Forest Hill’s one-to-one cart is proving to be a proactive tool for curbing agitation

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 ‘The cart not only engages the residents, it engages the life enrichment staff’

Being proactive can help prevent agitation in people affected by cognitive impairment, and one way life enrichment team members at Forest Hill stay proactive is by using a “one-to-one cart” team member Kurstin Robertson created.

Kurstin is also a college student, and as part of a class project she created this special cart which is loaded with items of varying shapes and colours that residents can sort.

Life enrichment team members will often take the cart to residents affected by cognitive impairment and invite them to choose articles to sort, explains Craig Forrest, the Kanata, Ont. long-term care home’s life enrichment co-ordinator, adding Kurstin “did a really great job” making the cart.

The blocks and other items inside the cart help create Montessori-like activities for residents which are geared towards individual strengths and allow for a high rate of success.

Craig notes that a major cause of agitation in residents living with cognitive impairment is boredom, so keeping people engaged with meaningful activities is important.

He adds that the cart’s benefits are twofold.

“The cart not only engages the residents, it engages the life enrichment staff, (and) this gives the staff another avenue to engage and spend time with residents,” he says. “This offers more to the residents.”

Craig is also commending Kurstin for creating this innovative cart, noting she has a gift for coming up with creative ideas.

“She is really good with activities; she has a real knack for it,” he says.

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Forest Hill pays homage to Queen Elizabeth II with a week of events

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‘Many residents are from a generation where the monarchy was really important, and they were happy for us to honour the Queen’

Forest Hill residents and staff members spent the week of Sept. 19 to Sept. 25 paying their respects to Queen Elizabeth II, who recently passed away after serving as the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom and 14 Commonwealth realms, including Canada, for 70 years.

To honour the Queen, the Kanata, Ont. long-term care home’s life enrichment department organized events each day focused on Her Majesty, her legacy and the royal family.

On Monday, Sept. 19, everyone got up early to watch the Queen’s funeral live from Westminster Abbey on TV. This was an emotional event for many, says life enrichment co-ordinator Craig Forrest.

Residents were also engaged in a variety of TV programs and documentaries about Queen Elizabeth II, Craig says.

A favourite activity amongst residents was watching a YouTube video featuring a virtual tour of Buckingham Palace, the reigning monarch’s official residence in London.

Bingo, which is one of the residents’ favourite activities, had a British theme throughout the week, with prizes consisting of British chocolate bars, shortbread and Walkers potato chips, which come in a variety of flavours ranging from cheese and onion to prawn cocktail to haggis.

Craig bought these items from a local shop selling goods imported from the UK.

“The residents really enjoyed the prizes, and they especially had a good laugh over the potato chips that taste like haggis,” Craig says, referring to the Scottish delicacy of minced sheep’s organ meat, suet, onion, oats and spices.

As part of an activity, residents used cardboard tubes to make dolls in the image of the famed Beefeaters, who are officially known as the Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London.

On Friday, the life enrichment team hosted a high tea with homemade scones, and everything was served using the home’s fine china.

Craig says the week meant a lot to the residents, which was evident by the high number who attended programming throughout the seven days.

“Many residents are from a generation where the monarchy was really important, and they were happy for us to honour the Queen,” he says.

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PHOTO CAPTION: Forest Hill residents are pictured here at a high tea that was hosted Sept. 23 during a week that honoured Queen Elizabeth II.

Annual corn roast returns to Forest Hill

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The resident-favourite event included live entertainment for the first time since 2019

Forest Hill residents once again enjoyed a beloved end-of-summer tradition on Sept. 2 when the Kanata, Ont. long-term care home hosted its annual corn roast.

The event is always a huge hit with residents, who look forward to tucking into cobs of fresh, locally grown corn and barbecued pork riblets made by Craig Forrest, the home’s life enrichment co-ordinator.

Salads, buns and dessert accompanied the riblets and corn.

Although we are still in a pandemic, some restrictions have eased since last year’s corn roast. One welcomed addition to this year’s event was live entertainment, courtesy of Jumpin’ Jimmy Leroux, a resident-favourite musician known for engaging the crowd and encouraging people to sing along.

This was the first corn roast to have live entertainment since 2019.

