adults are watching them have fun,” Garden says. “It just brings everybody together as one big family because after the hunt everybody gathers in different areas of the home and has their visit.

“So even if residents can’t get out to their families’ homes for Easter dinner, they’re still part of an Easter celebration,” Garden says.

Before the hunt, held on the sunny Saturday morning of April 19, residents helped staff members place treats inside plastic eggs that were then hidden around the grounds of Pleasant Meadow Manor, also with the help of residents.

Using the plastic eggs makes it easy for residents to participate, and reusing the eggs year after year is cost-conscious and environmentally-friendly, Garden says.

She initiated the Easter egg hunt so staff and their families could engage in an activity at the home and come together with residents for an intergenerational experience.

Approximately 30 youngsters, including residents’ and staff members’ grandchildren and great-grandchildren, participated in this year’s hunt.

“The residents just love watching the kids run amok,” Garden says. “They laugh because it takes so long to hide the eggs and it only takes maybe 10 minutes for them to be all scooped up.”

Garden, who brought her son and baby grandson to the event, says it’s also a chance for residents to see staff members outside of their caregiving role, as members of a family. “We talk about our kids and grandkids with residents all the time so it’s nice for them to be able to put faces to the kids,” Garden says.

“It makes it feel like even more of an extended family.”

Also present at the Easter egg hunt was the Easter Bunny, who had his photo taken with many people.

Seeing him, along with other longstanding Easter symbols, was also particularly special for residents with cognitive challenges. Garden saw them light up, indicative perhaps of a memory or something familiar. “It’s great to see that recognition,” Garden says.

Now that it’s become a much-anticipated tradition, the Pleasant Meadow Manor Easter egg hunt is likely to continue. Garden notes it continued even when she went to Maplewood, another OMNI home, for two years.

“Staff made sure it kept going,” she says, expressing gratitude for their effort and pledging to keep it going

If you have a story to share or feedback on this article, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 25, or e-mail lisa(at)axiomnews.ca.

Dementia expert highlights impact of language on people

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Dr. Sherry Dupuis sheds light on how people with dementia react to certain words

Thursday, April 24, 2014 — Deron Hamel

TORONTO – The language we use when referring to people with dementia directly impacts how the disease and those living with it are perceived. Therefore, we need to think carefully about the words we use.

This was dementia expert Dr. Sherry Dupuis’ message to caregivers attending a panel discussion on quality at the Ontario Long Term Care Association (OLTCA)/Ontario Retirement Communities Association (ORCA) 2014 Together We Care convention and trade show.

Dupuis, an Alzheimer’s disease and dementia expert at the University of Waterloo, underscored that many people living with cognitive impairment are aware of negative language surrounding their condition – and hearing such language can have a detrimental impact.

Words like disruptive, screamer, wanderer, non-compliant and aggressive cast a light on the disease and not the person affected by it, Dupuis told the audience at the April 1 session. In short, Dupuis says that when these types of words are used to describe people living with dementia, their humanity is taken away. The picture we’re left with is not of a person but of a body to be managed.

“Persons with dementia are very much aware of the implications of this approach on their lives,” Dupuis explained. “The consequences (of using negative language) are profound and harmful in many ways.”

Through her research, Dupuis has heard first-hand from people living with dementia about the frustration they have surrounding language that negatively labels people.

“As one person with dementia said, ‘(People) think I can’t do anything. Until they get used to me (and see) what I can still do, many try to take over. (Caregivers) also give me meaningless activities, like tip over all the pens and pencils on the table, mix them up, and then ask me to sort them. That made me really angry. ‘ “

So what can be done to change the perception of people living with dementia? Dupuis says it all comes down to making simple adjustments to the words people use.

For instance, “hoarding” can become “collecting.” “Wandering” can be “exploring.”  Being “disruptive” can be changed to “communicating.”

“Words, gestures and actions have meaning,” Dupuis says.

The annual OLTCA/ORCA Together We Care convention and trade show, which ran March 31 to April 2, is Canada’s largest gathering of long-term care and retirement home professionals.

If you have a story you would like to share with the OMNIway, please contact newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.
 
If you have feedback on this story, please call the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

Visit from DOC’s baby granddaughter sparks program

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Lunch with Lady Violet a favourite event

When Burnbrae Gardens director of care (DOC) Lesley Dale’s daughter Emily and baby granddaughter Violet stopped in to visit the Campbellford long-term care home recently a brand-new program was born. Read more

BSO helping Riverview keep antipsychotic administration low

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Psychotropic medication usage 20% below provincial LTC home average

Tuesday, April 22, 2014 — Deron Hamel

PETERBOROUGH, Ont. – When front-line staff members approach a Riverview Manor resident who has advanced dementia to provide her care needs, the resident often prefers to be left alone. So that’s just what staff members do.

They will approach the resident later, and if the women still does not want her care needs implemented, staff will again leave her. Only when the resident says it’s OK will staff members provide her care needs.

This is one example of how the Peterborough long-term care home’s number of residents on antipsychotic medications is only 12.28 per cent, well below the provincial average of 31.5 per cent.

