Maplewood residents’ enthusiasm for Christmas decorating attests to everyone feeling ‘at home’

‘It was an activity, but not with the usual activity mindset’

Christmas is right around the corner, and Maplewood residents have been busy chipping in to help decorate the Brighton long-term care home in the spirit of the season.

Maplewood administrator and life enrichment co-ordinator Rachel Corkery says about 10 of the home’s 49 residents took the initiative last week to help team members “deck the halls” and put up decorations and Christmas trees.

Residents’ enthusiasm for decorating the home shows they are truly “at home for the holidays,” Rachel says, adding the residents have done an excellent job.

“Our home looks so beautiful this time of year. We have five Christmas trees in the home, some are small, table-top trees, some are large, and we have literally decked the halls,” she says.

Last week was a particularly busy time for residents and staff members, as everyone was getting the home decorated for Maplewood’s Christmas bazaar, which was held on Saturday. While much of the decorating was tied in with programming, it didn’t have a “program” feel to it, Rachel notes.

The residents, she says, viewed it as doing their part to beautify their home for the holidays.

“It was an activity, but not with the usual activity mindset,” Rachel says.

On Thursday (Dec. 1), Maplewood is hosting its annual Christmas party with members of the Royal Canadian Air Force from 8 Wing Trenton. Maplewood has been hosting this extravagant party since 2006, and it has become one of the home’s major events.

The OMNIway will be featuring Maplewood’s Christmas party in an upcoming story.

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