“We bought our corn the day of (the event) and it was fresh-picked that day, and we even had a few residents come down and husk the corn,” Craig tells The OMNIway.

As with past corn roasts, family members were welcomed to attend; however, safety protocols require them to wear face masks at all times while visiting the home. Because people need to remove their masks to eat, family members were unable to have food at the event.

“We still had families who came to sit with their loved ones and enjoy the entertainment, and I offered them all a to-go bag,” Craig says, adding family members have worked well with the home throughout the pandemic and have understood the need for the protocols.

“Our family members have been really good – they’ve been outstanding.”

Another change from last year was that Craig was able to organize a single corn roast. Due to last year’s protocols, he had to run four events, so the residents were happy to be able to eat together again, he says, adding this year’s corn roast was a big hit with the crowd.

“It’s always a great time,” Craig says.

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Summer has brought more programming and renewed optimism to Forest Hill residents

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Residents have been enjoying outdoor entertainment, church services and seeing old friends

With summer in full swing and some pandemic restrictions easing, many Forest Hill residents have been able to see some of their friends who are fellow residents for the first time in two years, which is having a positive impact and providing hope that we are on the path to things returning to normal, says Craig Forrest, the home’s life enrichment co-ordinator.

With some restrictions easing, Craig says Forest Hill tries to promote programming that allows residents to safely interact with one another while participating in activities they enjoy.

Summer, of course, allows for outdoor entertainment, and residents have been enjoying musical performers visiting the Ottawa-area long-term care home.

Craig says entertainment is important to residents, and, on average, one or two entertainers per week will perform outdoor shows during summer.

“We do try our best to have entertainment outside, (and) even when the residents are outside we try to keep them in groups by the floor they live on,” Craig says.

“But they have been getting to see some faces that they haven’t seen in a while; some are even getting together to play cards with people they haven’t seen in two years. It has been great to see the residents seeing faces that they haven’t seen in a little while.”

While some of the popular, long-standing Forest Hill programs – such as the Diner’s Club – are still on hold to keep everyone safe, residents and staff members alike are optimistic about their favourite events returning, Craig says.

Additionally, Forest Hill has been able to accommodate religious services for residents, with church groups coming in to conduct services in recent weeks.

“That’s definitely something that’s been lacking for residents over the past two and a half years, and many residents are happy to be able to attend church services again,” Craig says.

Craig adds that there are some events outside the home planned for this summer that he and the residents are looking forward to.

“We definitely have some outings we want to do this summer,” he says. “We’re getting slowly back to normal, but obviously we’re not 100 per cent there yet.”

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‘Golden Girls’ find new home at Forest Hill

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Three guinea pigs, who have become permanent guests at the home, were each named after a character from the hit TV series

Forest Hill recently welcomed Golden Girls Dorothy, Blanche and Rose as permanent guests.

But these aren’t the famed television Golden Girls you’re probably thinking of but rather three guinea pigs who have been adopted by the Kanata, Ont. long-term care home, thanks to a collaboration with Guinea Pig Rescue Ottawa.

Guinea Pig Rescue Ottawa, a shelter for guinea pigs needing homes, launched a project to help bring the small animals to long-term care homes to serve as therapy pets.

Forest Hill is the first long-term care home to partner with the shelter.

“We just happened to contact them at the right time because that was when they were starting this initiative,” life enrichment co-ordinator Craig Forrest tells The OMNIway.

“We were the first home for them to try this with.”

The shelter provided Forest Hill with the guinea pigs as well as two cages – a large one that houses the Golden Girls and a smaller one for transporting the pets between floors.

Hay, water bottles and food dishes were also provided at no cost. To thank the charity, Forest Hill made a donation to help Guinea Pig Rescue Ottawa continue its service.

Craig says residents are enjoying their new housemates, who moved to Forest Hill shortly after Golden Girls cast member Betty White passed away on Dec. 31, aged 99.

White, who played Rose Nylund on the hit TV show, was a renowned animal welfare advocate, so residents and staff decided to name the guinea pigs after three of the Golden Girls characters, Craig says.

Craig notes the guinea pigs get excited at feeding time and make chirping noises, which residents get a kick out of.

“Residents congregate around the guinea pigs – they really enjoy seeing them, especially around feeding time or when they are getting treats,” he says.

