Smoked salmon quiche offers a unique addition to Country Haven’s St. Patrick’s Day meal

/in , , /by

This tasty quiche was so good, its creator, chef Sarah Montgomery, entered the recipe in OMNI’s March Madness challenge

Back in March, Almonte Country Haven chef Sarah Montgomery wanted to serve something different to residents of the Lanark County long-term care home on St. Patrick’s Day.

What she came up with was a delicious smoked salmon quiche that was served in addition to the corned beef and cabbage and Irish stew that’s normally served for the occasion.

While Sarah says smoked salmon “can be a little intimidating for the older generation,” especially if they’ve never had it before on its own, but the familiar taste of eggs and other ingredients modifies the taste and creates a delicate flavour that goes well when paired with the side salad she serves it with.

“I found that the salmon with the fresh herbs, Dijon zing and savouriness of the sautéed onions, all comes together perfectly and the pairing salad with it (makes it) yummy,” Sarah says.

Sarah enjoyed making her smoked salmon quiche for residents so much that she entered it in OMNI Health Care’s March Madness recipe challenge.

To create this quiche, Sarah first makes a pastry from flour, water, shortening, salt and vinegar. The filling is made from a combination of eggs, sautéed onions, smoked salmon, chives, Dijon mustard, fresh basil and whipping cream.

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.

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

If you have feedback on this story, please call the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

Country Haven chef shares favourite childhood recipe with residents

/in , , /by

Sarah Montgomery’s meatball stew is such a special recipe, she entered it in the March Madness recipe challenge

When Almonte Country Haven nutritional care team member Sarah Montgomery was growing up, her mother would sometimes make a meatball stew that was delicious and a perfect comfort food.

Today, it’s a meal Sarah still enjoys and one she likes making for the residents of the Lanark County long-term care home.

Sarah also entered her meatball stew in OMNI Health Care’s first annual March Madness recipe challenge.

This stew combines meatballs and corkscrew pasta in a tomato sauce rich with vegetables, including tomatoes, green peppers, carrots and onions, and infused with thyme, oregano and basil.

Sarah recommends serving her meatball stew with a side of green and yellow beans, as well as garlic bread to mop up the sauce.

“I found the stew-like nature to be very warm and comforting, especially on a cold or damp day, and a fun twist to pasta and meatballs,” she says.

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.

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

If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

Country Haven’s annual strawberry social was a sweet success

/in , , /by

Residents were treated to strawberry-topped angel food cake made with fresh local berries

It was all smiles and strawberries at Almonte Country Haven on July 20.

That’s because the Lanark County long-term care home held its annual strawberry social that day, and there were lots of fresh, sweet berries for all.

Angel food cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream was the feature dessert served at this year’s strawberry social.

A Facebook post from the home that day notes that the “strawberries were oozing with goodness, and the juice was spilling over the delicate glassware” as residents tucked into their portion of berries and cake.

The event also featured a performance from local entertainer Hudson Majaury.

Naomi Redner, the Almonte Country Haven life enrichment co-ordinator, says the strawberries served at the event were locally grown, adding there are many strawberry farms in the area as well as two vendors at the edge of town selling the fruit.

Naomi says most of the home’s 57 residents attended the strawberry social, and life enrichment team members delivered helpings of the strawberry-topped angel food cake to those residents who stayed in their rooms.

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

“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.”

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

If you have feedback on this story, please call the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

Chef enters Greek egg pie in recipe contest for one simple reason: ‘It’s delicious’

/in , , /by

Almonte’s Sarah Montgomery shares a favourite recipe

When it came time to choose a recipe to enter in OMNI Health Care’s first annual March Madness recipe contest, Almonte Country Haven chef Sarah Montgomery went with a classic Greek egg pie.

“This dish I have picked to submit because it’s delicious,” Sarah said in a note accompanying her entry.

This tasty pie offers all the classic Greek flavours. Sarah starts with sautéing onions, garlic and peppers, and then adds black olives and oregano which, Sarah notes, takes the recipe “to a whole other level of Greek flavour.”

Beaten eggs and whipped cream are also added to the mix of layers. And, of course, no Greek meal would be complete without a healthy portion of feta cheese.

As Sarah says, “feta makes it betta.”

The egg and veggie mixture is then baked with a slice of tomato on top to give the dish a slightly sweet taste which balances well with the savoury meal.

Accompanying the Greek egg pie is another creation of Sarah’s, “Irish flag salad”, which uses Mandarin orange, feta and pear slices to replicate the tricolours of Ireland’s flag.

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.

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

If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

Library staff member thanked for years of service to Country Haven

/in , , /by

Margo Hay-Goodings spent many years researching and handpicking every book delivered to home through partnership

Almonte Country Haven is wishing Margo Hay-Goodings a happy retirement and thanking the library assistant for her years of service to residents of the Lanark County long-term care home.

Country Haven has partnered with the Almonte branch of the Mississippi Mills Public Library to bring reading material to the home’s residents on a monthly basis for about 13 years.

Margo researched and handpicked every book that was dropped off at the home each month, Almonte Country Haven states on the home’s Facebook page.

