It’s too early to go shopping, but vaccinations bring hope to West Lake residents

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Almost all of West Lake’s residents received the Moderna vaccine on Feb. 22

Shortly after receiving the Moderna vaccine on Feb. 22, a West Lake Terrace resident approached life enrichment co-ordinator Janie Denard with a question.

“Janie, does this mean you can take me shopping?” the resident asked.

Although the world is still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and it’s too early for shopping trips and other excursions for the Prince Edward County long-term care home’s residents, Janie says she took the resident’s question as a sign of hopefulness.

Representatives from Hastings Prince Edward Public Health were at West Lake Terrace on Monday to administer the Moderna vaccine to 33 residents.

All of the residents who received the vaccine had provided the necessary consent to be immunized. Only one resident requested not to be vaccinated.

There is still a way to go before life returns to normal, and even with residents and staff members vaccinated against the highly contagious COVID-19 virus, strict safety protocols will remain in place for some time.

Still, residents and staff members at West Lake Terrace are “excited” that the vaccine has arrived, as immunizations are a major step forward to ending the pandemic.

“We are excited; we are hopeful that (the vaccinations) are going to bring some more normalcy back to the residents’ lives in the near future and we can return to life as normal,” Janie says.

“They’re desperate to get out shopping and see the world outside of West Lake, so that has been a topic among residents, and I think the residents are a little more hopeful that we’re going to start to turn a corner here soon with the pandemic, and we’re hoping for better days ahead in the summer.”

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1950s diner and a visit from the Fonz highlight West Lake Terrace activity week

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The home’s Beat the Winter Blahs Week succeeded in its mission, says LEC

The West Lake Terrace dining room recently looked like Arnold’s Drive-In, the famed diner where characters from the 1950s-themed sitcom Happy Days would hang out.

Residents and staff could tuck into burgers, hot dogs, fries and onion rings served in baskets lined with checkered paper. There were ice-cream sundaes for dessert and cherry cola to wash everything down.

People were dancing to the 1950s rock ’n’ roll that was playing, and there was even a visit from Arthur Fonzarelli – AKA, Fonzie – himself.

Resident Elwood Lewis donned a black leather jacket and sunglasses to play the part of Fonzie perfectly, right down to giving the thumbs-up, and his “aaayyy!” was spot-on, says West Lake Terrace life enrichment co-ordinator (LEC), Janie Denard.

For Janie, the 1950s theme day, which was held at the Prince Edward County long-term care home on Feb. 18, was the pinnacle of a week of fun events that aimed to blow away the winter blues.

“We really wanted to be creative this year to come up with activities that would help both the residents and the staff beat the blahs this year,” she tells The OMNIway.

Every February, West Lake Terrace hosts a Beat the Winter Blahs Week, seven days dedicated to themed activities to help residents and staff members through the often cold and dreary winter month.

The ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic made year’s activity week even more important for everyone, given the restrictions that have been in place since the pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization 11 months ago, Janie says.

Other events held the week of Feb. 12 to Feb. 19 included:

– Chinese food for lunch on Feb. 12

– On Feb. 14 there were Valentine’s Day photos taken, and a steak dinner served in the evening

– Feb. 15 was Pyjama Day, so residents and team members stayed in their PJs for the day

– On Shrove Tuesday, pancakes were on the menu and there was a special Mardi Gras event for everyone that included games

– A sports day for staff members and the West Lake Terrace Winter Games for residents on Feb. 17

– A special breakfast capped off the week on Feb. 19

Janie says residents and staff members had a lot of fun during this year’s Beat the Winter Blahs Week

“They had a blast, they’re already asking when we can do it again.”

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Pleasant Meadow residents receive first COVID-19 vaccination, second dose coming

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Immunizations bring ‘a sense of relief and hope’ to residents and staff

Most of the residents of Pleasant Meadow Manor have received their first dose of the vaccine to protect them from the COVID-19 virus, and they are expected to get the booster immunization in the coming days.

