Contest win nets Village Green residents’ council new info boards

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An $800 gift certificate will help make the boards more eye-catching

Village Green’s residents’ council will be getting new, state-of-the-art information boards to help share important news and updates after being named one of the winners of the Ontario Association of Residents’ Councils’ (OARC’s) Show Us Your Boards contest.

The Selby, Ont. long-term care home won an $800 gift certificate to improve its residents’ council boards during a draw that was held by the OARC at the end of Residents’ Council Week.

Before Residents’ Council Week, which was Sept. 12-18, the OARC asked Ontario long-term care homes to submit photos of their residents’ council information boards along with a description of improvements residents’ council members would like to see made to their boards.

In their submission, Village Green residents’ council members stated the current boards have too much white space and the lettering needs to be larger.

“There is so much great information, but it needs to be more eye-catching,” noted one council member.

Among items included on residents’ council information boards are the monthly program and events calendar, council meeting minutes, important notices from home management and residents’ council pamphlets.

Village Green life enrichment co-ordinator Ulana Orrick says the boards are important to residents, and while the new boards will be more eye-catching, the information will be the same.

“When asked what they like about our bulletin boards here at Village Green, almost all residents said that they like that the information is up to date and complete,” Ulana says.

“They can always rely on the bulletin boards as a source of information, and they are a great way to plan their day and week.”

With their gift certificate, Village Green will create standout information boards that will continue to post the information residents want but in a more striking way, just as residents have requested, Ulana says.

Ulana says the contest helped Village Green in its continuous quality improvement journey, adding the home would have made the changes residents requested even if they didn’t win a prize.

“I am so glad that OARC came up with this contest,” she says. “It sparked a great conversation with our residents’ council about the boards, and we have some plans on how to improve them.”

Residents’ Council Week is organized each year by OARC and aims to raise awareness about the important role residents’ councils play in long-term care homes.

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

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Tea and Toast program gets Springdale residents reminiscing

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‘We have heard so many great personal stories’

A new reminiscing program at Springdale Country Manor is proving to be successful at engaging the Peterborough County long-term care home’s residents – and all it takes is a loaf of thinly sliced bread, a stick of butter and a pot of tea.

The Tea and Toast program is the brainchild of life enrichment aide (LEA) Michelle Geeves, who wanted to develop a program for residents that would get them chatting and sharing stories from their past.

Michelle will set a table with cups, saucers, plates, toast slices and a pot of tea. She’ll then invite residents to sit down for a chat. She will have a list of questions with her to prompt discussions.

These questions will include everything from “Where were you when Elvis died?” to “What kinds of fruits and vegetables did you preserve in the summertime?”

And lots of great conversations have stemmed from these questions, Michelle says.

“We have heard so many great personal stories,” she tells The OMNIway.

Michelle developed the Tea and Toast program several years ago when she worked for the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON).

The program worked so well she decided to try it out with Springdale Country Manor residents, and she hasn’t looked back.

The beauty of the program, Michelle says, is that once a question is asked, the answers residents give will lead to more discussions on another topic – and those discussions will lead to more chatting.

“This is why the program works so well,” Michelle says.

But there are two things Michelle has discovered that are needed for the Tea and Toast program to work well at Springdale.

“The toast has to be thin and there has to be real butter – never margarine, only real butter,” she says. “The residents won’t have it any other way.”

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Innovative thinking remains in high gear at OMNI homes

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Team members working in OMNI Health Care homes have been showing their ingenuity throughout autumn and using their knack for innovative thinking to create programs and ideas to help keep quality of life high for the residents they serve.

Michelle Geeves, a new life enrichment aide (LEA) at Springdale Country Manor, recently created a program that’s bringing residents back to primetime TV of the 1980s.

The program, called Laughing with the Golden Girls, sees residents watching episodes of the Golden Girls on DVD and then participating in trivia about the program and a discussion about the episode over cheesecake – the Golden Girls’ favourite dessert.

“Residents remember the Golden Girls well, and we have cheesecake because that was the Golden Girls’ favourite snack,” Michelle tells The OMNIway.

“We all laughed and thought it was fun.”

The Laughing with the Golden Girls program has prompted lots of reminiscing about the days when it was a top-rated TV show, says Springdale life enrichment co-ordinator Sonia Murney.

