Special theme day gives Maplewood residents a taste of the Wild West

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The walls of Maplewood were recently covered with Wild West-style wanted posters featuring photos of residents and staff members at the Brighton, Ont. long-term care home.

It was part of a Western-themed day organized on June 18 by Rosanne Blackburn, a life enrichment aide (LEA) at the home who is often coming up with creative, fun and engaging programming ideas.

In addition to the wanted posters was a “cowboy photo booth” where people could have fun pictures taken. Residents could also enjoy a drink while playing horseshoes.

For lunch, the nutritional care team prepared a Western-themed meal.

“The kitchen staff prepared ‘cowboy casserole’ and chicken chili for the menu,” Rosanne tells The OMNIway. “Staff also dressed up and the residents wore cowboy hats.”

A group of team members, dressed in their finest cowgirl gear, did a dance for residents after being ushered in by Maplewood administrator and life enrichment co-ordinator Rachel Corkery.

“Rachel introduced us cowgirls with our special cowgirl names just before lunchtime,” Rosanne says.

Rosanne adds that the fun continued over the weekend, with LEA Lynanne Campbell making banana splits for everyone on Father’s Day.

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Going above and beyond for residents is the OMNI way

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Recent stories highlight the dedication team members have for the residents they serve

Residents are at the centre of everything OMNI Health Care team members do, and going above and beyond the call of duty to enhance the quality of life for residents comes with the territory.

In fact, it’s all part of a day’s work in OMNI homes.

When Jean Trombley, the wife of Burnbrae Gardens resident Frank Trombley, was getting ready to celebrate her 89th birthday in May, Lauren Farnham, a life enrichment aide at the Campbellford, Ont. long-term care home, organized a pandemic-safe reunion for the couple, who had not had a face-to-face visit in 14 months.

Frank, 93, said he was lost for words when asked how it felt seeing his wife of 42 years for the first time in more than a year.

“I’ll tell you right now, I’ll never forget this for the rest of my life, and I don’t think my wife will ever forget it either,” he said.

“How do you explain how you feel after having not seen your wife for months? It was just tremendous.”

Springdale Country Manor resident Lillian de Bassecourt turned 101 on May 21, and team members at the Peterborough-area long-term care home helped her celebrate with a build-your-own pizza luncheon provided to her and other residents.

Lillian had “a wonderful time” celebrating her special day with residents and staff members, said Sonia Murney, Springdale’s life enrichment co-ordinator.

Aside from the pizza luncheon, which also featured ceasar salad, Canadian maple ice cream and beer for everyone, Lillian received flowers and a window visit from her local family members.

Lillian recently moved into a new room at Springdale Country Manor. Sonia says Lillian’s new room provides her with a “beautiful view” of the home’s back courtyard. Lillian enjoys watching birds eat at the feeder and looking at the flowers.

“She can also see the hills and the green farmers’ fields, and she just loves looking at the scenery,” Sonia said.

Meanwhile, at Pleasant Meadow Manor, team members provided the ladies living at the Norwood, Ont. long-term care home with a day of pampering just before Mother’s Day.

On their own time and at their own expense, care assistant Jamie Cochrane and personal support worker Jeanette Davis organized a spa day for the residents on May 7, the Friday before Mother’s Day.

Kim Williams, the life enrichment co-ordinator at Pleasant Meadow Manor, says Jamie and Jeanette transformed the home’s hairdressing salon into “a lovely, warm, relaxing and welcoming spa room.”

The spa Jamie and Jeanette provided residents included facial treatments to cleanse and exfoliate skin, and manicures to get nails looking their best.

Jamie and Jeanette practised COVID-19 safety measures to keep everyone safe, Kim notes.

“Our ladies loved it,” Kim said.

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Photo caption: Burnbrae Gardens resident Frank Trombley and his wife, Jean, sit outside the Campbellford long-term care home on May 24.