On Jan. 28, paramedics from Peterborough Public Health were at the Norwood, Ont. long-term care home to work with front-line staff members to immunize all residents who had given consent to receive the vaccine.

The paramedics are expected to return to Pleasant Meadow Manor this week to administer the booster shot, says Sandra Tucker, the home’s administrator and director of care.

With the first round of resident vaccinations complete and the second immunizations coming soon, Sandra says there’s “a sense of relief and hope” amongst residents and staff members that the global pandemic’s end is on the horizon.

All municipalities covered by Peterborough Public Health, including Norwood, are currently in the yellow zone of the Ontario government’s colour-coded reopening framework. Municipalities in yellow zones are under “strengthened measures” and are expected to focus on protection.

Keeping in line with safety protocols, there are no large-group activities at Pleasant Meadow Manor at the moment, but residents are receiving one-to-one and small-group programming involving five or fewer people, with social distancing and other safety measures in effect.

The Government of Ontario says on its website that vaccinations will be crucial to curbing COVID-19 infection.

“(Vaccines) will be an important tool to help stop the spread of the virus and allow individuals, families and workers to safely resume normal life,” the website states.

“The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine does not cause a coronavirus infection. It helps to build up your immunity to the virus, so your body will fight it off more easily if it affects you.”

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Country Terrace residents treated to chocolate fondue for Valentine’s Day

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There is no food connected to Valentine’s Day as much as chocolate, and when Feb. 14 rolled around the Country Terrace nutritional care team made a chocolate fondue for the Komoka, Ont. long-term care home’s residents to enjoy.

The nutritional care team made a “chocolate fondue cart” and visited residents on Valentine’s Day to offer them a taste.

The pot of chocolate fondue the nutritional care team prepared was accompanied on the cart by several items to go with it. These included fruits such as strawberries, grapes, pineapple and blueberries.

There were also wafers, Oreo cookies, marshmallows, homemade Rice Krispies squares and puff pastry twists.

Due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, safety protocols were followed by staff members when serving the dessert.

The Country Terrace nutritional care team usually hosts a special meal and gathering for residents on Valentine’s Day, but it was not possible to do so this year because of safety protocols in place.

Still, nutritional care manager Alex Achillini said the chocolate fondue was well-received by residents.

“It was wonderful; everyone really enjoyed it,” he tells The OMNIway. “It was something different for St. Valentine’s Day.”

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Willows Estate nutritional care team taps into creativity to prepare Valentine’s Day dinner

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‘We will continue to strive to make mealtime on special holidays equally memorable as other days’

The Willows Estate nutritional care team prepared a special Valentine’s Day dinner for residents of the Aurora, Ont. long-term care home that was as creative as it was delicious.

Nutritional care manager Davina Mesquito challenged the Willows Estate cooks to prepare a dinner and dessert that would include heart-shaped, cheese-filled ravioli and heart-shaped cookies.

The nutritional care team chose to serve the heart-shaped pasta in a creamy alfredo sauce alongside a serving of vegetables and garlic toast.

To end the meal, the team chose broken-glass Jell-O, a dessert consisting of different colours and flavours of Jell-O blocks that are set into chilled condensed milk. The broken-glass Jell-O was then cut into squares and each topped with a heart-shaped cookie.

Willows Estate has been impacted by a COVID-19 outbreak since Dec. 24. Provided there is no change in status, the outbreak is expected to end on Feb. 23.

With strict safety protocols in effect at the Willows, Davina says she and the nutritional care team wanted to do something special this Valentine’s Day for residents.

Preparing fancy meals, she says, is one way the team can make a meaningful difference to residents during a challenging time.

In addition to the special Valentine’s Day dinner, the nutritional care and life enrichment staff handed out heart-shaped goody bags filled with soft-textured chocolate for residents to enjoy.