“Michelle gets a good group of residents together and they sit around and chat and create memories and do all kinds of fun stuff,” she says.

It has been Christmas year-round at Riverview Manor for the past 22 months, thanks to the ingenuity of one of the home’s LEAs.

With limited space in the two dining rooms for Christmas trees – due to COVID-19 pandemic protocols, residents have been spaced six feet apart during mealtimes – Tina Hutchinson came up with the idea to put trees on corner walls in December 2020.

Tina and the life enrichment team attached branches from the home’s artificial Christmas trees to the walls and decorated them with holiday-themed ornaments and lights as they do every holiday season.

After the Christmas season ended, the team decided to leave the trees up and add decorations throughout the year to match seasonal themes, Tina explains, noting the trees have remained popular conversation pieces among residents.

“So now, decorations for every season, every holiday, are put up on the tree,” she says.

At Maplewood, staff members are being encouraged to bring their pets to work from home to spend time with residents and their colleagues. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Maplewood residents received frequent and meaningful visits from St. John Ambulance therapy dogs and their handlers.

But while restrictions began easing this year and other volunteers started returning, Maplewood has been unable to get the pet therapy visits residents enjoyed prior to the pandemic, says administrator Rachel Corkery.

In some cases, volunteers have moved away or have retired from volunteering, resulting in a shortage of pet therapy volunteers.

This is where staff can help, Rachel says.

Allowing staff members to bring their pets to spend the day at the home is a three-way symbiotic relationship, she says: a pet, such as a dog, visiting the home pleases residents and staff, and the animal is getting lots of attention as well, she notes.

“It’s hard not to smile to smile when you see a pet, especially something like a little puppy, walking through the home,” she says.

LEA brings her strong creative spark to Springdale Country Manor

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Michelle Geeves says she enjoys having the freedom to create meaningful programs for residents

Since coming to Springdale Country Manor in early August, Michelle Geeves has been thriving in her role as a life enrichment aide (LEA) at the Peterborough-area long-term care home and creating innovative programs residents love.

Michelle, who has previously held positions at another long-term care home as well as with the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON), says one of the things that stands out for her at Springdale is the strong enthusiasm residents have for the programs the home offers.

“It will be 1:30 p.m. and the program will start at 2 p.m. and they’re all wanting to know what the program is and where it will be,” Michelle tells The OMNIway.

“The residents here are just so eager to participate in all the programs. I love that.”

In her two months working at Springdale Country Manor, Michelle says two of the programs she has been most proud of spearheading are Laughing with the Golden Girls and Tea and Toast.

The Laughing with the Golden Girls program starts with residents watching DVDs of the hit TV show the Golden Girls, which ran from 1985 until 1992. After the episode is over, residents will gather around a table with Michelle and discuss the episode over cheesecake, the Golden Girls’ favourite snack.

During the Tea and Toast program, residents will sit around a table and have a chat over a pot of tea and slices of thin toast served with butter.

What’s “really important” to residents is that the toast is made with thin slices of bread, and they only want “real butter” – never margarine, Michelle says.

Having the ability to bring new ideas to the table and share them with residents is important to Michelle.

“It’s amazing; I love to be creative and I feel I can definitely be creative here,” she says.

Asked what she likes best about working at Springdale, Michelle doesn’t hesitate in her response.

“The residents – I just really like the bonds that I am building and the rapport that I am building with the residents and their families,” she says.

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PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above, Springdale Country Manor life enrichment aide Michelle Geeves and life enrichment co-ordinator Sonia Murney pose for a photo at the home Oct. 6.

Willows Estate LEC underscores the value of one-to-one programming

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Life enrichment team members will always make time for residents who need individualized programming, says Teddy Mazzuca

When it comes to finding meaningful programming to engage residents living with cognitive impairment, the wide variety of one-to-one activities Willows Estate offers are at the top of the list, says Teddy Mazzuca, the home’s life enrichment co-ordinator (LEC).

And given the value residents find with one-to-one programming, the Aurora, Ont. long-term care home’s life enrichment team members will always find time to engage residents in these activities, she adds.