Pleasant Meadow residents treated to virtual concerts over Father’s Day weekend

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Fan-favourite entertainer Art Lajambe performed via video to help dads celebrate their special day

The dads living at Pleasant Meadow Manor were treated to a special virtual concert provided by one of their favourite local entertainers, Art Lajambe, who performed by video for them over the Father’s Day weekend.

During the Father’s Day weekend, the Pleasant Meadow Manor gentlemen got to enjoy white wine spritzers and snacks from the tuck cart while watching Art’s performances that were streamed through the large-screen smart TV in the activity room.

With protocols in effect to keep everyone safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, residents and their families could not be together inside the Norwood, Ont. long-term care home for Father’s Day festivities.

However, with Directive No. 3 in effect in Ontario long-term care homes, residents were able to enjoy safe outdoor visits with loved ones before the afternoon virtual performance.

While the performances may have been virtual, they were almost as good as having in-home entertainment, says Kim Williams, Pleasant Meadow Manor’s life enrichment co-ordinator.

“It’s almost like Art was here because he still talks to the audience,” she tells The OMNIway.

Kim adds that one of the great things about Art’s performances is the way he engages residents and encourages their participation.

“He’s got a great voice and he sings a wide range of songs for them, and they will sing along with him, and they always really enjoy him,” she says.

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Burnbrae residents get home ready for Canada Day decorating contest

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Residents are ‘very excited’ and hopeful the home will be in the winner’s circle

Canada Day isn’t for another six days, but Burnbrae Gardens is already decked out to celebrate the country’s 154th birthday on July 1.

That’s because the Campbellford long-term care home has entered the Trent Hills Canada Day Decorating Contest, a decorating challenge for homes and businesses in the region organized by the Trent Hills Chamber of Commerce.

Life enrichment aide Lauren Farnham organized the decorations at Burnbrae Gardens and got lots of help from residents Jean Bradshaw, Florence Casselman, Helen Earl, Diane Partridge, Karen Phillips, Jim Pollock, Tom Robbins and Marie Shearer.

Together, they decorated the front of the home with Canadian flags and a wide array of other red and white decorations with Canadian motifs.

When the decorating was done, Lauren snapped a picture of the front of the home (see photo above) and submitted it to the chamber of commerce to be entered in the contest.

According to contest rules, participants must have their decorations up by June 26 at noon and they must remain on display until July 4.

Burnbrae Gardens, along with other participating homes and businesses, will be part of a driving route for sightseers.

This is the first year Burnbrae Gardens has participated in the contest.

“They are doing (the contest) this way because of COVID precautions; it allows people to keep their distance from their cars, but they still get to see all the decorations,” Lauren says.

The contest winners will be announced July 2, and residents are hopeful Burnbrae Gardens will be in the winner’s circle, Lauren says.

“The residents are very excited,” she says. “They loved putting up the decorations, and I keep hearing compliments about the decorations from inside and outside the home.”

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Pictures and pub nights highlight Riverview Father’s Day festivities

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For Mother’s Day, The OMNIway reported how the Riverview Manor life enrichment team took photos of the ladies living at the Peterborough long-term care home to send family members and make collages for the dining rooms. For Father’s Day, the Riverview Manor dads had their turn.

A week before Father’s Day (June 20), Riverview Manor life enrichment aide (LEA) Adam Wicklum was busy taking photos of all the men living at the home. Each gentleman had two photos – a “cool” shot of them wearing sunglasses and a fedora, and regular portraits without props.

On Friday evening, some of the residents from the south-side neighbourhood helped Adam cut out the photos and put them up on a poster board for a collage.

After all the photos were taken, LEA Taylor Ioannou e-mailed them to each resident’s power of attorney as a keepsake.

Later on Friday night, photo collages went up in both the south- and north-side dining rooms.

On Father’s Day, a large front-lawn sign that said “Happy Father’s Day” was visible to residents from the dining rooms.

Life enrichment team members were busy organizing outdoor family visits for Father’s Day on Sunday, so no activities were planned.

