Local communities help make Christmas merry at OMNI homes

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Individuals and organizations showed strong support for homes during the holiday season

The support OMNI Health Care long-term care homes received from their local communities this past holiday season was nothing short of amazing.

While the people and organizations that comprise the communities surrounding OMNI homes have always played a large part in the lives of residents and staff, the kindness and generosity homes were shown in the days and weeks leading up to Christmas was exceptional.

Just before current pandemic restrictions were put in place, longtime West Lake Terrace volunteer Lesley Campbell and her dad, Clark, visited the Prince Edward County long-term care home to bring holiday cheer to residents.

Lesley brought her therapy dogs, Huxley and Fergus, to the home to spend time with residents, while her dad played Santa Claus for everyone.

The visit from Lesley, her dad and the dogs was engaging for residents and brought out some who normally don’t attend programming, says life enrichment co-ordinator (LEC) Janie Denard.

“The residents loved having (the dogs) back, and we are hopeful that, yet again, things will open up and we can have Fergus and Huxley back again for some more visits,” she says.

When Streamway Villa residents awoke on Christmas morning they found stockings stuffed with gifts, thanks to the Stuff a Stocking for a Senior initiative, which has been showing sending holiday gifts to the Cobourg long-term care home’s residents since 2017.

Through the campaign, which is spearheaded by local resident Vicky Davis, donations are collected from the community, and then Christmas stockings and presents are bought for long-term-care home residents in the region.

“The residents loved their presents,” LEC Laurie Kracht says, adding Streamway Villa residents and team members are grateful for the Stuff a Stocking for a Senior initiative as well as for the other community members and organizations that showed support for the home over the holidays.

“It’s always a special treat for them on Christmas Day.”

Residents of Pleasant Meadow Manor in Norwood were also on the receiving end of community kindness in December.

In the days leading up to Christmas, there was a plethora of gifts dropped off at the home from a wide variety of local organizations and people, including St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Home Instead, Be a Santa to a Senior (BASTA) and Christmas for Seniors.

There were so many presents sent to Pleasant Meadow Manor that life enrichment aide Sheila Fleury, who was in charge of handing the gifts out to residents, spent Christmas Day and Boxing Day making deliveries.

“The residents were deeply touched by the generosity of the community,” says LEC Kim Williams.

Church ensures Village Green residents get to see much-loved Christmas choir

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Since the much-loved choir could not be at the home for Christmas, a special video was made for residents

Village Green residents were able to watch a favourite Christmastime event in December, thanks to the kindness of the members of Selby United Church.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the children’s choir at the church, which is directly across the road from Village Green in Greater Napanee, would visit the home to perform for residents at Christmas.

This past Christmas, due to pandemic protocols in effect, the children could not be at the home to sing for residents.

Instead, the church members recorded a special presentation of the children’s choir along with a skit that was posted on YouTube for Village Green residents to watch. The video was well-received by residents, says Village Green life enrichment co-ordinator Ulana Orrick.

“We were able to play that on the big TV in the activity room for the residents and they really loved seeing the kids again because they haven’t been able to since (the pandemic) started,” she tells The OMNIway.

Ulana says that in addition to making the special video for residents, the church sent Christmas cards and treats to the home during the holidays.

“They have pretty much adopted us,” Ulana says. “The fact that they videotaped (the choir) and did a special shout-out to the residents at Village Green, saying that they miss them and that they were sorry that they couldn’t come in, was really nice.”

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Local pharmacy funds backdrop for Village Green Christmas photos

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Residents had festive pictures to send their loved ones, thanks to the generosity of Gray’s IDA Drug Store in Napanee

Village Green residents had high-quality, festive photos taken in front of a Christmas backdrop they were able to send to their loved ones during the holiday season, thanks to the generosity of a local business.

Before the holidays, Village Green life enrichment co-ordinator Ulana Orrick reached out to the local community in Greater Napanee on Facebook to ask photographers if they had unwanted backdrops they could donate.

The post received little response until Jason Hager of Gray’s IDA Drug Store saw Ulana’s query and offered to pay for a backdrop for Village Green through the pharmacy’s staff Christmas donation fund.

“(Jason) told us to order one and then bring him the receipt because the residents of Village Green deserve to have a nice, new backdrop, and so that’s what we did,” Ulana tells The OMNIway.

