OMNI residents enjoying the flavours of summer

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One of the highlights of summer is enjoying foods that are connected to the season, and OMNI Health Care seniors’ homes have been helping residents sample some of the best sweet and savoury selections that July and August offer.

Residents of Streamway Villa, along with family members and staff, made their way to the Northumberland Ribfest and Music Festival for the first time since 2019 to enjoy the barbecued fare for which the event is famous.

After tucking into barbecued ribs, chicken and pulled pork during their Aug. 12 visit, the residents even held their own contest to choose a winner in each food category.

“The day went really well; there was beautiful weather and we stayed for a couple of hours, the time just flew by,” said Streamway Villa life enrichment co-ordinator (LEC) Laurie Kracht.

Strawberries, as everyone knows, are a huge summertime favourite treat. The Almonte Country Haven team organized a strawberry social for residents July 20. Angel food cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream was the star of the show.

Country Haven LEC Naomi Redner said the strawberries served at the event were locally grown, adding most of the home’s 57 residents attended the event.

“Our strawberry social was enjoyed by all,” she said, adding the event brought back fond memories for many.

“Residents (were served) such a familiar dessert that they would have made during the berry season when at home over the years. The whole dining room smelled like strawberries. It was a happy afternoon.”

There was also a tasty walk down memory lane for the residents of Country Terrace in July when they were treated to a trip to Mackie’s restaurant in Port Stanley.

Located on the shores of Lake Erie, Mackie’s has been a fixture in southwestern Ontario for 111 years. Enjoying the hamburgers, hot dogs, fish and chips, and Mackie’s famous homemade beverage, Orangeade, brought back memories of many summers for residents.

After lunch, residents had ice cream and then got to take a walk along the beach. The Port Stanley beach is wheelchair accessible which allowed all residents to participate.

“The residents loved it; it was such a beautiful day,” said LEC Lora Blackett. “It was nice and sunny, and they were able to eat outside and look at the water and watch the kids playing on the beach.”

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Puppy makes debut at Maplewood to rave reviews from residents and staff

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Remington, a German shepherd, did so well on his first visit to the home, his owner, administrator Rachel Corkery, wants to bring him back every Friday

Last Friday (Aug. 26), Maplewood administrator and life enrichment co-ordinator Rachel Corkery brought her new dog, a German shepherd puppy named Remington, to the Brighton long-term care home to meet residents and staff members.

But he was so well behaved and proved to be so good with everyone, Rachel now plans to bring Remington – whom she affectionately calls Remi – to work every Friday.

On his first day, Remi made a big impression on everyone as soon as Rachel walked through the door with him at 8 a.m.

“We walked up and down the hallways and went to visit residents – we’ve just kind of been out and about – and every time someone passes by they stop and play with him,” Rachel tells The OMNIway.

Rachel says Remi spending time at Maplewood is a win-win for everyone. Remi is getting the socialization a puppy needs, and the residents and staff get to play with a dog, which, for many, brings back fond memories.

“I was talking with one resident, and I brought Remi into his line of vision and a big smile came across his face and we started talking about a dog that he had,” Rachel says.

Maplewood has a longstanding connection with the canine community. For many years, therapy dogs from St. John Ambulance would visit the home to spend time with residents.

However, when the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, the dog therapy program was suspended. With restrictions easing and programs opening again, Maplewood has been eager to restart pet visits. Unfortunately, the home has not been able to find therapy dogs in the area, Rachel says.

This is where Remi can help. Rachel says she’s considering having Remi trained as a therapy dog which would allow him to spend more time with residents.

As important as pet therapy is for long-term-care home residents, it’s also valuable for staff members, Rachel says, noting her co-workers were lining up to see Remi.

“Dogs have always been well received here, by both our staff and our residents, when we’ve had them in the past, and even when family members bring their (dogs) in to visit, it completely changes the atmosphere,” Rachel says. “As long as he continues to be well behaved, he will continue to come to work with me on Fridays.”

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Doll therapy, music programs are enhancing quality of life for Streamway residents

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These activities, which are geared to people living with cognitive impairment, are easing agitation and preventing behaviours

At Streamway Villa, a simple reminder of parenthood is all it sometimes takes to eliminate agitation in residents living with cognitive impairment or prevent behaviours associated with dementia from occurring.

