Streamway Villa and Burnbrae Gardens engage community at volunteer fair

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The Community Care Northumberland Volunteer Fair was a valuable recruitment and networking opportunity, say LECs

A recent volunteer fair was an opportunity for two OMNI Health Care long-term-care home team members to connect with people, raise awareness of their homes’ presence in the community and develop possible opportunities for people to donate their time in meaningful ways.

Laurie Kracht from Streamway Villa and April Faux of Burnbrae Gardens attended the Community Care Northumberland Volunteer Fair held at the Lions Community Centre in Cobourg on Oct. 18.

The fair attracted more than two dozen local organizations and about 120 people who were interested in volunteering.

Laurie, the life enrichment co-ordinator (LEC) at Streamway Villa, says people stopped by the booth she and April, the administrator and LEC at Burnbrae Gardens, operated at the fair to pick up pamphlets, learn about the homes and discuss opportunities.

“People would come by and we would educate them on what we do and why volunteering in long-term care is important – and it was a good turnout, we had people flowing in all day long,” Laurie tells The OMNIway.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, many organizations had to put their volunteer programs on hold. With restrictions easing this year, many organizations, including long-term care homes, have struggled to bring volunteers back.

The good news is some people who stopped by the OMNI booth expressed interest in volunteering at Streamway Villa and Burnbrae Gardens, including students who were looking for volunteer placements as part of their high school curriculum requirement.

While the event was held in Cobourg, where Streamway Villa is located, April says some visitors to the booth who expressed interest in volunteering were from Hastings, near Burnbrae Gardens in Campbellford.

April adds attending the fair was a chance to explain to people that volunteering in long-term care homes helps enhance the quality of life for residents in many ways.

April and Laurie also explained that homes will create opportunities that match volunteers’ strengths and interests.

“There are lots of opportunities for volunteers in long-term care, and I think we were able to communicate that and explain just how many opportunities are within a home,” April says.

“There were a lot of surprised people who didn’t know we do so many things.”

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Leafs lose season opener, but the day was still a big win at Streamway Villa

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Residents and team members celebrate all things hockey during annual event


There’s nothing like a hockey game to bring Canadians together, and there’s no day during the regular NHL season that gets fans more revved up than opening day.

The Streamway Villa life enrichment team tapped into that enthusiasm on Oct. 12.

As has become a tradition at the Cobourg, Ont. long-term care home, residents and staff dedicated the Toronto Maple Leafs’ opening game to all things hockey.

During the day, residents and team members wore their favourite hockey jerseys, T-shirts and caps. Residents were treated to beer and popcorn and got to play hockey trivia, explains life enrichment co-ordinator Laurie Kracht.

In the evening, everyone gathered to watch the Leafs play the Montreal Canadiens.

It’s NHL tradition that the Maple Leafs – who were clearly the crowd favourite at Streamway – and Canadiens play their first game of the year against each other.

This year’s opener, which was played in Montreal, saw the Habs beat the Leafs 4-3.

Last year residents and team members also got together to watch the opening game of the season. The Leafs beat the Habs 2-1 in that contest.

While most of the residents and team members are Maple Leafs fans, Laurie says there were a couple of Habs fans in the crowd.

One resident Habs fan staged a mock hockey fight with life enrichment aide Chelsea Tinney, a Leafs fan, for fun, which added another layer of entertainment to the evening.

“(The Habs fan) was our jokester for the evening; he used to live in Montreal, so that was pretty funny,” Laurie says.

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Police engage Streamway residents in fraud prevention

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The Cobourg Police Service hosted an information session to raise awareness of a spike in phone scams

A representative from the Cobourg Police Service (CPS) recently led an information session at Streamway Villa to raise awareness about a rise in telephone scams aimed at seniors in the area and to help protect residents from becoming victims.

Knowing many long-term-care home residents have their own phone lines, the police department reached out to Streamway Villa in September to offer this service, explains Laurie Kracht, the home’s life enrichment co-ordinator.

Acting detective James Egas explained how so-called “grandparent scams” are committed by fraudsters who play on people’s emotional vulnerabilities in order to get their financial information.

Most often, fraudsters pose as family members in trouble and needing money; some will pretend to be police officers or lawyers telling the potential victim that a loved one is ill, injured or in jail and needs money, he explained.

Residents were told the best defence against becoming telephone fraud victims is to never give out any personal or financial information over the phone.

Some residents explained they have received such calls, but because they were aware of the scam they hung up, which is the correct action, Det. Egas explained.

