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A Family Tree in the Heart of Our Home

The branches reach up and away, grasping at memories of the past and the possibilities of the future.

A family tree is all about connections. Connecting the past to the present, to the future. Lincoln Park Retirement Residence, in Grimsby, now has such a tree painted on a wall in the lobby and laden with pictures representing the past and present of Grimsby. The Gallery Wall was unveiled during Lincoln Park’s open house on April 23rd, and was put together with the help of local Historian Dorothy Turcotte; Bryan Macauley from Village Photography, who took photos of Lincoln Park residents; and Grace Cowling, a local artist and resident, who donated a drawing of a Meadow Lark, a type of bird known to gather on the residence’s property.

“Each of these pictures will have pride of place on the tree design in our lobby. It will be the centrepiece of our lobby and will be an opportunity for all who walk through our doors to see the pictures of those we care about and the history of our great town,” said Cheryl Janssen, General Manager of the retirement home in Grimsby.

Innovative Residents’ Council Wins Award

Life-long learning and a willingness to embrace new things defines this residents’ council.

Silverthorn Care Community recently became one of three winners in the Share Your Story contest run by the Ontario Association of Residents’ Council. They were recognized for “cultivating meaningful community links by bringing arts and culture to the home,” and for “working together to enhance the quality of life for residents.”

Silverthorn’s council has introduced a Strolling Minstrel program, where a paid performer roams the six dining rooms serenading residents as they eat. It also sponsors three Smile Theatre performances a year, which are open to residents and family. Smile Theatre is a charity that creates and presents musical theatre productions for older adults.

“The powerful experiences created by these small groups of performers leave our seniors feeling engaged, inspired and uplifted,” said John Graham, Resident Council President.

The council is open to all residents, with about 15 usually coming to the monthly meetings. Brainstorming is a huge part of the meetings, resulting in several innovative ideas for keeping the arts alive being implemented at Silverthorn.

A few years ago, the council bought three iPads for the residence, which have “expanded our horizons and eroded previously-perceived barriers,” said John. “We can escape through music and images… and feel the coveted immediacy of human connection through applications like Skype and FaceTime.”

“Living in a care community doesn’t mean that we’re isolated or cut off from the world,” said John. “We live for experiences that stoke the fires within us and make us feel alive and connected. Bringing forms of art and culture into our home is just one way we accomplish this, one day at a time.”

There’s a Waiting List to Enjoy Breakfast Here

The stove is hot and the table is set!

Stacks of flapjacks took the stage in Astoria Retirement Residence’s General Manager Breakfast last March. Michael Traquair, General Manager of Astoria Retirement Residence and a certified Red Seal Chef, sets one morning aside every month to cook breakfast for a few residents. He then sits and talks with them during the meal.

“I wanted to really connect with the residents beyond our normal meetings,” Michael said. He said that he enjoys cooking for them, and that the residents seem to enjoy the breakfasts as well. The breakfast is so popular that there is a waiting list.

March’s meal was a stack of mouth-watering pancakes with a side of bacon and sausage. Michael says that he usually tries to incorporate local products in the meal, such as fresh berries or farmer’s sausage.

“It’s a real community thing as well,” Michael said.

Residents get quality face time at portrait studio

The writing is on the wall, right next to the fabulous photographs.

On January 21, the unveiling‎ of fifty resident portraits went on exhibition in the Rockcliffe Care Community dining room. Residents, families and friends turned out to see the event, which is a new, ongoing and popular program at the home, available to all residents.
 
The portraits were taken by a professional photographer, mounted on black and white plaques, and displayed on easels with a small biography or statement from the resident or their family. Afterwards, they were hung along the first and second floor corridors, with preparations underway on another fifty for the following event held on February 26.
 
“Our portrait studio program was created to give residents an opportunity for self-expression, and provide them with meaningful leisure experiences,” said Mandy Parmanand who developed the studio as Director of Resident Programs at Rockcliffe. “It is a way to welcome residents and visitors with a great sense of arrival when they come to our community, and is truly a representation of the warmth of human connection.”
 
