KINGSTON, Ont. – OMNI Health Care’s 2015 managers’ forum was a resounding success in many ways, but president and CEO Patrick McCarthy says the OMNI Video Challenge was the pinnacle of the three-day event. Read more
Videographer Amber Pula captures a moment for one of OMNI long-term care home Rosebridge Manor’s video contributions.
Videographer Amber Pula found herself chuckling more than once as she edited the videos for OMNI Health Care’s first-ever video challenge. Though the topic of the videos was a serious one — quality care in long-term care homes — the brilliance of the videos was that they provided a way to blend fun, creativity and learning around an important issue.
“I think (this video challenge) has really opened up some avenues for creativity and learning to be united and that gets people excited about learning — which is the best way to go about it, I’d say,” says Amber, who brought her gifts of creativity, enthusiasm and the ability to help others execute their vision to the video challenge.
Amber’s own experience with this project proved to be a great blend of fun and learning.
Amber Pula
She was joined by Axiom News colleagues Lisa Bailey and Deron Hamel in visiting all but two of OMNI’s 18 long-term care homes to shoot footage for the videos over a period of several weeks.
Co-ordinating and prepping for the visits offered lots of opportunity to practise and learn about being organized, she says.
Amber also learned a lot about the best ways of working with teams of people she’d never met before in order to create something new together. At the heart of this work is the importance of mutual respect, she says.
But in the end, what energized her most was the energy of the teams at each of the homes. “They were all super excited and they all wanted to do their best,” Amber says.
While that energy certainly made the filming a fun experience, it also enlivened the hours of solitary editing she experienced afterwards.
“It really helped when I was editing, because you could just see their energy,” Amber says.
“Even the bloopers helped keep me going as I was editing . . . I was just laughing,” she adds.
She recalls a visit to one of the homes in particular, Springdale Country Manor, in which everyone, including the residents, was laughing so hard during the videoing that a staff member got accused of wetting her pants. (That scene, by the way, did make it into the Springdale video).
The videos are being unveiled for the first time during this week’s OMNI manager’s forum. Participant voting will identify the winning entries. All of the videos will be available through OMNI’s Surge Learning educational management tool, becoming training and information resources for the homes.
The OMNI manager’s forum is currently underway in Kingston. Previously, it has been held at Fern Resort in Orillia.
KINGSTON, Ont. and PETERBOROUGH, Ont. – The annual OMNI manager’s forum, currently underway in Kingston, includes an “Oscar awards night” ambience this year as the organization’s first-ever video challenge takes centre stage.
Over the past few months, each of the long-term care provider’s homes across Ontario have responded to the challenge to produce a brief video featuring the importance of one selected quality indicator.
Teams from the homes have gotten into the intended fun and creative spirit of the challenge, drawing in pop songs, classic cars and comedic bits among other elements.
The videos are being unveiled for the first time during the forum, taking place May 26-28. Participant voting will identify the winning entries.
Quality is a core theme of the 2015 manager’s forum, with an opening presentation centred on quality team leadership and another group session geared to building quality care teams.
In his address to managers, OMNI Health Care president and CEO Patrick McCarthy said the next step in OMNI’s quality focus will be on enhancing engagement of residents, families and front-line staff.
“Our quality program is the centre of our universe and what we’re all about,” McCarthy told managers. “Quality care is our single most important goal.”
The focus on quality is important at this time given that as of April 1, Ontario long-term care providers are mandated by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to publicly report on several areas of quality improvement.
Additional topics of discussion during the forum include ethical issues, and equity and diversity in long-term care.
Watch for more stories on the forum soon!
– With files from Deron Hamel
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Members of Rosebridge Manor’s spirited team got funky during filming May 7 for their entry in the first-ever OMNI Video Challenge. Read more
The folks at Almonte Country Haven recently asked us to highlight Enid Manchester, a resident at the Lanark County long-term care home who’s a real busy body. Read more
When Joan Leclaire looks around Forest Hill, she sees nurses and personal support workers (PSWs) giving their all for the 156 people living at the Kanata long-term care home. Read more
Frost Manor volunteers were recently served a sophisticated lunch as a show of appreciation from the Lindsay long-term care home’s management team. Read more
A team from Riverview Manor and OMNI head office participated in the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Big Bike fundraiser in Peterborough on May 13.
PETERBOROUGH, Ont. – Twenty enthusiastic staff members from Riverview Manor and OMNI Health Care head office peddled two kilometres around Peterborough May 13 as part of the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Big Bike fundraiser. Read more
Garden Terrace administrator Carolyn Della Foresta says she and her colleagues at the Kanata long-term care home are “excited” about the possibilities that could stem from their entry in the OMNI Video Challenge. Read more