“It has been a really big success so far and the residents have really enjoyed it.”

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PHOTO CAPTION: Forest Hill resident Ieta Van Heukelom is pictured here with guinea pigs Rose and Dorothy.

Forest Hill LE team applauded for maximizing resident engagement, helping others during pandemic

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Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the life enrichment team at Forest Hill has worked hard to maximize resident engagement in programming as well as stepping in to help other departments.

Craig Forrest, the Kanata, Ont. long-term care home’s life enrichment co-ordinator, says the life enrichment team has especially concentrated on increasing one-to-one programming for residents during the past 23 months since the pandemic was declared.

Additionally, with programming limited to residents on one floor at a time, more residents have been attending activities.

Oftentimes, residents would not leave their home area to attend a program, but if the programming was held in their area they will attend, Craig says.

The result of this effort has been an increased number of residents participating in programming.

“Our activity participation has actually gone up during the pandemic, and it’s mainly due to that fact,” Craig tells The OMNIway.

Planning and carrying out large-group programming consumes a fair amount of time for team members, so not having large-group programming is allowing staff to concentrate on one-to-one time, he adds.

Additionally, life enrichment team members have been able to help their colleagues in other departments, especially environmental services, Craig says.

Throughout the pandemic, sanitizing high-touch areas, such as handrails, light switches, telephones and door handles, has been highly increased.

On top of the extra attention the environmental services team members are paying to disinfecting these areas, the life enrichment team has pitched in to bolster these infection control measures, Craig says.

“The (environmental services) staff is doing their job, but they have such a heavy workload and with (life enrichment staff) helping them when they can, it makes a difference,” he says.

“Wherever they’re needed they will go to help out.”

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RSAs commended for their contribution to Forest Hill during the pandemic

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Residents are getting more one-to-one time and staff members have a more manageable workload, thanks to the resident support aide program

Craig Forrest, the life enrichment co-ordinator at Forest Hill, is commending the positive difference resident support aides (RSAs) have made to both residents and staff members at the Ottawa-area long-term care home during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

RSAs are working at many Ontario long-term care homes. RSAs are helping with a variety of tasks at Forest Hill, including spending one-to-one time with residents, putting away laundry, clearing tables after meals and assisting life enrichment departments with programming.

Through the work they do, RSAs are ensuring more social time is spent individually with residents. Staff members are benefiting from having their workloads lightened by the RSAs, and this allows them to concentrate more on resident care.

Through a partnership with The Ottawa Hospital, the RSAs at Forest Hill are recruited and trained. RSAs at Forest Hill are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and meet all the requirements needed for their work.

The Ontario government launched the RSA program in November 2020 to alleviate the burden caused by staffing shortages in the province’s long-term care homes that were made more challenging by the pandemic.

Craig says the Forest Hill RSAs, who have been at the home almost since the program began, have been benefiting everyone.

“This has been a great program for Forest Hill,” Craig tells The OMNIway. “They (the RSAs) are very helpful to us and very beneficial to the residents.”

There are five floors at Forest Hill and the RSAs working at the home are assigned to individual floors, which helps them build a rapport with residents.

Craig says the increased one-to-one time for residents has been the most beneficial aspect of the RSA program, adding that last summer the RSAs spent lots of outdoor time with residents on the patio if staff members or their families weren’t available.

“It has been a really good program,” he says.

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PHOTO CAPTION:  Pictured above, Forest Hill resident support aide Aiden Rollin spends time with resident Shirley Parker.

New game system helps Forest Hill residents through outbreak

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Touch2Play system helps keep quality of life high for residents by offering a myriad of games and activities

Life enrichment co-ordinator Craig Forrest had a feeling the residents of Forest Hill would benefit from a Touch2Play game and activity system, and he would be proven right.

The Kanata, Ont. long-term care home recently purchased the touch-screen gaming system, which contains more than 70 games and puzzles for residents to enjoy, including word searches, connect-the-dots activities, memory activities, crosswords, chess, bowling and garden-building activities.

When the home went into an outbreak recently, the Touch2Play proved to be a valuable tool for keeping residents happy and their quality of life high, Craig tells The OMNIway.

The Touch2Play is mounted on a cart and can be brought to residents in their rooms when they wish to use it. The unit can be adapted to be used by people in sitting, standing or lying positions.