Mandy spoke with residents to see what their individual needs and interests were before settling on the idea of a resident portrait studio. Team members assist residents to write a short paragraph or quotation to best describe themselves, and help them to prepare for their photos.
 
Mario Reyes is a resident at the care community who participated in the portrait program. “The photo is great, but I’m better looking in person,” he said with a smile.  
 
Arnold Gedmintas visits his wife at Rockcliffe on a regular basis, and said, "It truly felt like you were walking through an art gallery. I see how difficult it is for these people suffering from a multitude of ailments. At one time, they were full of life, and this event has helped to accentuate this feeling again.”
 
He especially likes the pairing of photos with words. “As I read the various narratives, there are people from all walks of life, from various parts of the world, each with a very interesting story to tell. This reminds me not to judge a book by its cover, and to use the good dishes because life is not a dress rehearsal. Kudos to all those who made this successful event possible,” he added.
 
One hundred portraits have now been placed throughout the Scarborough care community, giving the hallways a very homely feel. Many of the employees have been deeply touched at witnessing residents and their families coming together through the studio.
 
With no shortage of wall space at the home, these portraits and more will continue to line the hallways for all to enjoy and admire.

Getting seniors programming down to a fine art

Exploring and developing ways to help seniors live fully every day often comes in the form of partnerships with other organizations.

The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) needs no introduction, but their Art in the Moment tours is something most people have never heard of before. Fortunately for the residents of Deerwood Creek Care Community, their recreation therapist had.

Having an opportunity to appreciate and engage with art in the later stages of life is something the AGO is encouraging through their 3-year pilot initiative. It is designed to help people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias relate to art, and have meaningful conversations around art to enhance their quality of life.

Melissa Smith is a gallery guide and adult education officer at the AGO, and coordinates the Art in the Moment tours with the Toronto Alzheimer’s Society. The program was adopted in 2008 to provide free gallery visits for people with dementia, as well as companions who accompany them. Tours typically last an hour and contain an inclusive discussion.

“Support workers and participants enjoy the opportunity to have a discussion that does not revolve around health,” said Melissa. “This does wonders for their relationships, and we have noticed how participants open up and often remember stories that no one has heard before.”

Deerwood’s recreation therapist Nyema Ahmed worked closely with Melissa to plan a trip for residents. This involved taking seven residents, four team members and one volunteer to downtown Toronto for the tour.

“The trip was a lot of fun and an amazing experience because it allowed residents to enjoy a visit to the gallery that they wouldn't otherwise have been able to do,” said Nyema. “This is a unique outing that we hope to revisit again in the future.”
 
Activation aide Caitlin Bowes also attended the outing, and was impressed with how the Gallery makes art accessible for everyone. “The Art in the Moment tours is an innovative program that allows art lovers to engage in their passion despite their health limitations," she said.  
 

Residents Get a Surprise Treat at Super Bowl Party

A chance meeting between Sienna’s senior general manager and a CFL wide receiver turned into an amazing treat for residents on Super Bowl Sunday.
 
Two football players from the BC Lions—Shawn Gore and Jason Arakgi—joined residents, families and team members for the Super Bowl 50 party at Pacifica Retirement Residence on Sunday February 7.

“I was waiting for an appointment when a tall man in BC Lions sweatpants walked up to the desk,” said Rob Gillis, senior general manager of Pacific and Peninsula retirement residences in Surrey, British Columbia. “When he turned around, I immediately knew that it was Shawn Gore.”
 
Shawn Gore has played for the BC Lions since 2010, and was formerly signed to the NFL’s Green Bay Packers. The Toronto-born player was on the team when the Lions won the Grey Cup in 2011.
 
Rob and Shawn struck up a conversation in the waiting room that day, and discussed the BC Lions and the residents at Pacifica and Peninsula.

“I asked him if he would consider coming out to have a chat with our residents one day. He said, ‘Absolutely!’ and gave me his personal cell number and email address.”