While the resident does exhibit behaviours, this simple approach of giving her the space she needs ensures that medication doesn’t need to be administered.

Riverview Manor is involved with the province’s Behavioural Supports Ontario (BSO) initiative. BSO is a $40-million provincial initiative to enhance quality of life for seniors affected by dementia and other conditions causing agitation.

Through funding allocated through the Central East Local Health Integration Network, Riverview Manor staff members have accessed education and training in BSO interventions. The home has a “BSO team” of staff members trained in these interventions, which include Montessori techniques and gentle persuasive approaches (GPA). The team is called in to help personal support workers when they are caring for this resident, should the need arise.

Staff members have even taken time to learn simple phrases in the resident’s native language to make her feel more at ease.

With interventions like these, the resident doesn’t exhibit behaviours, eliminating the need for psychotropic medications, explains administrator Mary Anne Greco.

“At Riverview, our philosophy of the utilization of medication, especially for any antipsychotic medications, is that it’s used very wisely and very judiciously,” she says. “We try that really as a last resort.

“We monitor (residents on antipsychotic medications) to make sure they’re not having any adverse side effects to the medication, we liaise with the family to see how they are doing and we’re always incorporating our Behavioural Supports Ontario team to assist with that so that all the staff are aware of the (best) approaches for residents so we don’t have to be looking at medication as a first line of care.”

If you have a story you would like to share with the OMNIway, please contact newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.
 
If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

VIDEO: Antipsychotic medication: the exception, not the rule

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Thursday, April 17, 2014 — Deron Hamel

Riverview Manor has firm policy surrounding the administration of antipsychotic medication to residents affected by dementia. These medications are used sparingly and only as a last resort when other non-medical interventions have not helped calm a person who is exhibiting aggressive behaviour.

In fact, only 12.28 per cent of residents are on antipsychotic medications at the Peterborough long-term care home. This is well below the provincial average of 31.5 per cent.

A recent article in the Toronto Star accuses Ontario long-term care homes of “drugging helpless seniors at an alarming rate with powerful antipsychotic drugs.” Not only is this not the case at Riverview Manor, but stories like this are detrimental to the entire long-term care sector. Riverview Manor staff members explain in this video.

Reducing unneeded antipsychotic usage a shared goal: McCarthy

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Recent media coverage isn’t telling the whole story, says OMNI CEO

Wednesday, April 16, 2014 — Deron Hamel

OMNI Health Care is involved with several initiatives to reduce the administration of antipsychotic medication in its 18 long-term care homes, says president and CEO Patrick McCarthy.

Recent media coverage of antipsychotic medication administration in long-term care homes is fair, he says, but notes reporters had the opportunity to delve deeper into their subject rather than scratching its surface.

McCarthy cites a front-page story in the April 15 Toronto Star that refers to Ontario long-term care homes “drugging helpless seniors.” McCarthy says this is hyperbole, but credits the Star for spotlighting an issue that deserves attention across the health-care spectrum, in hospitals, psychiatric settings, the community and long-term care homes.

The Star article, entitled “Use of Antipsychotics Soaring at Ontario Nursing Homes,” referenced Woodland Villa as having 65 per cent of its residents on antipsychotic medications without citing the source. The number of residents prescribed these medications currently is, in fact, 42 per cent. This is still above the 2012 provincial average of 31.5 per cent, but OMNI is working to continue to reduce the number of residents on psychotropic medications at all its homes through programs such as OMNI flagship programs Quality Matters and Supportive Measures as well as the province’s Behavioural Supports Ontario (BSO) initiative.

Other OMNI long-term care homes are significantly below the provincial average for psychotropic medication administration, McCarthy notes. For example, Garden Terrace has a rate of 18.9 per cent of residents on antipsychotic medications without a corresponding diagnosis. The number is 21.3 per cent at West Lake Terrace.  Residents may be admitted on antipsychotic drugs from hospital or other settings, and time is needed to carefully assess alternative medication or non-medication interventions that maintain safety.

In fact, Riverview Manor in Peterborough is an example of an OMNI home with a quality plan to reduce PRN (pro re nata, or medications prescribed as needed) antipsychotics.

“(OMNI homes) are working to reduce the (administration) of PRNs where non-pharmaceutical interventions are effective, as well as working with physicians and psychiatric outreach teams to reduce regular administration of the prescription pharmaceuticals,” McCarthy tells the OMNIway.

“The pharmaceuticals are often low dosages, and are assessed for effectiveness and reviewed with the prescribing physicians on a regular basis.”

The article points to the issue but doesn’t mention what OMNI and other long-term care operators are doing to curb antipsychotic medication administration.

“We are taking action on a daily basis, including benchmarking against the use of antipsychotics, and developing robust plans in conjunction with the doctors who do the prescribing so that we can manage the use of antipsychotics,” McCarthy says.  Residents and families are informed and consent obtained,  and resident care plans are reviewed on a regular basis, involving residents and families.

Behavioural Supports Ontario

BSO, a $40-million provincial initiative to enhance quality of life for seniors affected by dementia and other conditions that cause agitation, has been successful at several OMNI homes with embedded staffing.

