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Royal memories, a chip truck visit and residents’ council week mark a busy month at OMNI homes

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September was a busy month at OMNI Health Care homes, and team members did an amazing job of organizing meaningful events for residents.

The big news across the globe was the Sept. 8 passing of Queen Elizabeth II, who served as head of state to the United Kingdom and 14 Commonwealth realms – including Canada – for 70 years.

At Forest Hill, residents and staff members spent the week of Sept. 19 to Sept. 25 paying homage to Her Majesty with a variety of events, beginning with watching the Queen’s funeral on TV live from Westminster Abbey.

Residents were also engaged in a variety of TV programs and documentaries about Queen Elizabeth II. A favourite activity amongst residents was watching a YouTube video featuring a virtual tour of Buckingham Palace, the reigning monarch’s official residence in London.

Life enrichment co-ordinator (LEC) Craig Forrest said the week meant a lot to the residents.

“Many residents are from a generation where the monarchy was really important, and they were happy for us to honour the Queen,” he said.

Summer may have turned to autumn on Sept. 22, but there was still enough sunny weather on Sept. 23 for a chip truck to swing by Streamway Villa and dish up portions of poutine, the favourite Canadian snack consisting of fries, gravy and cheese curd.

After the residents got their poutine from the Personal Touch Catering chip truck, they joined their loved ones and the Cobourg long-term care home’s team members in the scenic courtyard to enjoy the afternoon.

The idea for the chip truck visit came from LEC Laurie Kracht, and members of the residents’ council voted to fund the event.

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

Residents’ Council Week was Sept. 12-18, and Willows Estate marked the week by hosting a variety of activities that were both fun and informative.

The week, organized each year by the Ontario Association of Residents’ Councils (OARC), aims to raise awareness about the important role residents’ councils play in long-term care homes.

Among the activities team members organized to celebrate the week were a tea party, a photo booth and trivia about residents’ councils. Team members created a display wall that offered information about Residents’ Council Week.

LEC Teddy Mazzuca said that although Willows Estate celebrates Residents’ Council Week every year, this year’s event had a great presence, a fact she attributes to pandemic restrictions easing this year.

“I think we focused more on Residents’ Council Week this year, just because we’re trying to get back into the swing of things,” she said.

If you have a story you would like to share with The OMNIway, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

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PHOTO CAPTION: Forest Hill residents are pictured here at a high tea that was hosted Sept. 23 during a week that honoured Queen Elizabeth II.

Pleasant Meadow residents gearing up for Norwood Fall Fair

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Residents have been preparing crafts and food that will be entered in the fair’s contests

The Norwood Fall Fair is returning for the first time since 2019, and the residents of Pleasant Meadow Manor are preparing crafts and food to enter in contests held during the event, which has been a highlight of autumn in the community since 1868.

Every September, residents start making crafts and baking for the fair, which is held during the Thanksgiving weekend. Residents win prizes for their crafts and baking entries almost every year.

Fall Fair organizers supply the home with a list of crafts and baking people can enter. The Pleasant Meadow Manor life enrichment team presents the list to residents for them to decide what they would like to do.

This year, about 12 residents have been preparing items to enter in the fair’s contests, says Pleasant Meadow Manor life enrichment co-ordinator Kim Williams.

Some items residents will be entering in contests include wall decorations, door decorations, a Pleasant Meadow Manor scrapbook and homemade fudge.

Kim says residents have been showing their creative flair once again.

“There is a resident who is doing three different things: a painting of a Christmas ornament, a Christmas wreath, and a Halloween door decoration,” she tells The OMNIway.

Participating in the Norwood Fall Fair has become an important part of the culture at Pleasant Meadow Manor over the years.

The fair is returning for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March 2020.

While Kim isn’t making any specific predictions for winning entries this year, she says she’s hopeful there will be more ribbons coming to Pleasant Meadow.

“I’ve got my fingers crossed,” she says.

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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.

Canadians encouraged to participate in National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

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Today marks the second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, and people and organizations across the country are being encouraged to acknowledge the day by hosting activities and educational events that honour the First Nations people of Canada who survived the residential school system as well as those children who did not return home from residential schools.