The bags used were ones that could easily be wiped down and sanitized to keep in line with the COVID-19 safety requirements, Davina notes.

Davina says the Willows Estate nutritional care team takes pride in going the extra mile to ensure residents are served special meals.

“We will continue to strive to make mealtime on special holidays equally memorable as other days,” she says.

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Vaccination clinics begin at OMNI homes

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Residents of most homes have received their first COVID-19 vaccination and some have now received the second dose

Since January, most of OMNI Health Care’s 18 long-term care homes have hosted clinics to administer the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination to residents, and residents of some homes have now received the vaccine’s required second dose.

The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Since then, people working in the long-term care sector have put tireless efforts into keeping residents and their co-workers safe, and infection, prevention and control protocols have been ramped up.

While the pandemic continues to be a major concern and safety protocols remain top of mind, the vaccination clinics that have been held in OMNI homes have brought the first sign of life starting to return to normal, say staff members.

Although the vaccine is a major step forward in keeping residents safe from the highly contagious COVID-19 virus, homes will continue to exercise precautions for some time.

Located in Kanata, Ont., Forest Hill was one of the first OMNI long-term care homes to have residents receive a primary dose of the vaccine. Paramedics from the local public health unit administered the vaccine to residents on Jan. 14.

“We are still going to have months (of the pandemic) ahead of us, but at least you can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Forest Hill life enrichment co-ordinator Craig Forrest recently told The OMNIway.

All residents of Almonte Country Haven in Lanark County have also received the first dose of the Moderna vaccine. On Jan. 28, a team from the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit was at the home to administer the vaccine with the help of Almonte Country Haven staff.

After each resident received the vaccination, they were given a special badge to wear that read, “I Got My COVID-19 Vaccine,” and were then brought to the front of the home where a public health unit nurse was standing by to ensure they were experiencing no side effects.

“It was all hands on deck and all of our staff were involved in supporting the recommended half-hour observation period to ensure that any possible reaction was swiftly identified and dealt with,” Almonte Country Haven administrator Carolyn Della Foresta said in an e-mail sent the day of the vaccinations.

The Ontario government is aiming to immunize all long-term-care home residents who have given consent as soon as possible. Initially, the province set a Feb. 5 deadline to have all long-term-care home residents vaccinated; however, that target could not be met due to delays in supply lines, so the deadline has been extended into February.

The Government of Ontario says on its website that vaccinations will be crucial to curbing COVID-19 infection.

“(Vaccines) will be an important tool to help stop the spread of the virus and allow individuals, families and workers to safely resume normal life,” the website states.

Streamway Villa marks 1,000th COVID-19 test with celebration

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Streamway Villa officially conducted 1,000 COVID-19 tests at the Cobourg, Ont. long-term care home on Feb. 16.

Nurse Jessica Bell has been performing nasal pharyngeal PCR COVID-19 swabs since testing began last spring after the World Health Organization declared the pandemic.

“A couple of other nurses have done (the tests) when Jessica was off, but if you speak to any of the staff, it’s Jessica who has been our star swabber,” Streamway Villa life enrichment co-ordinator Laurie Kracht tells The OMNIway.

Performing these tests on residents and team members is crucial to detecting COVID-19 infection and preventing the spread of the virus.

Due to Jessica’s hard work, Streamway Villa administrator Kylie Szczebonski decided to mark the 1,000 swab with a celebration.

There was cake for everyone to enjoy, confetti was thrown and there was a large “1,000” made up of balloons attached to the ceiling in the home to mark the occasion.

Laurie says Jessica makes the swabbing process easy for everyone.

Jessica and nurse manager Jennifer Suave have set up a TV showing a clip of a fireplace burning, and there is calming music in the background as well, Laurie says.

“She’s gentle and makes the experience special for us,” Laurie says. “Jessica even gives us treats after every swab.”

Laurie adds that Jessica will be starting new rapid COVID-19 tests at Streamway Villa next week.