In its first year of involvement with BSO in 2012, Riverview Manor saw a 35.5 per cent decline in responsive agitation, while the rate of PRN (pharmaceuticals given on an as-needed basis, which includes antipsychotics) medication administration dropped 34.4 per cent.

Likewise, Streamway Villa in Cobourg has reported a significant reduction in incidents of responsive behaviours, such as aggression, wandering, physical resistance and agitation, after team members began applying their BSO learnings.

The Star article paraphrased McCarthy saying he attributed “a nurse shortage” to contributing to “an over-reliance on drugs to handle elderly patients with dementia.”

McCarthy says he never mentioned “a nurse shortage” but rather told the Star there are more effective ways of allocating resources to address aggressive behaviours in long-term care homes.

Investing provincially in BSO staffing embedded in homes, and providing front-line staff with BSO training is one such way, he says.

“We have found that we have had positive results where we have had embedded staff from Behavioural Supports Ontario, in terms of the administration of antipsychotics and a better way for allocating funding across the system that better recognizes the issue of behaviours,” McCarthy says.

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

If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

Hawaiian Day kicks spring into gear

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Streamway Villa residents and families enjoy Hawaiian Day.

Streamway Villa residents and families enjoy Hawaiian Day.

Streamway Villa residents participate in a day-long celebration

Tuesday, April 15, 2014 — Lisa Bailey

Bursts of colour and tropical sights, sounds and flavours catapulted Streamway Villa residents, families and staff members into spring recently.

“It’s been a fun day, and I’m sure we’ll have many more,” life enrichment aide Nancy Williams says, noting that Kick In Gear for Spring – Hawaiian Day made a successful return engagement after a three-year hiatus so even more residents and their families could enjoy a taste of the tropics.

The day-long celebration March 31 came as the Cobourg long-term care home completed its accreditation process. The party also provided a welcome boost from the winter doldrums.

“It’s just been a long winter,” Williams says. “We were all ready to just kick back and have some fun.”

There were plenty of things to enjoy, from a fun and fitness program with Calypso music and the distribution of colourful leis, to a Hawaiian-themed meal of ham with pineapple. In the afternoon, a Hawaiian luau unfolded with silk fans, bamboo sticks, hula dancing, uli ulis and entertainer Isabel Tatoiu. Residents played tambourines and maracas. Some of them even put on grass skirts, straw hats and sunglasses and joined a few staff members to try dancing to island music.

“We have a great rhythm band going on here,” Williams says, referring to the beat that residents kept to the infectious music. “Our residents have rhythm, that’s for sure.”

Residents not only had a hand in the celebration itself but they also helped to prepare the home for the day. A number of them assisted Williams in decorating the dining room with all kinds of colourful items that Williams had received from friends. From hanging pineapples to palm trees, the accents put up by the residents and staff helped to set the mood for a joyful day.

The majority of Streamway Villa’s residents participated in Hawaiian Day festivities, along with a number of family and staff members. Williams hopes everyone enjoyed the chance to socialize and experience good times and good memories.

“It was great to see the residents enjoying themselves and the smiles on their faces, and the staff, too, they got into it as well,” Williams says.

“If you see one person smiling, that makes it all worthwhile.”

If you have a story to share or feedback on this article, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 25, or e-mail lisa(at)axiomnews.ca.

There’s no place like Garden Terrace for volunteer Anne Russell

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‘Everyone is so compassionate there’

Anne Russell began volunteering at Garden Terrace about four years ago, when her husband Graeme was a resident at the Ottawa-area long-term care home. Although her husband passed away in spring 2011, Anne has continued to spend her spare time helping the home’s residents and staff members.

The reason Anne has chosen to remain a Garden Terrace volunteer is simple: she experienced the top-notch quality of life and care residents receive when Graeme was living there, and she continues to see the dedication staff members have to the residents and families they serve.

“I felt I wanted to give back and there was no other place I’d rather be,” Anne tells the OMNIway. “I know everybody, and everybody was so good to me and my husband, so I naturally want to give back to Garden Terrace.”

Adding to this, Anne says the atmosphere at Garden Terrace creates an outstanding volunteering experience. It’s staff members, who are supportive of volunteers, that make the greatest difference, Anne says.

“They are one of a kind, I’ll say that,” Anne says. “They treat you like you’re family. … And they have such compassion for the people.”

Through her volunteering Anne participates in several activities with residents — everything from helping people during meals to accompanying residents on outings. She adds there isn’t one aspect of her volunteering that she enjoys more than others.

“I just enjoy helping the residents because they’re super people,” she says.

Asked if there is anything people considering a volunteering opportunity at Garden Terrace should expect to find, Anne says it’s a high level of compassion.

“Everyone is so compassionate there; you just do not see that all the time in other homes,” she says. “I’ve visited people in other homes and you don’t get the same atmosphere. You walk into Garden Terrace and you have that homey atmosphere.”

April 6-12 was National Volunteer Week. The week is dedicated to recognizing Canada’s 13.3 million volunteers for their dedication to their communities. Click here for more information.

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