Residents affected by cognitive impairment will sometimes become agitated in group settings and will be unable to participate, Teddy says. Because residents want the social and emotional benefits that come from programming, sitting down with a staff member and completing an activity that fits their needs can make a positive difference, she adds.

“And it can be anything from a hand massage to one-to-one colouring,” Teddy tells The OMNIway. “It can be a variety of programs that are strictly one-on-one.”

A popular one-to-one programming resource for residents is the home’s “sensory bin,” which is filled with a myriad of items ranging from building blocks to board games.

A favourite activity among many residents is sorting objects, and this works well in a one-to-one setting, Teddy says.

There’s also a program called Picture Perfect which sees life enrichment team members place colourful pictures of people, animals or objects on a table and the residents will engage in discussions about the pictures.

Teddy says one-to-one programs are geared to individual strengths and, therefore, each activity can be completed successfully.

While long-term care homes are at times challenged by staff shortages, life enrichment team members always find the extra time needed to spend with those residents who need it, Teddy says.

“We have to make sure we’re providing programming for each resident, whether that’s in a group setting or one-to-one,” she says.

“There is always a little bit of time, even if it’s 20 minutes in the day, where we can stop by and see someone.”

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Springdale residents clean their plates at pumpkin pie social

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Annual event delivers fun, socializing and slices of a favourite autumn dessert

SPRINGVILLE, Ont. – Nothing says “autumn has arrived” like a slice of pumpkin pie with a generous dollop of whipped cream, and the residents of Springdale Country Manor were treated to a celebration of this favourite dessert during the Peterborough County long-term care home’s annual pumpkin pie social.

About 15 residents attended the Oct. 6 event, which saw them go through nearly three large pumpkin pies, much to the delight of one of the social’s organizers, life enrichment co-ordinator Sonia Murney.

Sonia notes that special treats like pumpkin pie are a great way to get people to eat and socialize.

“Everybody loves pumpkin pie,” she told The OMNIway, while prepping pie slices for residents. “And we always offer it to the staff as well.”

In fact, the residents ate so much pie that there were only a few slices left for staff, Sonia noted.

Between slices of pie, team members engaged residents in a discussion about how to make the perfect pumpkin pie, and everyone shared their favourite tips.

Some residents were quick to point out errors others were committing when trying to make the perfect pie crust.

“You can’t overwork the pastry,” one resident advised a staff member.

After residents had finished their slice of pie (many also approached team members for second helpings), Sonia stood at the front of the dining room.

“Is everyone done? Do you need more food?” she asked.

A resounding “no!” was followed by streams of laughter.

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Village Green celebrates Residents’ Council Week with a variety of events

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Raising awareness of the Residents’ Bill of Rights, creating a resident subcommittee to write council bylaws and attending a virtual concert with other LTC residents were among the highlights

Village Green celebrated Residents’ Council Week by raising awareness about the Ontario Residents’ Bill of Rights, forming a subcommittee to create residents’ council bylaws and attending a virtual concert organized by the Ontario Association of Residents’ Councils (OARC).

There are 29 rights in the Residents’ Bill of Rights which are ingrained in the Fixing Long-Term Care Act (FLTCA), 2021. These rights guarantee that all residents of Ontario long-term care homes “receive safe, consistent, and high-quality resident-centred care in settings where residents feel at home, are treated with respect, and have the supports and services they need for their health and well-being,” OARC says on its website.

To raise awareness of the Residents’ Bill of Rights, the Selby, Ont. long-term care home’s team members participated in a pop quiz that was focused on the Bill of Rights, says Village Green life enrichment co-ordinator Ulana Orrick.

For example, team members were asked if they knew where the Residents’ Bill of Rights was posted in the home as well as which residents’ rights they could name.

Since there were amendments made to the Residents’ Bill of Rights in 2021, staff members were also asked if they knew what those changes were.

Acting on a suggestion mentioned in the OARC newsletter, Village Green used Residents’ Council Week to establish a resident-led subcommittee to develop bylaws for the home’s residents’ council.

“The residents said this would be a great thing to do during Residents’ Council Week, so that’s what we did,” Ulana tells The OMNIway. “We bought some doughnuts and made some coffee and we started writing bylaws.”

To cap off the week, the OARC hosted an hour-long virtual concert featuring singer-songwriter Deidrey Francois which the residents enjoyed, Ulana says.