Laurie says there was a large turnout for the presentation, and residents paid close attention throughout the session, asking Det. Egas questions afterward.

Aside from being a valuable educational session for residents, the presentation also opened the door for future community partnerships with the CPS, Laurie says.

“This was a perfect opportunity to get back into the community and bring (the police) in,” she says. “Moving forward, they would love to come back to the home in the future.”

Laurie says any long-term-care home staff looking to offer a fraud-prevention session to their residents can contact their local police service for information.

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Resident’s son commends Streamway Villa team for helping his mother continue the activities she loves

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Mike Filip says his mother, Joan, is still gardening, bird watching and spending time with her family

COBOURG, Ont. – Since moving into Streamway Villa eight months ago, Joan Filip has been enjoying the same activities she always has, and she’s especially happy to be continuing her passion for growing flowers, gardening and bird watching as well as spending lots of time with her family.

Joan was able to move all her flowers and plants from home to Streamway, and her son, Mike, built a little garden outside his mother’s window, complete with bird feeders.

“She loves the birds and she loves to garden because that’s what she did when she retired, so we tried to bring that here for her as well because that’s what she had in the past,” Mike tells The OMNIway.

Sitting outside the home on a pleasant Friday afternoon, Joan and Mike spoke with The OMNIway about their experiences at Streamway Villa and how the home’s staff members have ensured Joan’s transition was seamless.

Pointing towards the Streamway Villa courtyard, Mike says the environment provides the scenery Joan finds comforting, adding if his mother lived in another home she might not have her own little flower garden.

“We’re able to do that here, rather than being in a skyscraper or an apartment building where all you have is a window and looking out onto cement; she’s got the window she can look out of and she’s got the trees that are around her window,” Mike says.

Joan, who’s 102, also gets lots of visits from her family members and friends, and Mike says Streamway staff members go out of their way to accommodate visitors.

“She loves the fact that she’s in contact with her family all the time,” Mike says. “She has a phone in her room, so her grandchildren can call her, (and) she’s able to watch the hockey games, so there are all kinds of benefits that a small home provides.”

Joan is highly active at Streamway Villa, participating in programming and she especially enjoys taking trips to the local farmers’ market on Saturday mornings.

She also spends a lot of time with her loved ones, going for lunch or out for walks, Mike notes, adding Streamway Villa life enrichment co-ordinator Laurie Kracht has been helpful at ensuring Joan’s family members can visit.

“Her family members come from all over, and they always work out timing with Laurie to get in here and get all the protocols covered,” he says.

– This is Part 2 of a two-part story.

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PHOTO CAPTION: Streamway Villa resident Joan Filip and her son, Mike, are pictured here enjoying a sunny afternoon together at the Cobourg long-term care home.

Streamway Villa is a small home with a big heart, says family member

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‘The people here are unbelievable’

COBOURG, Ont. – When Joan Filip was ready to move into a long-term care home eight months ago, Streamway Villa was the only option her son, Mike Filip, says was on the table.

Joan and Mike were aware of Streamway Villa’s stellar reputation in Cobourg, and after looking at several other homes in the region, they both knew Streamway was the right fit, Mike says.

With 59 beds, Streamway Villa is a small and older long-term care home, but Mike cites these characteristics as strengths.

He also underscores that it’s the people who work at Streamway Villa, not the building, that makes the home such a special place.

“Everybody here knows my mum,” he tells The OMNIway. “When I walk down the hall, or when she walks down the hall, someone will always say hi to her. It’s always on a first-name basis and it’s always very positive. The people here are unbelievable.”

Joan, who is 102, is a retired laboratory technician who spent her career at the Banting Institute in Toronto. She says living at Streamway Villa has been a seamless transition.

Joan notes that her family members are close by and often visit, and she does many of the same things at Streamway Villa she did before moving to the home, such as tending to her plants and enjoying the outdoors.

“I haven’t really realized that I’m here; I could be (back home),” Joan says of her transition to Streamway Villa.

“I know I’m close to my family, (and) I need to be near my family, and I am happy that this experience is available.”

Mike agrees.

“Geography-wise, I’m only 10 minutes away; I don’t have to fight traffic to get here, and it’s a comfortable and personable environment, and that’s what we love about it,” he says.

Streamway Villa recently won the Northumberland News Readers’ Choice diamond award in the “best nursing home/long-term care centre” category, which is the top honour.