“You can use it for people in bed, you can use it for people in chairs, you can use it for people who are standing, you can manoeuvre it around, and it is very user friendly,” Craig says.

“We were on outbreak recently and residents were confined to their rooms, so it was really good for that situation because we could bring it right into the residents’ rooms.”

Craig adds that the Touch2Play system is stainless steel and can easily be sanitized from top to bottom before and after each use.

Craig says he got the idea to get the system for Forest Hill residents after reading an OMNIway article in 2021 about the success Springdale Country Manor had with a Touch2Play.

“I talked with a couple of other homes that have them and they raved about them and said the residents loved them, so I thought I would give it a try,” he says.

“Long story short, the residents really do love it. … It has really helped our residents during the pandemic.”

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PHOTO CAPTION: Forest Hill resident Paul Morin is pictured here playing a word-search game on the home’s Touch2Play system.

All Forest Hill residents had gifts to open Christmas Day, thanks to annual initiative

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Angel Tree program was once again a ‘huge success’

An annual program organized by Forest Hill to ensure every resident of the Kanata, Ont. long-term care home receives a Christmas present to open Dec. 25 was once again a “huge success,” says life enrichment co-ordinator Craig Forrest.

Every year, Forest Hill puts up the Angel Tree in the home. The Angel Tree is a Christmas tree that is covered with numbered tags representing every resident.

Family members, staff members and visitors are invited to take one of the numbered tags to buy presents for the resident each number on the tag corresponds with. The tags are always numbered for privacy and also include a list of gift ideas for residents.

Craig says the 100-plus tags on the tree were all gone within three days. As with past years, parishioners from nearby Trinity Presbyterian Church strongly supported the Angel Tree project, Craig says, adding church members took 80 tags.

In 2020, due to pandemic restrictions in place at the time, the Angel Tree was offered virtually through Google Docs.

This past Christmas, thanks to essential caregivers and limited general visitors being allowed inside the home before Christmas, Forest Hill once again set up the Angel Tree by the main entrance.

Craig says team members from the life enrichment department made sure the gifts got to the residents on Christmas Day.

“The life enrichment staff were able to deliver each resident a gift on Christmas Day and would spend some time with them helping open their gift and reminiscing about Christmases past,” he says.

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PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above, Forest Hill life enrichment aide Sara MacFarlane and resident Margaret Hall on Christmas Day.

Family member sings Forest Hill’s praises

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‘They are family to me, that’s for sure’

Pam Curzon doesn’t skip a beat when asked what staff members at Forest Hill mean to her.

“They are family to me, that’s for sure,” she recently told The OMNIway.

Pam’s father, Bill Bennett, was a resident at the Kanata, Ont. long-term care home. After Bill moved to Forest Hill, Pam became involved with many of the home’s activities and programs.

When Pam visited her dad, she would take time to help staff members with activities, such as calling bingo numbers, and she often lent a hand on resident outings. When Forest Hill hosted its annual chili cook-off, Pam always entered the contest.

Bill passed away in 2019; however, Pam has stayed connected to Forest Hill, and she isn’t shy when it comes to sharing her feelings about the people who work at the home.

“They deserve all the credit in the world,” she says. “I tell people about (Forest Hill) all the time and sing the staff’s praises. The staff are amazing. They make families so welcomed.”

Pam continued to volunteer at Forest Hill after her dad passed away – until the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020. Once volunteers can return, Pam says she plans to go right back to helping residents and staff members.

Additionally, Pam is involved with Forest Hill through her church, Trinity Presbyterian.

During the holiday season, Forest Hill has a Christmas tree – called the Angel Tree – in the lobby. The tree is normally covered with numbered tags that visitors take. Each number corresponds to a resident and the gifts they need. For privacy, each tag is anonymous, so the person buying the gift doesn’t know who will be on the receiving end.

Last Christmas, due to pandemic protocols in place, the Angel Tree was in the form of a Google Doc, and people could sign up for “tags” that were on the virtual Angel Tree. Members of Trinity Presbyterian Church play a large part in making this event successful.

This Christmas the Angel Tree will be back and Pam says Trinity Presbyterian Church will be participating in the project again.

“We are going to be doing this again – it’s our fourth year – and I’m looking forward to it,” she says.

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