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Students help make Valentine’s Day even more special at Streamway Villa

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Grade 2 and 3 students from Notre Dame Catholic Elementary School send artwork to residents

Students at a local primary school helped ensure Streamway Villa residents had an extra-special Valentine’s Day.

The week before Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14), the Grade 2 and Grade 3 classes at nearby Notre Dame Catholic Elementary School made some creative Valentine’s Day artwork they sent to the Cobourg, Ont. long-term care home’s residents.

The small posters the students made feature photos of them blowing on an extended hand and sending a flurry of hearts into the air as a Valentine’s Day message.

“We have a relationship with (Notre Dame Catholic Elementary School); they always make cards for our seniors, this time they did an art project of them blowing hearts – it was so cute,” says Streamway Villa life enrichment co-ordinator Laurie Kracht.

Most importantly, Laurie says the students’ efforts were well-received by residents, who appreciated the time they took to create these unique pieces of art.

“The artwork put a huge smile on our residents’ faces,” she says. “It’s always special when we get stuff sent over from (the school).”

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Country Terrace thanks local community for support during outbreak

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Gifts and letters to residents and staff ‘have put some sunshine back into our day’

Going through a COVID-19 outbreak is challenging for any long-term care home, but when the local community pitches in to show its support during a difficult time, the resulting positive impact makes a big difference to everyone’s morale.

Country Terrace recently ended a COVID-19 outbreak that began on Dec. 10 at the Komoka, Ont. long-term care home and impacted both residents and staff.

During this time, community groups and individuals showed their support for Country Terrace residents and staff through many kind gestures, says Christie Patterson, the home’s life enrichment co-ordinator.

The Delaware Lioness Club donated a variety of items, from gift cards to snacks, to residents and staff members.

Gateway Church in Komoka donated gift bags with a drink, chocolate and protein bar for each staff member as well as letters of support for the residents.

Country Terrace also received many donations from family members, community members and neighbours throughout the duration of the pandemic, Christie says.

“These special gifts warm the staff hearts knowing they are not alone and being supportive through these challenging times,” Christie tells The OMNIway.

“Staff are missing residents, residents are missing other residents, (but) these notes and donations have put some sunshine back into our day. Thank you to everyone’s kindness.”

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Resident Chrystol Broom crowned Miss Frost Manor 2021

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Second annual Beauty Shots day and pageant was once again a big hit with residents

Resident Chrystol Broom was crowned Miss Frost Manor 2021 during the Lindsay, Ont. long-term care home’s second annual Beauty Shots day and pageant.

On Feb. 4 and 5, Frost Manor hosted the Beauty Shots program which begins with the life enrichment team primping and pampering residents before they have glamour photos taken. Residents try on different styles of clothing and their makeup is done.

Team members then take photos of residents in a variety of poses along with props, such as sunglasses and floral bouquets.

Although only in its second year, the Beauty Shots program and Miss Frost Manor pageant are becoming resident-favourite events at Frost Manor, says life enrichment manager Lyndsay Burton.

“This program always goes over so well with the residents, and the staff have just as much fun dressing up the residents and offering up suggestions for posing,” she tells The OMNIway.

At the end of the Beauty Shots program, the Miss Frost Manor contest is held. Residents and staff members vote for the best pose of the day.

Chrystol won the Miss Frost Manor contest for her poses. This recognition is also awarded to a resident who displays the values of friendship, citizenship and being beautiful inside and out, Lyndsay explains.

Chrystol was awarded a certificate, sash, crown and flowers to mark the occasion.

Resident Heather Marshall won the first Miss Frost Manor contest in 2020.

Heather was asked if she was sad to be passing the crown.

“No, I am happy to see another resident win,” she says. “I love seeing all the photos of us all dressed up.”

When Chrystol was asked how she felt about receiving the award, with tears in her eyes she replied, “I wasn’t expecting this; this is wonderful.”

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