Mike says Streamway Villa earning this accolade is reflective of the care his mother receives at Streamway Villa and of the culture of the home.

“My thoughts are, simply, this is why we’re here,” he says. “This is the best (long-term care home), at least for my mum and her lifestyle. She loves being here.”

– This is Part 1 of a two-part story

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PHOTO CAPTION: Streamway Villa resident Joan Filip and her son, Mike, are pictured here enjoying a sunny afternoon together at the Cobourg long-term care home.

Streamway Villa receives diamond Readers’ Choice Award in LTC category

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The home’s close-knit, family-like culture is credited for this success

Streamway Villa is the 2022 diamond recipient of the Northumberland News Readers’ Choice Award in the “best nursing home/long-term care centre” category, and the home’s close-knit, family-like culture is being credited for this success.

The diamond award is the highest accolade given to Readers’ Choice Award recipients.

Built in 1977 and housing 59 beds, Streamway Villa is a smaller and older long-term care home. But, as staff members and residents’ families are quick to point out, it’s the people inside that make the home a vibrant place to live and work.

“We’re family here,” Linda Powell, a Streamway Villa personal support worker, tells The OMNIway. “We are all really close together; we have a lot of long-standing staff members here and we all just love each other.”

Readers’ Choice Awards are given annually by Metroland Media Group newspapers. Readers nominate local businesses and organizations to their local Metroland newspaper in June and July and people vote online for their favourite business in each category.

Winners are awarded diamond, platinum and gold accolades in each business category.

Linda, who is also president of CUPE Local 2225-01, the union representing the Cobourg long-term care home’s team members, says everyone does their best to create an environment where people want to live and work.

“We tell jokes, we dance, and that’s a big part of being here: we make it fun,” she says.

Winning a Readers’ Choice Award is also a great morale booster for everyone, Linda says.

“It makes us proud, and hey, we work hard; we work hard and we love the residents and they love us. This is our home. We (staff members) don’t live here, but we still feel this is our home.”

Family member Mike Filip says Streamway Villa earning this honour is reflective of the care his mother, Joan, receives at Streamway Villa and the culture of the home.

Like Linda, Mike says the culture Streamway Villa has created for residents and staff members is why he thinks the home is deserving of the award.

“My thoughts are, simply, this is why we’re here,” Mike says. “This is the best (long-term care home), at least for my mum and her lifestyle. She loves being here.”

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A perfect day for poutine at Streamway Villa

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Local chip truck pays a visit to the home to deliver the classic snack of fried, gravy and cheese curd

It was a perfect day for poutine.

On the afternoon of Sept. 23, a chip truck from Personal Touch Catering pulled up to Streamway Villa in Cobourg to serve up the famous Canadian staple of fresh-cut fries, gravy and cheese curd to residents, their family members and staff.

Under a sunny sky with a gentle, cool breeze, residents gathered in the home’s courtyard amidst the flowers and plants to enjoy their mid-afternoon snack and enjoy the day with each other and their loved ones.

Although it can be a gamble setting up events like this during the autumn when the weather fluctuates, life enrichment co-ordinator Laurie Kracht and the other organizers lucked out by picking a pleasant day that was sandwiched between two days of rainy weather.

Personal Touch Catering is based in nearby Bailieboro and the company’s chip truck can often be seen down by the waterfront in Cobourg. Seeing the truck in the area prompted Laurie to contact the company and arrange a visit to Streamway Villa.

She approached residents about the idea and they were on board, offering to fund the visit through the council’s Memorial Fund.

“We haven’t been able to go anywhere, and I wanted to do something to also include the staff,” Laurie tells The OMNIway.

“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.”

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Streamway residents focus on keeping healthy minds and bodies

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Story-sharing and physiotherapy are among the programs residents are finding beneficial

Streamway Villa residents have been focusing on keeping both healthy minds and bodies through programming the Cobourg, Ont. long-term care home offers.

Laurie Kracht, Streamway Villa’s life enrichment co-ordinator (LEC), says there are many active residents at the home who enjoy a wide range of programs.

One such program is a story-sharing activity where residents reminisce or discuss current events, which promotes healthy cognitive function.

In the past, life enrichment team members would be leading this program, but the current residents are enjoying taking the reins, she notes.

“The residents do the talking,” Laurie tells The OMNIway. “They will have conversations about the past … and they will talk about their experiences and have the conversation within themselves.”

Laurie says the residents and staff members have also enjoyed taking the short walk from Streamway Villa to downtown Cobourg which gives everyone a chance to interact with the community.