The home keeps a supply of baby dolls especially for this purpose, and when a resident who is at risk of agitation or is exhibiting behaviours holds one of these dolls they almost immediately feel at ease, says Laurie Kracht, the Cobourg long-term care home’s life enrichment co-ordinator.

One resident who is living with dementia believes one of the baby dolls is real and will happily hold the doll for much of the day, which keeps them calm for long periods of time, Laurie says.

“A lot of the residents are loving the baby dolls and folding and sorting the baby clothes, those sort of things are working well (for the residents with cognitive impairment),” she says.

“We have some residents who will become very agitated, but when we give them the baby dolls, their behaviours will completely calm down.”

Streamway Villa’s long-standing music therapy is also working well preventing agitation and behaviours in residents living with cognitive impairment, Laurie says.

The Music and Memory program trains people how to use personalized playlists loaded into iPods and related digital audio systems that help those living with cognitive impairment to reconnect with their environment through music-triggered memories.

“We have one resident that wanders and doesn’t communicate, but when we give (the resident) the iPod they will be dancing all day long,” Laurie says.

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‘Travelling’ guitarist engages residents who need music therapy most

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Musician Jim Ryan will play guitar for residents one on one or while walking down hallways

When local musician Jim Ryan visits Garden Terrace, he tries to spend as much time as he can with those residents who are affected by cognitive impairment, playing guitar for them in their rooms.

Sometimes he will stroll up and down the hallways of the neighbourhoods where residents affected by cognitive impairment live, playing his guitar for their enjoyment. He typically spends about 30 minutes in each neighbourhood.

With pandemic restrictions easing this year, music therapy and live entertainment are areas of daily life the home is ramping up, and guests like Jim bring great value to residents, says Garden Terrace life enrichment co-ordinator Shannon Boisvenue.

Music can provide many benefits to people living with cognitive impairment, Shannon says. Music has the power to lighten moods, ease agitation and leave people feeling uplifted.

Jim has experience offering his music therapy services to people living with cognitive impairment, and his visits are meaningful to the residents of the Kanata, Ont. long-term care home, Shannon notes, adding Jim’s performances “are like travelling music.”

Shannon says many residents affected by cognitive impairment find it difficult to participate in larger programs, so having Jim visit the home with his guitar provides an important service.

And Jim also enjoys playing for people one on one.

“Some people prefer to play for a larger crowd, but he is really into this,” Shannon says.

“(His music therapy) has been something that has been really well received and I think we will continue to do this moving forward.”

The benefits of music therapy for people with cognitive impairment are well documented, and according to the U.S.-based Mayo Clinic, music therapy can benefit both people affected by dementia and their caregivers.

“Research suggests that listening to or singing songs can provide emotional and behavioral benefits for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia,” the Mayo Clinic states on its website.

“Music can also benefit caregivers by reducing anxiety and distress, lightening the mood, and providing a way to connect with loved ones who have Alzheimer’s disease – especially those who have difficulty communicating.”

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Chef’s hot hamburger steak makes an impression on Pleasant Meadow residents

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‘It was a huge hit when it was served’

When submitting a recipe for OMNI Health Care’s inaugural March Madness recipe challenge, Pleasant Meadow Manor chef Connie Doherty turned to an old-time classic that proved to be a big hit when served to the Norwood long-term care home’s residents.

The “hot hamburger” she served is a hamburger steak plated with two sides – mashed potatoes and a vegetable medley – and covered with a special onion-mushroom gravy.

To make this resident-favourite meal, Connie mixes ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs, ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and Worcestershire sauce.

She then divides the meat mixture evenly into burger patties which are then placed on a tray and put in the oven and cooked to an internal temperature of 71 C (160 F).

Connie then makes a sauce for the meat by sauteing thinly sliced onions and mushrooms in vegetable oil and mixing in brown gravy to finish.

“It was a huge hit when it was served,” Connie says of the hot hamburger steak.

Chris Weber, OMNI’s operations manager of nutrition and food service, says the March Madness contest, which saw 16 recipes compete in a bracket contest where votes were cast each week between April 14 and May 6, was close.

The winning entry was a Mediterranean omelette, created by Josephine Goddard at Country Terrace, which won “by a very thin margin,” Chris says.