The backdrop – which features a fireplace and mantel adorned with Christmas stockings along with a Christmas tree and presents – was purchased and residents “absolutely loved” having their photos taken, Ulana says, adding the home’s hairdresser helped residents get their hair done on her own time, and staff members helped with makeup.

“We took some amazing Christmas photos for residents to send to their loved ones since they weren’t able to go see them over the holidays,” Ulana says.
“The residents absolutely loved it, they really got into it.”

In short time, residents’ family members were sending e-mails to Village Green to thank team members for taking photos of their loved ones.

“This is the kind of thoughtful and heartwarming care that makes Village Green a wonderful and trusted atmosphere for our loved ones,” wrote one family member.

Wrote another family member: “This picture is priceless, I can’t thank you enough. I’ve been thinking of this guy all day. This Christmas again will not be the same without him due to restrictions on family functions. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this photo and can’t wait to share (it) with the family.”

If you have a story you would like to share with The OMNIway, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

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PHOTO CAPTION: Village Green resident Phyllis Brown smiles for the camera in front of a decorative backdrop that was donated to the home before Christmas. Village Green took photos of residents in front of the festive backdrop and sent the pictures to their family members in time for the holidays.

Streamway Villa residents show enthusiasm for in-home democracy

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Home elects new residents’ council

Streamway Villa has just elected a new residents’ council for the next 12 months, and residents were enthusiastic about voting in the new board, which plays a large role in life at the Cobourg long-term care home, says Laurie Kracht, the home’s life enrichment co-ordinator.

Elected to serve the next Streamway Villa residents’ council are president Wanda Greacen, vice-president Betty Bonneau and secretary Emmett Pichie.

Each role comes with a set of duties. The president’s role is to oversee meetings and ensure procedures are followed. The vice-president steps in when the president is not available. The secretary takes notes and maintains a file on the minutes.

Laurie says it was encouraging to see residents take a strong interest in electing the next council.

Residents’ councils are mandated by the Ministry of Long-Term Care. Residents’ councils serve to empower residents and help them make the most of their experience living in long-term care homes.

The councils meet regularly with staff members to advise on residents’ wishes and to discuss issues to keep quality of life high in long-term care homes.

While the new Streamway Villa residents’ council has not yet made any big decisions, Laurie says a major focus for 2022 will be continuing to work through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“They are mainly going to be focused on continuing to get through the pandemic and moving ahead into 2022,” she says.

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Alzheimer Society says LTC homes can help spread this year’s campaign message

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Representatives from the Alzheimer Society of Canada say long-term care homes can play a role to help the organization spread its 2022 awareness campaign and help enhance quality of life for people living with dementia and their caregivers.

The focus of the Alzheimer Society’s 2022 campaign is its First Link program. First Link is an initiative the organization has created nationwide to help connect people living with dementia and their caregivers with programs and supports they need.

In an e-mail interview with The OMNIway, the Alzheimer Society’s chief of research and knowledge translation Dr. Saskia Sivananthan and marketing manager Nathan Christie say not only can long-term care homes help raise awareness of this campaign, they can also help create the connections to First Link that people need.

“For people living with dementia and their care partners, the Alzheimer Society is (their) first link to a community of caring, support, knowledge and more,” say Sivananthan and Christie.

“Calling us can change everything because there is a lot that you can do. There is support.”

There are several ways long-term care homes and anyone else wishing to help raise awareness of this year’s campaign can participate.

Downloading the First Link toolkit, connecting with local Alzheimer societies and using social media to share information are just a few of the ways to help.

Today, people living with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia are facing unique challenges, say Sivananthan and Christie. The world is now two years into the COVID-19 pandemic which has created new challenges for people living with Alzheimer’s, they add.

The Alzheimer Society created a COVID-19 and dementia task force to examine how the pandemic is affecting people living with dementia and their caregivers. According to Sivananthan and Christie, the task force found that the pandemic has had a disproportionately negative impact on people living with dementia and their caregivers.

Raising awareness of the First Link program can be an important step towards stemming the impact the pandemic is having, they say.

“In the frustrating puzzle that is the fight against dementia in Canada, the Alzheimer Society is a vital piece, and this campaign underscores our mission: To alleviate the personal and social consequences of Alzheimer’s and related diseases and to promote the search for causes, treatments and a cure,” Sivananthan and Christie say.