However, on Monday and Tuesday, the dads got to enjoy special pub nights to celebrate them, with Adam working with Taylor and LEA Brigitte Byette to serve the gentlemen.

Residents enjoyed beer or pop as well as three kinds of potato chips while listening to music from the ’50s and ’60s.

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How ‘shooting hoops’ has become a favourite activity at Woodland Villa

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A recently acquired Pop-A-Shot has been a safe and fun way to engage residents during the pandemic

A new basketball-themed activity at Woodland Villa is proving to be engaging for both residents and staff members at the Long Sault, Ont. long-term care home.

Woodland Villa recently acquired a Pop-A-Shot basketball game that has been getting lots of use since it arrived at the home two and a half months ago, says Lisa Doran, the home’s life enrichment co-ordinator.

The Pop-A-Shot combines old-fashioned basketball with an arcade game.

The game features two side-by-side basketball hoops and a backboard that’s surrounded by netting for safety. Players toss basketballs towards the hoops, and an electronic scoreboard tallies the baskets scored.

The game is set up in the activity area. Lisa says residents will often go to the Pop-A-Shot, pick up a basketball and start playing.

Staff members, when they have some down time, are also taking residents over and shooting hoops with them.

“(The Pop-A-Shot) is going over very well – both the residents and the staff love it; you can hear people using it all the time,” Lisa tells The OMNIway.

“They have competitions with each other, and even the staff will have competitions with each other.”

With safety restrictions in place due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there is no large-group programming in long-term care homes. Since the Pop-A-Shot basketball game is a two-player activity, it’s the perfect tool for engaging residents in something they enjoy while adhering to important safety protocols, Lisa says.

Asked if she would recommend the Pop-A-Shot to other long-term care homes, Lisa doesn’t hesitate in her response.

“Definitely, it’s been great,” she says.

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PHOTO CAPTION: Woodland Villa resident Denis Gauvin takes aim with a basketball at the home’s recently acquired Pop-A-Shot. 

Internal promotion shows OMNI’s commitment to team members: administrator

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Neil MacDonald is one of four Frost Manor managers to be promoted from within the organization

Neil MacDonald says one of the great things about working for OMNI Health Care is that the organization values its employees and demonstrates commitment to staff members by promoting people from within.

This is something he’s experienced first-hand.

After spending much of his career working at OMNI homes as a dietary aide, cook and nutritional care manager, Neil became the administrator at Frost Manor in Lindsay on April 8.

Promoting employees from within the organization and investing in its people are hallmarks of the commitment OMNI has for the people working in its 18 long-term care homes, Neil says.

“I think it’s critical,” Neil says of internal promotion. “First of all, as employees of the company, it’s something that really helps provide you with a positive outlook in your career; to know that you could go from a dietary aide or a PSW (personal support worker) up to a top position within a home or within the company.”

Neil notes that several members of the Frost Manor management team have been promoted from within.

Brittney Sharpe, before becoming Frost Manor’s director of care, was a volunteer, PSW and a nurse at the home.

Sarah Wokral started at Frost Manor as a registered practical nurse and then became RAI co-ordinator.

Amy Whitehead, who started at Frost Manor as a life enrichment aide, recently became life enrichment co-ordinator.

“Four members of our management team were promotions from within, and that’s great for employees and for retention, but also for the quality of care that we can provide because we are groomed into the OMNIway and the quality of care that we strive to provide,” Neil says.

“We have that extra time spent learning (the OMNI) values and practising those values, and then being put into a position to lead people towards those values, I think is very advantageous for the care that we provide.”

– Part 3 of a three-part story

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Woodland team helps resident Dorothy Daye celebrate 100th birthday

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Team members organize a safe event to honour new centenarian

The Woodland Villa team rolled out the red carpet and hosted a safe event on June 15 for resident Dorothy Daye to help her celebrate her 100th birthday.

Staff members at the Long Sault, Ont. long-term care home showered Dorothy with an array of gifts, including flowers, champagne and a birthday wreath.