OMNI launched the first annual March Madness recipe challenge in March in recognition of Nutrition Month in Canada.

Chris came up with the idea to encourage nutritional care managers and cooks to showcase their most-loved recipes and to highlight the high-quality meals served in OMNI homes.

Throughout March, nutritional care managers and cooks prepared their favourite meals, plated them and took photos that were sent to head office. The photos were accompanied by the name of each meal and its recipe.

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Finger-lickin’ good time! Streamway residents attend first Ribfest in two years

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12 residents enjoyed ribs, chicken and pulled pork during favourite summertime event

Streamway Villa residents were treated to a finger-lickin’ good time recently when they went to nearby Victoria Park in Cobourg to enjoy the 14th annual Northumberland Ribfest and Music Festival.

A group of 12 residents, as well as family members and staff, walked and wheeled to Ribfest on Aug. 12, the day the festival opened, to sample some of the barbecued goodies vendors cooked up on site.

Ribfest events are held across Ontario in summer. The events see barbecue masters prepare and serve ribs, pulled pork and chicken. They also compete in a variety of contests.

To add to the enjoyment of the event, residents created their own contest where they judged vendors’ ribs, pulled pork and barbecued chicken, notes Streamway Villa life enrichment co-ordinator Laurie Kracht.

The winners were Boss Hog’s in the best ribs category, while Uncle Sam’s BBQ, a team from Albuquerque, New Mexico, took the honours for best pulled pork. The chicken, residents said, was all equally great and they couldn’t decide on a winner.

Ribfest is a favourite summertime event for Streamway Villa residents. This was the first time the festival had been held since 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so residents were happy to attend, Laurie says.

Pandemic precautions were still in effect and everyone from Streamway Villa wore face masks when not eating. Normally, everyone would be mingling in the beer tents and strolling around, Laurie says, but to keep things safe, residents, their family members and staff sat at a table by themselves.

Laurie says everyone enjoyed their return to Ribfest.

“The day went really well; there was beautiful weather and we stayed for a couple of hours, the time just flew by,” she tells The OMNIway.

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OMNI social worker recalls how helping a resident self-advocate changed their home experience

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‘The experience of self-advocating really did wonders for the resident’

During the five months she has been a social worker at five OMNI Health Care long-term care homes, Alicia Niewiatowska has provided many interventions that have helped enhance residents’ home experience, but there’s one that stands out in her mind.

A resident at one of the homes Alicia works with was struggling with mental-health issues exacerbated by isolation during the pandemic. As a result, the resident began experiencing agitation that led to behaviours.

Front-line staff members were working hard to help the resident, but they were struggling to provide the needed supports.

Alicia was brought in to meet with the resident and provide interventions, one of which was helping the resident voice concerns they had, and empower the resident to take some control over their situation.

Alicia encouraged the resident to write a letter to the home’s administrator to explain their concerns. Alicia also supported the resident when they met with the administrator to get their perspective known.

“The experience of self-advocating really did wonders for the resident,” Alicia tells The OMNIway.

“The intervention of being able to speak up, to be heard, to be autonomous, and to have that agency over their own experience and their own residency in the home, that, in and of itself, really eliminated 80 per cent of (the issues) the resident was having.”

OMNI began rolling out a social worker program in many of its seniors’ homes earlier this year. Alicia says this initiative is not only innovative and fills a needed gap by addressing residents’ psycho-social needs, it is also alleviating pressure on front-line staff members who would otherwise be called to help.

Alicia says staff members approached her to say that after this intervention, the resident’s quality of life – and outlook – improved. The resident didn’t need medical intervention, they needed a psycho-social intervention, and that’s where an in-house social worker can help, she adds.

“That was a great success,” she says.

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Team members help Maplewood resident celebrate 100th birthday

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Winifred Bailey caps off her party by leading everyone in the Loco-Motion

When Maplewood resident Winifred Bailey turned 100 last week, team members organized a party for her that included cake, music and lots of fun.

Celebrating new centenarians’ special day is always a major deal at OMNI Health Care seniors’ homes, and team members went all out to ensure that Winifred had a memorable day.

Residents and staff members gathered in Maplewood’s activity room for Winifred’s party.