People can honour the day by wearing orange, the official colour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and organizations can support the day by hosting educational activities using resources from the Government of Canada’s website.

During the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in 2021, OMNI Health Care long-term care homes hosted events that involved residents and staff members.

For example, West Lake Terrace hosted an all-day event that included introducing residents to traditional First Nations foods and holding an information session focused on the traditions and customs of the Indigenous Peoples of Canada.

The event also featured a video presentation that included an interview with a residential school survivor.

Everyone was also asked to wear orange, a colour that has important significance.

In 1973, Phyllis Webstad, a then-six-year-old First Nations student from British Columbia, had an orange shirt taken from her by teachers at the residential school she attended.

In addition to today being the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, it’s also Orange Shirt Day, which was first acknowledged on Sept. 30, 2013, to raise awareness of the injustices First Nations, Inuit and Métis people faced in residential schools.

Orange has been designated as the colour of remembrance for the children who didn’t return home from residential schools.

“The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations,” the Government of Canada says on its website.

“On September 30, we encourage all Canadians to wear orange to honour the thousands of Survivors of residential schools.”

If you have a story you would like to share with The OMNIway, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

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PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above, West Lake Terrace team members wear orange shirts during the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30, 2021.

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.”

If you have a story you would like to share with The OMNIway, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

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Forest Hill pays homage to Queen Elizabeth II with a week of events

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‘Many residents are from a generation where the monarchy was really important, and they were happy for us to honour the Queen’

Forest Hill residents and staff members spent the week of Sept. 19 to Sept. 25 paying their respects to Queen Elizabeth II, who recently passed away after serving as the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom and 14 Commonwealth realms, including Canada, for 70 years.

To honour the Queen, the Kanata, Ont. long-term care home’s life enrichment department organized events each day focused on Her Majesty, her legacy and the royal family.

On Monday, Sept. 19, everyone got up early to watch the Queen’s funeral live from Westminster Abbey on TV. This was an emotional event for many, says life enrichment co-ordinator Craig Forrest.

Residents were also engaged in a variety of TV programs and documentaries about Queen Elizabeth II, Craig says.

A favourite activity amongst residents was watching a YouTube video featuring a virtual tour of Buckingham Palace, the reigning monarch’s official residence in London.

Bingo, which is one of the residents’ favourite activities, had a British theme throughout the week, with prizes consisting of British chocolate bars, shortbread and Walkers potato chips, which come in a variety of flavours ranging from cheese and onion to prawn cocktail to haggis.

Craig bought these items from a local shop selling goods imported from the UK.

“The residents really enjoyed the prizes, and they especially had a good laugh over the potato chips that taste like haggis,” Craig says, referring to the Scottish delicacy of minced sheep’s organ meat, suet, onion, oats and spices.

As part of an activity, residents used cardboard tubes to make dolls in the image of the famed Beefeaters, who are officially known as the Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London.

On Friday, the life enrichment team hosted a high tea with homemade scones, and everything was served using the home’s fine china.

Craig says the week meant a lot to the residents, which was evident by the high number who attended programming throughout the seven days.

“Many residents are from a generation where the monarchy was really important, and they were happy for us to honour the Queen,” he says.

If you have a story you would like to share with The OMNIway, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

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PHOTO CAPTION: Forest Hill residents are pictured here at a high tea that was hosted Sept. 23 during a week that honoured Queen Elizabeth II.

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.”

If you have a story you would like to share with The OMNIway, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

If you have feedback on this story, please call the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

It’s Christmas all year at Riverview Manor

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Christmas trees with rotating seasonal decorations adorn the walls of both of the home’s dining rooms

For the past 21 months, it has been Christmas year-round at Riverview Manor, thanks to the ingenuity of one of the Peterborough long-term care home’s life enrichment team members.

With limited space in the two dining rooms for Christmas trees – due to COVID-19 pandemic protocols, residents have been spaced six feet apart during mealtimes – Tina Hutchinson came up with the idea to put trees on corner walls in December 2020.