A few days later, Pacifica’s lifestyle consultant, Allison Giuliani, called Shawn to tell him about the Super Bowl party they were having. Before she could ask, Shawn offered to call a team buddy, and come for the afternoon.
 
He arrived wearing his Grey Cup ring, and took it off for residents to hold and wear. A short time later, BC Lions’ linebacker Jason Arakgi walked through the door.
 
“When they came in, they immediately started chatting with the residents and staff. As you can imagine, the residents ate this up!” said Rob. “Their presence was also a huge hit with the sons and grandsons of residents that came for the afternoon.”
 
Resident Jean Roe shared some laughs with Jason before the game. "Oh, that was great having the players from the BC Lions here. It was a lot of fun!" she said.
 
Another resident, Helen Fitzer, watched the game with her son Gordon. "This was excellent. His ring is huge!" she said. Gordon was also delighted by the special guests. "I can't believe you did this for the residents," he said.
 
Both players posed for photos, and even autographed the BC Lions shirt that Rob was wearing. After the event, Rob printed out the photos he had taken, and gave them to the residents that day.

“They could have spent the day at any party, but chose to come and spend it with our residents. These young men are pillars of the community, and amazing ambassadors for the BC Lions and the CFL,” said Rob.

According to the two all-star players, the benefit was not entirely one-sided.
 
"Jason and I really enjoyed spending Super Bowl Sunday with the residents at Pacifica,” said Shawn. “It was a good opportunity to give them some insight from a player’s perspective, but also for us to learn from people with such life experience. I'd like to thank the staff and residents at Pacifica for such a great time."

 

Sensory swim gets a bright green light from Deerwood Creek

The benefits of swimming as a therapeutic leisure activity are many, ranging from the physical to the emotional. So take these benefits and add in a heavy mix of sensory stimulation, and it should come as no surprise that five residents of Deerwood Creek Care Community had a great time on their visit to Holland Bloorview’s Snoezelen Pool.
 
“The Snoezelen pool engages individuals through the combination of lighting, music, and a warmer temperature to promote relaxation and decrease restlessness,” says recreation therapist Nyema Ahmed. She has been using these techniques with residents at Deerwood Creek for close to a year now, and this was the first time that she and other team members organized the outing to Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto.
 
Snoezelen sensory stimulation therapy was first developed in Holland during the 1970s. It is used in many of Sienna Senior Living’s care communities to help residents with dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
 
Snoezelen rooms and their associated tactile and stimulus equipment are in use throughout the world as a therapy for both children and adults. It works by using a variety of multisensory soothing aides, usually in a controlled environment, to stimulate senses through sound, scent, light, and colour.
 
“Some residents required a bit of encouragement in order to warm up to the experience. However, once they were in the pool, it was difficult to get them back out at the end of the session,” said Nyema.
 
Larissa Covato’s father is one of the residents who participated in the swim. "The Snoezelen Pool provided my dad with a wonderful opportunity to engage in an activity he had previously enjoyed,” she said. “As a former swimming enthusiast, he took to the therapeutic water environment right away. We both had an amazing time there together."
 
The residents are all individuals that Nyema regularly meets with on her recreation therapy rounds throughout the week. She typically adapts each session to the needs of each resident for one-on-one programming with a mobile sensory cart. They were all assessed beforehand to ensure they would have their leisure and recreation needs met by attending the pool outing.
 
“The stimuli in the pool encouraged residents to interact with their environment either actively through movement, or by simply enjoying the atmosphere. We immediately noticed an increase in speech with residents who don’t normally speak, and the relaxation of residents who normally have a stiff posture. We even had one of the resident’s state, ‘I got it from here,’ after getting into the water.”

Artist shares his love of art

Discover an artist who has spent years perfecting his skill. Take a glimpse into his studio and the creative process of his inventive mind. Enjoy Mr. Tom Matthews’ beautiful watercolour paintings and be inspired by his story.

