Montessori interventions spark new optimism for Riverview resident

Quick action from the BSO team helps enhance resident’s quality of life

A resident who recently moved into Riverview Manor was having a challenging time adjusting to their new home and was convinced they were at Riverview “by accident.” But after being assessed by the Behavioural Supports Ontario (BSO) team and receiving appropriate interventions, the resident’s outlook on life at the Peterborough long-term care home has become more optimistic, team members say.

When the resident first moved into the home they complained of boredom, said they “hated” being at Riverview, and didn’t “know how to live” at the home, says personal support worker and BSO team member Karlie Phillips.

Karlie discovered that what was making the resident unhappy was a lack of programs that suited their interests, so she completed a Montessori assessment with the resident to explore ideas for activities that fit with the resident’s interests.

Montessori programs in long-term care homes are done individually or in small groups and include activities that build upon residents’ strengths and interests.

Karlie created several activities that met the resident’s needs and interests. These included button sorting, sock sorting, and cutlery matching, where the resident wraps knives and forks into napkins to help the dietary team.

The resident is also helping others, Karlie notes.

There is one resident who believes they need to pay for the food they eat at the home. Karlie has given the resident she’s working with a payroll stamp that says “paid.”

When the second resident wants to pay for their food, the first resident stamps a piece of paper with the “paid” stamp for them.

Karlie says these activities have made the resident much happier with life at Riverview Manor.

“The resident is very pleased with these activities and just wants to (keep their) hands busy and keep going; (the resident) doesn’t want to be in one spot,” she tells The OMNIway.

The resident was also interested in the smartwatches staff members wore. The resident wanted to learn more about the watches, which perform a variety of functions.

One of the staff members explained what the watches were and showed the resident that the watch can be used to count the number of steps people take in a day.

The resident, who is an active walker, was interested in keeping track of their steps, so Karlie gave the resident an extra smartwatch she had and showed the resident how to use it.

Karlie then provided the resident with daily walking goals.

“Now the resident is walking up and down in our service hallway trying to reach those goals,” she says.

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