The launch of the First Link campaign coincides with January being National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.

For more information on First Link, please contact the Alzheimer Society at 1-855-705-4636 (INFO) or info(at)alzheimer.ca.

– This is Part 2 of a two-part series

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Pre-Christmas pet therapy and Santa visit brings cheer to West Lake residents

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Lesley Campbell, her father and two dogs had a meaningful visit with residents before pandemic restrictions returned

Just before current pandemic restrictions came into effect in December, West Lake Terrace residents received a visit from Santa Claus as well as from two of their four-legged friends. These visits helped make for a happy holiday season for residents of the Prince Edward County long-term care home, says life enrichment co-ordinator Janie Denard.

Lesley Campbell, a longtime volunteer at West Lake Terrace, came to the home with her two therapy dogs, Huxley and Fergus, to spend time with everyone, and the program was “well received, as always” by residents, Janie says.

Huxley, a pug who made his debut as a West Lake Terrace pet therapy headliner in November following a 20-month absence of pet therapy programs at the home, brought lots of smiles and joy to residents that day, Janie says.

“The residents loved having him back, and we are hopeful that, yet again, things will open up and we can have Fergus and Huxley back again for some more visits,” she says.

Additionally, Lesley’s father, Clark, was at the home and put on a Santa costume to play St. Nick for residents, a gesture that brought lots of Christmas cheer.

All the residents received Christmas cards from Lesley and her family as well, Janie says.

The visit from Lesley, her dad and the dogs was engaging for residents and brought out some who normally don’t attend programming, Janie says.

The day also brought optimism for the future, she adds.

“It was fantastic because they all knew (restrictions were) coming, but having them here made the residents feel hopeful that brighter days are ahead,” Janie says.

“Huxley was a good distraction for all of us. You just look into his big brown eyes and kind of forget about everything else.”

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‘Community changes everything’ at the core of Alzheimer Society’s 2022 awareness campaign

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‘The First Link campaign emphasizes the themes of support, community and knowledge – all positive themes that intend to reassure people who are facing the frustrating question: What do I do next?’

The Alzheimer Society of Canada has launched its annual awareness campaign, and the main message the organization is focusing on in 2022 is “community changes everything,” say two of the society’s representatives.

At the heart of this message is First Link, an initiative the Alzheimer Society has created nationwide to help connect people living with dementia and their caregivers with programs and supports they need, say the Alzheimer Society’s chief of research and knowledge translation Dr. Saskia Sivananthan and marketing manager Nathan Christie.

In an e-mail interview with The OMNIway, Sivananthan and Christie say research conducted by the society’s COVID-19 and dementia task force indicates that people living with dementia and their caregivers have been disproportionately negatively impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, so the theme for this year’s campaign is significant.

“As such, when developing this year’s campaign, the Alzheimer Society knew we had to focus on hope,” Sivananthan and Christie say in an e-mail.

“The First Link campaign emphasizes the themes of support, community and knowledge – all positive themes that intend to reassure people who are facing the frustrating question: What do I do next?

“Through the campaign, the Alzheimer Society wants people affected by dementia to know: you are not alone. There is support available right now.”

Sivananthan and Christie say the campaign, which has been launched to coincide with January being National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, is particularly aimed at people who have Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia but are not connected with the Alzheimer Society.

This includes people recently diagnosed with dementia, people who know someone exhibiting signs of dementia and people with dementia living in communities the Alzheimer Society has not effectively reached.

The campaign is also aimed at health-care providers who can use First Link as a referral service for people living with dementia to help connect them to services and supports they need.

Sivananthan and Christie say the best result that could stem from this year’s awareness campaign would be to have more people living with dementia connected to their local Alzheimer Society through the First Link initiative.

“At its essence, this campaign wants to improve the quality of life for people living with dementia during a time where every aspect of life has gotten more difficult via the pandemic,” they say.

For more information on First Link, please contact the Alzheimer Society at 1-855-705-4636 (INFO) or info(at)alzheimer.ca.