In addition to the traditional birthday cake for Winifred, there was also music, singing and dancing during the afternoon of Aug. 15 to help her celebrate, says Rosanne Blackburn, a life enrichment aide at the Brighton, Ont. Long-term care home.

Team members supplied all the traditional birthday party favours, including balloons and hats, and Winifred proudly wore a “happy birthday” chapeau adorned with candles to celebrate her special day.

But Rosanne says the highlight of the afternoon came when Winifred led the charge doing the Loco-Motion dance when the 1962 hit song by Little Eva came through the speakers.

The dance involves participants forming a “train” by putting their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them.

“We paraded down the hallways with Winifred in the lead,” Rosanne tells The OMNIway.

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Social workers add another layer to OMNI’s quality commitment

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By addressing residents’ non-medical needs, social workers are also helping ease workloads for front-line staff

OMNI Health Care strives to provide the residents of its seniors homes with the best quality of life possible, and the in-house social worker program the organization created this year is one more example of that commitment, says Alicia Niewiatowska.

Alicia, a social worker who has been working with the residents of five OMNI homes – Kentwood Park, Rosebridge Manor, Village Green, West Lake Terrace and Woodland Villa – since March, says that in addition to the daily care residents require, many also have psycho-social issues that need to be addressed.

This is where social workers can help.

“If our residents are to receive a quality of care that addresses and meets all of their needs, then a social worker does play an integral part (of their home experience),” Alicia tells The OMNIway.

“Anything that the front-line staff may not have time for now, we (social workers) can start putting in the time to go the extra mile, to get resources in place.”

Alicia says that could mean anything from advocating for residents to co-ordinating transportation to connecting with a local library to provide residents with large-print books.

“When residents ask me what I do, I tell them, nothing medical, but I deal with anything that’s not medical,” she says.

“Anything that citizens out in the community enjoy but the residents maybe can’t, we want to try to fill in those gaps – especially after the isolation (some felt) during the pandemic.”

OMNI began rolling out a social worker program in many of its seniors homes earlier this year. Alicia says this initiative is not only innovative and fills a needed gap by addressing residents’ psycho-social needs, it’s also alleviating pressure on front-line staff members who would otherwise be called in to help.

With the nursing shortage that exists across the long-term care sector, Alicia says she thinks there will be an increasing demand for social workers in seniors homes.

“A lot of the front-line staff I’ve seen at OMNI go above and beyond; they are really amazing with the care that they provide, but given the staffing shortages, it just makes sense to try to support the staff that’s already on the floor with some additional hands,” she says.

– This is Part 3 of a four-part story series.

– Click here to read Part 1

– Click here to read Part 2

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Maplewood residents ‘loved’ visit from roller-skating nurse

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‘Most of them were so excited; they hadn’t seen a pair of roller skates for years’

Registered practical nurse (RPN) Laura Lawless brought lots of fun, laughter and fond memories to Maplewood residents recently when she “rolled” into their rooms during one of the Brighton, Ont. long-term care home’s travelling entertainment programs.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, life enrichment aide Rosanne Blackburn created the travelling programs to ensure residents got the engagement they needed without having to leave the safety of their rooms.

Travelling programs see team members visiting residents in their rooms for one-to-one activities geared to residents’ interests.

Laura, a roller skater who has competed in roller derbies, volunteered to put on her skates to show residents who “loved” the gesture, says administrator and life enrichment co-ordinator Rachel Corkery.

“A couple of them said, ‘you are going to fall,’ but (I told them) I’m a professional,” Laura explains, noting that bringing something new like this to residents makes a positive difference to them.

Laura and Rosanne – who isn’t a roller-skater – went room to room on Aug. 11 to visit residents. Laura also went to the dining room to show a group of residents her roller skates.

The experience brought back fond memories of going to roller rinks for some residents, Laura says.

Laura also recalls how before the pandemic started, one resident went to watch her and her team during one of their roller derbies in Trenton.

Laura joined a roller derby team about a year and a half before the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, but because it’s a close-contact sport her league put the derbies on hold to help stop the spread of the virus.

Laura says it was a thrill for her to put her roller skates back on to bring some fun and laughter to the residents.

“Most of them were so excited; they hadn’t seen a pair of roller skates for years,” she says.

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