The beat goes on at Springdale Country Manor

Life enrichment team comes up with a creative idea to bring music programming to residents while maintaining physical distancing

With social distancing and restricted visitation in place to keep residents safe at Springdale Country Manor during the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, the Peterborough-area long-term care home has turned to music to bring people together.

Springdale Country Manor, along with OMNI Health Care’s other 17 long-term care homes, is closed to everyone but essential visitors to protect residents and team members during the COVID-19 crisis.

This means residents and their families are missing their regular visits, which are an important part of life in long-term care homes.

Group programming has also been put on hold, so the life enrichment team came up with a way to keep residents engaged.

Life enrichment aide Trish Mills is now wheeling a keyboard down the hallways at Springdale, playing and singing residents’ old favourites outside their rooms.

“During this time staff are the only familiar face our residents see – (there is) no family, no sons, no daughters, no husbands, no wives, no nieces, no nephews, and when we cannot have programs or group gatherings we decided to take the music down the halls,” life enrichment co-ordinator Sonia Murney tells The OMNIway.

The residents are loving this, and it’s providing an opportunity for some to reminisce, Sonia says.

Sonia notes that one resident told her the music reminded her of the days when her mother made her take piano lessons to learn classical music.

Another resident was seen tapping his feet and playing “air piano” while Trish played the keyboard.

Sonia says small things like this are making a big difference.

“This is certainly a time where we all need to make sure that the residents smile, laugh and love each and every day they are with us,” she says.

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