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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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.

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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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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LEC commends team for doing ‘a great job’ while she was away

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Tight team and strong communication ensured programming ran smoothly at Springdale when Sonia Murney was on a three-month leave

The Springdale Country Manor life enrichment team is being praised by life enrichment co-ordinator (LEC) Sonia Murney for doing “a great job” organizing resident programming and overseeing the department while she was on a three-month leave recovering from surgery.

Sonia, who returned to her position at the Peterborough-area long-term care home in early June, says the team of four life enrichment aides work well together and they are all great communicators, which, she says, are key strengths that are important to maintaining any department in a home.

In fact, Sonia says communication is one of the team’s greatest attributes, and having a small life enrichment team allows for strong communication.

“They touch base with each other, they see each other from shift to shift, so that makes it easy, and they are a very good group,” Sonia tells The OMNIway.

“They did a great job. They did the calendars, they communicated with me when needed, but they figured things out for themselves.”

One major event that happened while Sonia was away was the Spring Fling, an Olympic-style event that encouraged friendly competition and lots of fun and laughter among residents.

The Spring Fling had been planned for an earlier date, but due to an outbreak at the home, it had to be postponed until April.

The event consisted of daily competitive activities from Monday to Friday for two weeks. Events included discus throwing, paper airplane flying, bull’s-eye shooting, a beanbag toss and bowling.

The Spring Fling has been a programming highlight so far this year, and Sonia commends the team for making it happen.

“They pulled it off, no problem; hands-down, a top-notch job, and I had total faith in them, I knew they could do it,” she says.

Life enrichment aide (LEA) Nikki English says working without Sonia was a change but everything went to plan.

“At first I was terrified, to be honest, but I got used to it after a bit,” she says.

LEA Keyanna O’Rourke says she knew the life enrichment team was tight and that team members worked well together, so she was confident everything would run smoothly.

“I feel that because we are so used to working with each other and we work in a group when we are on the same shifts, I found it pretty natural – it was like that every day for three months,” she says.

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PHOTO CAPTION: Springdale LEC Sonia Murney (centre), pictured here with LEAs Nikki English (left) and Keyanna O’Rourke, says the life enrichment team, says the life enrichment team did an excellent job of overseeing the department while she was on a three-month leave.

Springdale resident and dedicated Blue Jays fan Grace Long turns 104

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Team members organize a surprise birthday party in her honour

Springdale Country Manor resident and dedicated Toronto Blue Jays fan Grace Long celebrated her 104th birthday June 28, and residents and team members were on hand to help Grace make the most of her special day.

Grace is known around the Peterborough-area long-term care home for her love of her favourite baseball team and tries to never miss watching a game in her room, says life enrichment co-ordinator Sonia Murney.

To honour Grace on her big day, Springdale team members organized a surprise birthday party for her that began with everyone gathering around to sing Happy Birthday and send their best wishes.

Grace was touched by all the attention, Sonia says.

“Grace felt so blessed and happy with her surprise birthday and was able to stand up and thank all who came to her celebration,” Sonia tells The OMNIway.

In addition to her party, Grace received e-mails and photos from family and friends, Sonia adds.

Aside from her beloved Toronto Blue Jays, Grace also has a lifelong passion for horses. She grew up on a farm near Woodstock, Ont., and this rural setting nurtured her affection for horses, which she used to ride through the trails in the region.

Grace, who raised six children, told Springdale residents and staff that one of her favourite birthday memories was visiting her grandson in the Bahamas and going horseback riding when she turned 90.

Springdale Country Manor team members asked Grace to share her secret for longevity.

“To live each day,” she said.

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Springdale turns into the ‘home on the range’ for an afternoon

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Miniature horse makes a visit to the home’s courtyard where she was greeted by curious residents

SPRINGVILLE, Ont. – Red, a miniature horse, made an appearance at Springdale Country Manor on June 14 to spend time with residents and wander through the courtyard of the Peterborough-area long-term care home.

When Red and her owner, Patricia Sheppard, made their entry into the courtyard, about 20 residents who were sitting in the shade greeted them with big smiles and lots of curiosity.

The first thing Red did was head straight to the lush, manicured grass in the courtyard for a quick afternoon snack, which brought an immediate round of laughter from residents.

Red, who is 22 years old, went from resident to resident to spend a few moments getting pets and cuddles. Patricia answered any questions residents had about Red, and some residents even shared stories of their own experiences with horses.

Several residents asked to have their photo taken with Red, who happily obliged.

Patricia, who owns a horse farm in Omemee called Small Hooves, Big Hearts, says she brings Red and the other horses she owns to many long-term care homes in the area.

No matter which home they’re at, there is always a similar reaction, Patricia says, noting she has been to Springdale Country Manor two other times with her horses.

“It really opens up a lot of dialogue; I’ve heard some really interesting things,” she tells The OMNIway.

Since many of the homes Patricia and her horses visit are in rural areas, most residents will have had some experience with horses, so these visits bring positive reminiscing for residents, Patricia says.