– This is Part 1 of a two-part series

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Streamway Villa residents receive some ‘sunshine’

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Nonprofit organization Sending Sunshine sent cards filled with positive messages to residents during the holidays

Thanks to the thoughtfulness of a nonprofit organization and the people connected to it, Streamway Villa residents were recently inundated with cards filled with positive messages – something that has been especially meaningful during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Sending Sunshine is a Mississauga-based nonprofit organization run by four friends that is aimed at improving the lives of seniors. The organization achieves its mission by sending cards that are filled with kind thoughts to seniors around the world, many of whom live in long-term care and retirement homes.

People interested in sending cards to seniors through Sending Sunshine can do so through the organization’s website.

The cards Streamway Villa residents received just before Christmas included messages encouraging smiles and shared love. There were more than enough cards to go around, says Laurie Kracht, the Cobourg long-term care home’s life enrichment co-ordinator.

“(The cards) had lots of good wishes for residents,” she tells The OMNIway. “We had lots of extra cards that we were able to hand out to staff as well.”

According to the organization’s website, Sending Sunshine is reaching out to seniors with cards to help promote inclusiveness for seniors while decreasing social isolation.

To date, Sending Sunshine has sent 93,175 cards to seniors living in 12 countries.

“We aim to help reduce the negative effects of social isolation and loneliness among senior citizens in our community by providing them with handwritten cards,” the website states.

“It is with the help of people like YOU that we can help provide a ray of sunshine in the lives of Canadian seniors.”

Click here to learn more about Sending Sunshine.

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New renovations, building community connections, among the exciting things on the Country Terrace horizon

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Administrator Christie Patterson says she’s looking forward to being part of the next chapter in the home’s history

Administrator Christie Patterson says the completion of the renovations underway to expand Country Terrace as well as opportunities to build community connections are among the things she’s looking forward to most in her new role.

Christie, who became the Komoka, Ont. long-term care home’s administrator in October, says seeing the renovation project at Country Terrace, which will add 50,518 square feet and eight beds to the home, is especially exciting as she steps into her new role.

Once renovations are complete, Country Terrace will house four spacious 32-bed neighbourhoods for residents. The project will replace all three- and four-bed wards with one- and two-bed rooms.

Christie, a 13-year Country Terrace team member, says the renovations are an exciting chapter to the home’s history.

“I am looking forward to the changes that are happening with the new build – there’s a lot going on,” she says of the $32-million redevelopment project, which is expected to be completed by June 2024.

Along with the redevelopment project, Christie says she is also looking forward to seeing Country Terrace work to strengthen community connections.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in March 2020, Christie says some of those connections with people and organizations have quieted due to restrictions in place. However, she says she’s looking forward to rebuilding and strengthening those relationships once things begin to open up again.

With the completion of the redevelopment project on the horizon, those connections will be especially important, Christie says.

“With this home growing, that is a huge step, the community is well aware that we are building, and I think that’s nice,” she says.

– This is Part 2 of a two-part story

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Community pulls together to help make Christmas extra special at Pleasant Meadow

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‘The residents were deeply touched by the generosity of the community’

Local charities and citizens of Norwood are getting a huge round of applause from people living and working at Pleasant Meadow Manor for their tremendous generosity during the holiday season.

Thanks to many acts of community kindness, the home was on the receiving end of lots of wrapped presents that were handed out to residents on Christmas Day.

Organizations that delivered presents to the home in December include St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Home Instead, Be A Santa To A Senior (BASTA) and Christmas for Seniors. These groups requested a shopping list of items residents needed before the holiday season.

Pleasant Meadow is also thanking local resident Eryne Somers who, with the help of her daughter, used social media to reach out to the community to ask the citizens of Asphodel-Norwood to contribute gifts so they could meet the goal for their Christmas gift bag drive.

The gifts residents received included various items of clothing, blankets and a wide variety of treats.

In fact, there were so many presents sent to Pleasant Meadow Manor that life enrichment aide Sheila Fleury, who was in charge of handing the gifts out to residents, spent Christmas Day and Boxing Day delivering presents.

Maintenance manager Rick Riel put on a large Santa Claus mask and posed with the gifts that were sent to the home before they were delivered to residents.

Pleasant Meadow Manor life enrichment co-ordinator Kim Williams says the community’s kindness made a big difference to residents during the holiday season.

“The residents were deeply touched by the generosity of the community,” she says.

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