There has also been a high number of residents participating in the physiotherapy programming the home offers, Laurie notes.

At the moment, the LEC says there are several residents who are focusing on maintaining their mobility.

Every day, physiotherapy assistant Harita Patel will lead an exercise group of residents who do exercises together, and this is showing a lot of promise, Laurie says.

“It’s going amazingly well,” she says. “We even have a couple of residents who can touch their toes now.”

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Streamway physio program graduate moves back home

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Debra Belliveau worked hard to improve her mobility to the point she can once again live on her own

During her time in the Streamway Villa physiotherapy program, Debra Belliveau improved her mobility so well she was able to move back home earlier this year.

Working with Streamway Villa physiotherapy assistant Harita Patel, Debra spent about 17 months doing strengthening exercises, range-of-motion exercises, practising transferring, weight training, balance training and doing lots of walking.

Debra’s goal from the get-go was to improve her mobility to the point she could return to living independently, and she worked hard to make that happen, Harita says.

When Debra made her intentions known, team members at the Cobourg, Ont. long-term care home, along with the physiotherapy team, worked with her to create a plan to help her maximize her strength and achieve her mobility goals.

Once a plan was in place, Debra focused on her exercises and let nothing get in her way, Harita says.

“That was really inspiring,” Harita tells The OMNIway, adding Debra’s determination, focus and sticking to her planned routines helped her achieve success.

“She used to exercise and walk with me every day,” Harita says.

Not only did Debra exercise with the physiotherapy team, she also worked on improving her mobility by herself, Harita says.

Harita says that while the support physiotherapy team members provide plays a part in residents’ progress, it’s also crucial the residents are self-motivated and are dedicated to improving their mobility.

“Motivation, dedication and consistency are very important,” Harita says, noting Debra showed each of these characteristics.

Physiotherapy programs are an important part of life in OMNI Health Care long-term care homes. For many years, residents have worked with physiotherapists and physiotherapy assistants to achieve goals to improve their mobility.

While she now lives on her own, Debra continues to keep in close contact with Streamway Villa, making frequent visits to the home to say hello to residents and staff, who have remained her close friends.

“She came to visit us, just last week, and she was so happy,” Harita says.

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PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above, former Streamway Villa resident Debra Belliveau is now living on her own, thanks to improving her mobility in the home’s physio program.



Hard work and determination help Streamway resident achieve mobility goal

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Wanda Greacen is now walking independently after 12 months of participating in the home’s physiotherapy program

Hard work, focus and lots of determination have helped a Streamway Villa resident improve her mobility to the point she can walk independently.

When Wanda Greacen moved into the Cobourg, Ont. long-term care home she required a wheelchair and was finding it challenging to stand – even with assistance from staff members.

But after a year of working hard to reach her goal, Wanda is walking independently with a walker and enjoying an enhanced quality of life, thanks to her determination and some help from the physiotherapy team.

Wanda’s journey to improved mobility began not long after she moved to Streamway Villa and met physiotherapy assistant Harita Patel, whom she would work with for the next 12 months.

Wanda set her own goals and she worked with the physiotherapy team to create a routine that would help her reach those goals, Harita says.

Wanda and Harita worked primarily on range-of-motion and strengthening exercises, gradually adding weight to the movement as Wanda progressed at a fast pace.

Range-of-motion exercises improve joint function, and strengthening exercises improve muscle function.

Wanda also focused on balance and co-ordination exercises which helped her to improve her gait. Wanda exercised often and stuck to her schedule tenaciously, Harita says.

“These (exercises) helped her a lot to improve her mobility and helped her switch from a wheelchair to a walker,” Harita tells The OMNIway.

Physiotherapy programs are an important part of life in OMNI Health Care long-term care homes. For many years, residents have worked with physiotherapists and physiotherapy assistants to achieve goals to improve their mobility.

Dedication and motivation are very important, and Wanda was dedicated and self-motivated, Harita says. Harita says she would sometimes start her shift to find Wanda already waiting for her.

“Motivation, dedication and consistency are very important,” Harita says, adding Wanda was a “very dedicated” resident.

And what does Wanda think of the progress she has made since moving to Streamway Villa?
 
“(I was) raised a poor, old country girl; I didn’t enjoy life growing up,” she says, “but since I have been here at Streamway, I feel like a chicken coming out of an egg.”

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PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above, Streamway Villa resident Wanda Greacen greatly improved her mobility by participating in the home’s physiotherapy program.