During the broadcast, it was announced that Village Green was one of three long-term care homes that won an $800 gift certificate that will be put towards a new residents’ council information board (read more in an upcoming OMNIway story).

Long-term-care home residents across Ontario tuned in to the performance, which was aired over Zoom. This created a strong sense of community for residents, Ulana says.

“The residents really liked seeing that other homes were also celebrating Residents’ Council Week alongside them virtually,” she says. “That was fun for everybody.”

Residents’ Council Week was Sept. 12-18. The week, which is organized each year by OARC, aims to raise awareness about the important role residents’ councils play in long-term care homes.

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

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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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The Golden Girls and cheesecake star in new Springdale program

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Laughing with the Golden Girls gets residents reminiscing while enjoying a delicious snack

The Golden Girls and cheesecake are coming together in a new Springdale Country Manor program that’s bringing back fun memories for the Peterborough County long-term care home’s residents.

The Laughing with the Golden Girls program was created by life enrichment aide Michelle Geeves, who knew that many residents were fans of the Golden Girls.

The Golden Girls, of course, was the famous American sitcom about four older women who share a home in Miami. The program aired from 1985 to 1992 and starred Betty White, Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty.

Whenever a crisis arose in the Golden Girls’ household, the women would sit around the kitchen table and solve the problem while eating cheesecake.

During the new activity, a group of residents will get together to watch an episode of the Golden Girls on DVD. Afterward, Michelle hosts a trivia about the program and the residents will sit around a table discussing the episode over cheesecake, coffee and tea – much like the Golden Girls.

“Residents remember the Golden Girls well, and we have cheesecake because that was the Golden Girls’ favourite snack,” Michelle tells The OMNIway.

“We all laughed and thought it was fun.”

Sonia Murney, the home’s life enrichment co-ordinator, says the program has been a huge hit with residents, adding Michelle did a “great job” coming up with the idea.

The Laughing with the Golden Girls program has prompted lots of reminiscing about the days when it was a top-rated TV show, Sonia says.

“Michelle gets a good group of residents together and they sit around and chat and create memories and do all kinds of fun stuff,” she says.

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Royal memories, a chip truck visit and residents’ council week mark a busy month at OMNI homes

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September was a busy month at OMNI Health Care homes, and team members did an amazing job of organizing meaningful events for residents.

The big news across the globe was the Sept. 8 passing of Queen Elizabeth II, who served as head of state to the United Kingdom and 14 Commonwealth realms – including Canada – for 70 years.

At Forest Hill, residents and staff members spent the week of Sept. 19 to Sept. 25 paying homage to Her Majesty with a variety of events, beginning with watching the Queen’s funeral on TV live from Westminster Abbey.

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

Life enrichment co-ordinator (LEC) Craig Forrest said the week meant a lot to the residents.

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

Summer may have turned to autumn on Sept. 22, but there was still enough sunny weather on Sept. 23 for a chip truck to swing by Streamway Villa and dish up portions of poutine, the favourite Canadian snack consisting of fries, gravy and cheese curd.

After the residents got their poutine from the Personal Touch Catering chip truck, they joined their loved ones and the Cobourg long-term care home’s team members in the scenic courtyard to enjoy the afternoon.

The idea for the chip truck visit came from LEC Laurie Kracht, and members of the residents’ council voted to fund the event.

“We haven’t been able to go anywhere, and I wanted to do something to also include the staff,” Laurie said. “I spoke with the residents’ council, and the residents’ council gave the OK to us to splurge on them, so that’s what we did.”

Residents’ Council Week was Sept. 12-18, and Willows Estate marked the week by hosting a variety of activities that were both fun and informative.

The week, organized each year by the Ontario Association of Residents’ Councils (OARC), aims to raise awareness about the important role residents’ councils play in long-term care homes.

Among the activities team members organized to celebrate the week were a tea party, a photo booth and trivia about residents’ councils. Team members created a display wall that offered information about Residents’ Council Week.

LEC Teddy Mazzuca said that although Willows Estate celebrates Residents’ Council Week every year, this year’s event had a great presence, a fact she attributes to pandemic restrictions easing this year.

“I think we focused more on Residents’ Council Week this year, just because we’re trying to get back into the swing of things,” she said.

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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.