“In a lot of the homes (the horses) start the farmers talking,” she says.

“But pretty much everyone has some kind of connection to a horse, no matter where they’re from in the world, so bringing a horse (to homes) really starts those conversations.”

You can learn more about Small Hooves, Big Hearts by visiting the farm’s website.

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PHOTO CAPTION: Resident Lillian Smith shares a moment with miniature horse Red in the Springdale Country Manor courtyard.

Olympic-style event encourages camaraderie and friendly competition at Springdale

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Many residents who normally don’t turn up for activities were participating each day

In April, Springdale Country Manor residents enjoyed their first-ever Springdale Spring Fling, an Olympic-style event that encouraged friendly competition and lots of fun and laughter among the Peterborough-area long-term care home’s residents.

The event consisted of daily competitive activities from Monday to Friday for two weeks. Events included discus throwing, paper airplane flying, bull’s-eye shooting, a beanbag toss and bowling.

For the discus throwing and plane flying, the objectives were to see how far residents could toss these objects. For the bull’s-eye shooting, there was a target set up and residents threw a Velcro ball to try to get the most points.

Each event had a first-, second- and third-place winner, explains life enrichment aide Nikki English, who says residents showed a strong spirit of camaraderie during the events.

“There was a lot of enthusiasm and encouragement among the residents,” she tells The OMNIway. “They would each cheer each other on after each turn. … The residents really enjoyed the events and the excitement of seeing how well they could do.”

Life enrichment team members created a standings board that was hung in the home’s main dining room. Each event was posted with the top three winners that were added at the end of the event.

Medals were also handed out to the top overall resident who achieved the most standings as well as a medal for the resident who participated in the most events.

On the last day of events, residents celebrated their hard work during the previous two weeks. The residents in the top three places for each event received a gold, silver or bronze medal.

“Since there was so much enthusiasm from the residents, some of them won multiple medals,” Nikki says, adding many residents who normally don’t join in programming participated in the Spring Fling.

Nikki says the event was so successful she’s hoping to see it return next year, adding that a month later the Spring Fling is still top of mind for residents.

“Some of the residents to this day still wear their medal every day to show it off and be proud of what they accomplished,” she says.

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Disney-inspired Halloween party wows Springdale residents and staff

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Forget ghosts and goblins, the Halloween party at Springdale Country Manor this year featured the likes of Mickey Mouse and Snow White taking centre stage.

It was Disney characters that inspired the Oct. 29 event at the Peterborough-area long-term care home rather than the usual “spooky” creatures Halloween is known for.

And residents and staff members loved the idea, says life enrichment co-ordinator Sonia Murney.

The life enrichment department created T-shirts for residents that had the Mickey Mouse Club logo or the Cinderella Castle embossed on the front with the words “Dreams Do Come True” underneath.

Residents also wore Mickey and Minnie Mouse ears, tiaras and crowns as part of their costumes. Local entertainer Kathy Wiles played and sang songs from Disney films that included everything from Mary Poppins to Frozen.

Staff dressed up in Disney-themed scrubs that featured Winnie the Pooh, princesses, rabbits and, of course, ghosts and goblins. The management team spent the day dressed as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Residents had their pictures taken in front of a backdrop of the Cinderella Castle from Disney World while inside a photo booth shaped like a carriage that was made by the life enrichment team.

Since it was a Halloween party, there was an abundance of cupcakes and sweets for everyone to enjoy.

A favourite moment was then staff member Charlene Rose dressed up as “Buzzy Bee” to dance and entertain residents.

“(She) brought so much joy to residents and staff,” Sonia says.

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Seniors Cruises returns to Springdale for car show

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Car club members bring back fond memories of classic cars for residents

A local car club returned to Springdale Country Manor Aug. 31 to display their wheels to the Peterborough-area long-term care home’s residents and bring back some fond memories for everyone.

Members of Seniors Cruises stopped by Springdale for two hours with more than 20 classic cars and trucks for residents to see during the Yesterday Memories car show.

The Seniors Cruises car club, which hosts car shows at long-term care and retirement homes across the Peterborough area, visits Springdale Country Manor most years.

Residents had a chance to look at the hot rods and chat with car club members about their vehicles. This brought back fond memories for many, says Springdale life enrichment co-ordinator Sonia Murney.

“The residents had so much fun, reminiscing and touring around the cars,” she tells The OMNIway.

“The weather was wonderful and the residents loved being outside, and they even had a chance to watch some planes fly over, as we are close to the Peterborough airport.”

The club members had some interesting stories, Sonia says, adding one member brought the 1947 Mercury he has been driving for 40 years.

In addition to the cars, Seniors Cruises supplied music – golden oldies, of course – for residents and community members to enjoy during the show.

To keep everyone safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, safety precautions, such as mask-wearing and social distancing, were in effect.

Sonia notes some residents’ family members brought their classic cars to the show and combined the car show with an outdoor visit with their loved ones.

“We had two families participate in the group with their cars, and they made it great for a visit as well,” she says.

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