Tina and the life enrichment team attached branches from the home’s artificial Christmas trees to the walls and decorated them with holiday-themed ornaments and lights as they do every holiday season.

After the Christmas season ended, the team decided to leave the trees up and add decorations throughout the year to match seasonal themes, Tina explains.

“So now, decorations for every season, every holiday, are put up on the tree,” she tells The OMNIway.

In February, the tree had a Valentine’s Day theme, in spring, Easter was the theme. In summer, a fisherman adorned the tree accompanied by Canada Day and Father’s Day motifs. With autumn now here, the tree has owls, school buses and Halloween pumpkins.

Tina says having year-round Christmas trees at the home is beneficial on several levels. Aside from saving space in the dining rooms, they also save time, since the trees don’t need to be assembled or dismantled.

They are also conversation pieces for residents and help create a fun, festive atmosphere in the dining rooms.

The decorations also encourage residents to reminisce about favourite memories from various times of the year, Tina adds.

“And everybody always knows what time of year it is by looking at the decorations,” she says. “They love the decorations.”

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West Lake LEC underscores the positive impact music is having on residents

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‘When we have music entertainers, that always gets everyone going, and music is something everyone enjoys’

Since in-house musical entertainment has returned to West Lake Terrace, life enrichment co-ordinator (LEC) David Forsyth says residents have enjoyed getting back into the groove.

Music-based activities, he says, are programs everyone at the Prince Edward County long-term care home enjoys.

“When we have music entertainers, that always gets everyone going, and music is something everyone enjoys,” David tells The OMNIway.

With pandemic protocols relaxing, in-house entertainment has returned to West Lake Terrace this year and residents have been flocking to the performances the home hosts.

In fact, David has booked three entertainers for the coming month to meet the residents’ entertainment needs.

West Lake Terrace has a long-standing group of entertainers who have become well known to residents, but residents are also open to new entertainers, David notes.

Sometimes residents are the source of ideas.

For instance, a resident recently approached David to recommend a singer-guitarist who performed at the home a few years back, so David took the resident up on their offer.

“I called that gentleman and he has agreed to come in,” the LEC says.

Music has long been an important tool used to enhance quality of life for long-term care home residents. Music can be uplifting and bring back fond memories.

For those residents living with cognitive impairment, music can be relaxing and calm agitation.

David says he has seen first-hand the benefits music can provide residents. Right after an entertainer performs, a positive vibe will resonate at the home, he says.

“(Music) will just put people in a good mood.”

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Did you know today is World Alzheimer’s Day?

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The campaign’s organizing associations offer ideas to help people and workplaces raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia

Today is World Alzheimer’s Day, a campaign that takes place across the globe every year to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia as well as to share information on how to help people affected by cognitive impairment.

September is World Alzheimer’s Month, and World Alzheimer’s Day is the focal point of the campaign, which is organized by Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI), an association of organizations across the world that work to raise awareness of the chronic neurodegenerative disease and to reduce its stigma.

The Alzheimer Society of Canada estimates that 597,300 Canadians were living with dementia in 2020. By 2030, the organization expects that number to grow to nearly one million.

As with Alzheimer’s Month, the theme for Alzheimer’s Day 2022 is Know Dementia, Know Alzheimer’s, which is the continuation of the 2021 theme.

Due to “recent developments and potential breakthroughs, in both dementia treatment and support,” there will also be a significant focus on examining the importance of post-diagnostic support for people living with Alzheimer’s, ADI says.

On its website, UK-based organization Inclusive Employers says individuals and workplaces can get involved with World Alzheimer’s Day by hosting fundraising events, promoting awareness through social media, learning more about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, and revisiting workplace policies.

ADI notes that people and workplaces can host events virtually.

“Since COVID-19, many associations, including ADI members, host events and activities virtually,” ADI says on its website. “These activities include webinars, remote memory walks and more.”

ADI says people and organizations looking to use social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to raise awareness can use the hashtags #KnowDementia and #KnowAlzheimers for this year’s campaign.

You can learn more about World Alzheimer’s Day and Alzheimer’s month by visiting the ADI website.

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