The partnership between Almonte Country Haven and the library has brought a meaningful service to residents that is appreciated by all, the home says.

“It’s always an exciting day when the two blue bins would arrive and the new books would be looked at, chosen, and given a new home for a few weeks,” Country Haven says.

“It’s very comforting to see residents reading quietly and contentedly in their rooms or tucked into a quiet corner of one of our common areas.

“ ’Reading a good book is almost like spending time with a good friend,’ we say. There’s always a book or two for group reading or for going room to room to read to residents who enjoy being read to.”

Margo tells the Almonte Country Haven team that she’s going to use her retirement to spend time with family and friends as well as tend to her gardens.

“Happy retirement, Margo! Sending lots of love, gratitude, and good wishes from all of us here at the Haven,” the home says on Facebook.

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

If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

PHOTO CAPTION: Margo Hay-Goodings (left) of Mississippi Mills Public Library is pictured here with Almonte Country Haven life enrichment aide Anna Chapman.

Community kindness: Local students build garden boxes for Country Haven residents

/in , , /by

The students also planted vegetables and herbs that residents will tend to throughout summer

Almonte Country Haven residents were on the receiving end of an act of community kindness June 8 when a group of students from Almonte District High School (ADHS) turned up to build two raised garden boxes for them.

The eight students also filled the garden boxes with soil and planted a variety of vegetables and herbs that residents will care for throughout summer.

At the end of summer, the veggies and herbs will be harvested and used as ingredients in meals.

The project was spearheaded by two ADHS teachers, mathematics teacher Mrs. Megan Masterson and English teacher Mrs. Caitlin Coffin.

Students in Mrs. Masterson’s math class researched and designed the garden boxes, and students in Mrs. Coffin’s class wrote the project proposal.

After the proposal was accepted, students secured the funds needed to make the project a reality and then brought the materials to Almonte Country Haven to get to work.

The students spent the day putting the garden boxes together. During breaks, the students chatted with the Lanark County long-term care home’s residents and staff members.

Almonte Country Haven residents enjoy spending time in the home’s garden, and the new garden boxes will make that time even more enjoyable, Almonte Country Haven says in a post on the home’s Facebook page.

“Whether spending time out in the garden or looking at it from their windows, our residents are so happy to know that they will soon be reaping the fruits of your labour,” the post says, adding a thank-you to the students and teachers for their hard work and community spirit.

“Each one of you should be very proud of your work and your kindness. Well done – we know and hope good things will come back to you.”

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

If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

Instructor predicts training program’s partnership with Country Haven ‘will only grow’

/in , , /by

Anita Plunkett also sees opportunities to strengthen the collaboration

When asked what the future looks like for the partnership the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario’s (CDSBEO’s) personal support worker (PSW) training program has with Almonte Country Haven, Anita Plunkett doesn’t hesitate in her reply.

“I think it will only grow,” Plunkett, an instructor and clinical supervisor with the training program, tells The OMNIway.

In October, Debbie Burke and Rebecca Smith became the first Almonte Country Haven team members to graduate from the partnership program.

In February, four more Almonte Country Haven team members – Tiffany Brydge, Sheila Warren, Rebekah Lafontaine and Tracie Boyd – completed their PSW training.

Three students are enrolled in the program for this semester and people have been signing up for the September intake.

The partnership between the Lanark County long-term care home and the program removes financial barriers for students and secures positions at Country Haven when they graduate – key benefits that make the program attractive for those looking to start a new career, Plunkett says.

The CDSBEO offers a PSW training program at a comparatively low cost. The CDSBEO has partnered with the Canadian Career Academy to cover a portion of students’ tuition through the Canada-Ontario Job Grant.

Students are also permitted to earn money while completing their work placement hours.

As part of the CDSBEO’s partnership with Almonte Country Haven, which began in early 2020, students who are doing their placement at the home also have the remaining portion of their tuition covered through OMNI Health Care’s bursary program and are given a job upon graduation.

Plunkett says she sees possible opportunities to strengthen the collaboration.

With many Ontario long-term care homes receiving redevelopment funding – including Almonte Country Haven, where work is well underway to expand the home from 82 beds to 96 – Plunkett says she hopes there are opportunities ahead to enhance PSW training inside the more spacious homes.

For example, living classrooms, where students engage in interactive learning with their instructors, long-term-care home residents and staff, are becoming popular.

Living classrooms, Plunkett says, would be ideal for everyone involved in the partnership program.

“The home gets to see the students in action, and they can pick who they want as employees, and the students get the advantage of being right in the home to do their training, which is fantastic,” she says.

– This is Part 4 of a four-part story series

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

If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

Country Haven-CDSBEO partnership provides incentives to attract and retain PSWs

/in , , /by

Students in CDSBEO PSW program have their tuition covered, receive paid training at Almonte Country Haven and are offered jobs at the home after graduating

Given our growing aging population and need for more front-line workers in the long-term care sector, an education/job-placement partnership like the one Almonte Country Haven has with the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario (CDSBEO) is important to helping the long-term care sector attract and retain personal support workers (PSWs), says Anita Plunkett.