Dorothy was also provided with a fancy hat that read, “Look who’s 100”, and a sash to honour her on her special day.

And, of course, there was a birthday cake for Dorothy, which she kindly shared with her fellow residents and staff.

Dorothy, who has lived at Woodland Villa since 2018, was able to celebrate her birthday with other residents in small groups, and social distancing was observed in accordance with COVID-19 safety guidelines.

Lisa Doran, the life enrichment co-ordinator at Woodland Villa, says Dorothy had a long, busy day amidst all the birthday wishes and gift-receiving that comes with being a new centenarian, but she was thrilled with the adulation she received on her special day.

“She loved it,” Lisa tells The OMNIway. “She was tired at the end of the day, but she loved it.”

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Three organizations team up to ask Canadians to help end elder abuse

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World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) was on Tuesday (June 15), and the Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (CNPEA), Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario and CanAge are teaming up to ask Canadians to help prevent elder abuse by raising awareness during their 2021 campaign.

The theme of this year’s campaign, entitled “Rights Don’t Get Old”, is focusing on spreading information to help protect and uphold the rights of seniors and prevent elder abuse.

Elder abuse can come in many forms, including physical, emotional and financial, as well as neglect and abandonment.

According to CNPEA, between seven and 10 per cent of older Canadians are the victims of elder abuse. Globally, CNPEA says it’s estimated one in six seniors have experienced elder abuse.

“The basic human rights of older Canadians are challenged and undercut every day and, tragically, this has never been more true than over the last year during the COVID-19 pandemic,” CNPEA says on its website.

To help people and organizations raise awareness of the issues surrounding elder abuse, the campaign organizers have created a social media guide. More information about the 2021 campaign can be found by visiting the CNPEA website.

The hashtag #RightsDoNotGetOld can be followed on social media.

This year marks the 16th annual WEAAD. WEAAD was first marked on June 15, 2006, by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations.

Since then, WEAAD events and activities have been held worldwide to bring attention to the issue of elder abuse. Organizations and communities have been encouraged to host awareness days and lead discussions about the prevention of elder abuse.

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Country Terrace focusing on quality mealtimes to keep spirits high during the pandemic

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‘You have to be creative and work within the restrictions’

Since protocols in place due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have limited group activities and programming for long-term care homes, Country Terrace has turned to something that is universally important to residents to ensure their quality of life is kept high: meals.

Every two weeks the Komoka, Ont. long-term care home hosts the Diners Club, a mealtime program where small groups of residents, on a rotating basis, choose a special meal the nutritional care team prepares for them.

The program was launched a few years ago, but it has been especially important to residents since the pandemic was declared 14 months ago, says Country Terrace nutritional care manager Alex Achillini.

Recently, the Diners Club featured a meal of pork ribs, chicken wings, onion rings, fries, coleslaw and pineapple upside-down cake. Other meals residents have requested over the years include beef tenderloin, seafood and reuben sandwiches.

The Diners Club has also focused on providing special meals for residents on texture-modified diets.

“You have to be creative and work within the restrictions,” Alex says.

Along with providing residents with their favourite foods, the Diners Club program also includes wine and beer for residents to enjoy, and meals are served using the home’s best plates and cutlery.

Country Terrace nutritional care team members have also received outside praise for their work.

In 2020, the team was recognized by the Canadian Society of Nutrition Management (CSNM) for the Mother’s Day lunch of barbecued pork ribs, parsnips, cornbread muffins, cream of celery soup and dulce de leche cheesecake that was served last May.

The CSNM posted a photo of the meal on its website to honour the team.

Residents also provide the nutritional care team with input to enhance their dining experience. For example, the team is now looking at sprucing up the meatloaf recipe to make a favourite meal even better for residents, Alex says.

And it’s not just the Diners Club the nutritional care team is focusing on during the pandemic. Alex and his team also regularly treat residents to ice cream and other desserts, he adds.

“These are all things you can do to improve the quality of life from the dietary (department’s) point of view,” Alex says.

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