Rosebridge Manor art program engaging residents’ strengths

Volunteer-led program aimed at helping residents make choices and create items that can be used in the home

A new volunteer-led art program at Rosebridge Manor is proving to be an excellent vehicle for engaging residents’ strengths.

Volunteer Gillian Organ has been organizing the once-per-month program at the Jasper, Ont. long-term care home since summer.

Trained as an art teacher, Gillian was doing other volunteer work at the home when she approached life enrichment co-ordinator Kathy Barr about her idea to start an art program that would encourage residents to be creative while producing items the home can use.

Each segment of the program has a theme. In October, residents made place cards for the home’s Halloween party. With the Christmas season around the corner, residents are now working on creating decorative snowmen, wreaths and centrepieces.

The snowmen residents are making are made of balled-up newspapers wrapped in plastic. Gillian builds the snowmen bodies and residents choose how to decorate them with the buttons, scarves, twigs for the arms and hats that are provided.

While not all residents are able to complete every task, everyone has a role to play in finishing the projects, Gillian says.

“Some residents can’t get any further than putting on stickers, while others can handle staplers and scissors, but they’re all working on the same idea,” Gillian says. “It’s trying to help them make choices. And I like to see follow-up. For example, with the Halloween place cards, the residents saw them (put to use).

“One of my philosophies is to challenge the residents. It’s not ‘here’s how to make it, copy this.’ It’s ‘here are the raw materials, there are all sorts of selections, choose what you want.’ ”

Gillian notes there has been high resident engagement in the art program.

“I’m getting 12 to 15 people, up from about 10 people per program,” she says. “The program is different – I come in from a different angle, because I’m from outside the home, and we’re coming up with different things (the residents) haven’t done before.”

Gillian adds: “I think it’s something for them to look forward to. I was in there recently and I talked to the residents and told them we’d be doing snowmen next week and they were excited about this.”

After Christmas, the program will be focusing on creating Valentine’s Day cards.

If you have a story you would like to share with The OMNIway, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.com.

If you have feedback on this story, please call the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.com.