Plunkett, an instructor and clinical supervisor with the CDSBEO’s PSW training program, says a major benefit the partnership has is that students are able to earn money when they do their job placement at Almonte Country Haven and are promised a job at the Lanark County long-term care home after completing their training.

The CDSBEO offers a PSW training program at a comparatively low cost. The CDSBEO has partnered with the Canadian Career Academy to cover a portion of students’ tuition through the Canada-Ontario Job Grant. Students are also permitted to earn money while completing their work placement hours.

As part of the CDSBEO’s partnership with the home, students who are doing their placement at Almonte Country Haven also have the remaining portion of their tuition covered through OMNI Health Care’s bursary program and are given a job upon graduation.

“Our program tends to have more mature students (who) have families; they might have aging parents they’re taking care of, and sometimes they’re a single parent,” Plunkett explains.

“Some of those barriers to obtaining PSW certification are removed (for students in the partnership program), and they are earning an income while they are in the program.”

Plunkett adds that the partnership is also beneficial because Almonte Country Haven is in a rural community, and it is often challenging for rural health-care providers to attract workers because they don’t have the population.

“So this partnership, where they have the training fees paid for and where they can work while going to school and earning an income, can be an attractive package for people,” Plunkett says.

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

If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.


Support from Country Haven has helped PSW training partnership thrive: instructor

/in , , /by

The instructor for a personal support worker (PSW) training program that’s partnered with Almonte Country Haven says the strong support shown by the Lanark County long-term care home’s management team is a positive sign the collaboration will be long-standing.

Anita Plunkett, who trains students to become PSWs in a program offered by the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario (CDSBEO), says restrictions in place during the COVID-19 pandemic mean she can’t visit the home to evaluate students doing their fieldwork.

But the Almonte Country Haven management team has stepped up and supervised students and assessed their skill sets, and there has been constant communication with Plunkett throughout the pandemic.

Plunkett says she cannot stress how important this has been.

“When students come through our program and are hired at Almonte Country Haven, the home has been so supportive of the students to make sure that the DOC (director of care), the registered staff, or a combination, are helping to evaluate the students to ensure they meet the PSW training standards,” Plunkett tells The OMNIway.

“I still do parking-lot visits and virtual visits with the students to support them in any way, so there is constant communication. But without the support the home has (provided), I don’t think it would be as successful as it has been.”

The CDSBEO offers the PSW training program at a comparatively low cost. The CDSBEO has partnered with the Canadian Career Academy to cover a portion of students’ tuition through the Canada-Ontario Job Grant. Students are also permitted to earn money while completing their work placement hours.

As part of the CDSBEO’s partnership with the home, students who are doing their placement at Almonte Country Haven have the remaining portion of their tuition covered through OMNI Health Care’s bursary program and are given a job once they complete their training.

Plunkett says the fact that students can earn money while they do their placement and have jobs waiting for them once they complete the program is another important factor that will help make the arrangement a viable, long-term partnership.

“The students really appreciate the ability to be in the training program while they’re working because they get to apply their knowledge and skills right away and in a timely fashion,” she says.

– This is Part 2 of a four-part story

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

If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

Unique partnership between Country Haven and CDSBEO is attracting needed PSWs to LTC

/in , , /by

Instructor Anita Plunkett commends the ‘win-win’ collaboration

A partnership between Almonte Country Haven and the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario (CDSBEO) is bringing much-needed personal support workers (PSWs) to the long-term care sector.

To date, six Almonte Country Haven PSWs have graduated from a PSW training program offered by CDSBEO and three more people who are doing their training through the partnership are enrolled this semester. That spells good news for long-term care in the local community, says CDSBEO PSW program instructor Anita Plunkett.

Since early 2020, Almonte Country Haven has participated in the PSW training program offered CDSBEO and supported by the Canadian Career Academy (CCA), an employment agency.

The CDSBEO offers the PSW training program at a comparatively low cost. The CCA has partnered with CDSBEO to cover a portion of students’ tuition through the Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG). Students are also permitted to earn money while completing their work placement hours.

Students who are doing their placement at Almonte Country Haven, an 82-bed long-term care home in Lanark County, have the remaining portion of their tuition covered through OMNI Health Care’s bursary program.

“When we first started (the partnership) there was a uniqueness in that, at the time, (the CDSBEO) had not really connected with a home where the home was hiring students while they were in training and connecting them with the Canada-Ontario Job Grant,” Plunkett tells The OMNIway.

“We had not developed that type of relationship with (a long-term care home) up until that point.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, Plunkett says there has been a “huge focus on long-term care and the work that PSWs do,” and this makes the Country Haven-CDSBEO partnership timely.

Plunkett says the school board has since connected with other long-term care homes and home-care agencies in the region to help them attract and provide people with PSW training.

The seeds of the collaboration were planted when Almonte Country Haven contacted Plunkett to see if any students in the PSW program were interested in doing a placement at the home.

From there, the CCA was contacted to work out a deal where the employment agency would cover a portion of the students’ tuition through the COJG.

“It’s a three-way connection to get people trained and working at Almonte Country Haven,” Plunkett says.

“Almonte Country Haven is looking for employees, and we can provide the training, so it’s a win-win on both sides.”

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

If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.