Royale Place residents sing from the same hymn sheet

Eileen Fleming has always been a musical person. When she moved into Royale Place in May 2014, she was offered the chance to bring her treasured piano with her, and keep it in the residence chapel. 

For the first few months she played alone until an idea suddenly came to her. What if she started a choir group with other residents? The management thought it was a great idea, and helped her copy sheet music, produce booklets, and create posters advertising for singers. A small group of interested residents came together in February 2015, and have been meeting on a biweekly basis and growing in size ever since. Eileen plays the piano while the group sings; and they are often seen having impromptu sing-alongs in the bistro when the mood takes hold.

When asked why she started the choir at Royale Place, she said that she simply saw the need for music, and did something about it. 

“Music is extremely important in giving residents a sense of belonging and something to call their own,” said Eileen. “I’ve always been very passionate about it, and I wanted to share that passion with others here.”

Eileen has practiced music since she was 13 years old, and has been a member of many choir groups as both an organist and a choir leader. She believes that if someone has a talent, they should use it—whether that means rediscovering their musical talent again, or discovering it for the first time as a member of the “Royale Singers”. 

She started playing the organ in small country churches, where her love for music grew.
 
It wasn’t long before she discovered that playing in a church brought great joy to both her and the congregation. Now Eileen brings that same sense of joy to the residents of Royale Place, many decades after she first discovered it.
 
Eileen says the residents are comfortable in a group setting, and sing along together with pride and confidence.

Sienna Senior Living Recognized for Bridging the Gap Between Seniors and Technology


Sienna Senior Living received the 2015 Quality Improvement and Innovation Award at the Ontario Long Term Care Association’s Quality Awards Ceremony this week for its Cyber-Seniors program.

Cyber-Seniors is an international campaign to empower independent older adults and expand their social and physical worlds through technology. Sienna Senior Living has proudly joined the Cyber-Seniors movement as its national senior living partner.

Now available in all Sienna Senior Living retirement residences and care communities, the Cyber-Seniors program offers residents an opportunity to learn how to use computers by pairing them with student mentors from local high schools, colleges and youth groups.

Check out what happened when a local high school in Georgina, Ontario, welcomed 11 Cyber-Seniors from Cedarvale Lodge Retirement and Care Community into their classroom: http://bit.ly/SiennaCyberSeniors

Lives Lived through War and Peace

Four residents offer a Remembrance Day voice on their experiences and life lessons during and after the Second World War.
 

It’s Witching Hour at Langstaff Square No Trick, but a Real Treat

What was that? A haunted house in a long-term care community?
 
According to Melissa Elliott, Director of Resident Programs (DRPA) at Langstaff Square Care Community, where the creepy cavern is set up in the basement for Halloween—it is great therapy for all, especially residents and employees.  
 
“We have been able to adapt it specifically to whomever is going through,” says Melissa. “For residents, the response I always get is, ‘the scarier the better’. They really are our true daredevils!”
 
Melissa has been running a haunted house for the past eight years, bringing it to Langstaff Square for the first time since transferring from Fountain View earlier this year. She says that this one is “the best haunted house I have ever done, with a bigger budget to purchase animatronics, sound effects, props and costumes that have all added to the spookiness.”

The Haunted House contains a series of rooms, each more terrifying than the last. A guest book signs your name all on its own, and a talking tree stands as the final frontier warning you not to enter. Your guide is a vampire temptress with a striking resemblance to Melissa, who escorts visitors from room to room where ghoulish hands reach through walls to grab at you.

Once through the creaky entrance door, an 8-foot devil bellows with rage as light distorts your vision and sound effects unsettle your every step, plunging you into the depths of fear. Victorian-style haunted portraits shape-shift before your eyes. And if you’re scared of spiders, you might want to run through the room with the GIANT, hairy tarantulas leaping at you from the shadows with fire-red eyes.

Should your nerves still be intact by this point, you still have to bypass the hysterical witch, a mad scientist and his assortment of body parts, zombies crawling out of open graves, and blinding fog that clambers up your legs from ancient tombstones and discarded skulls. Now you have earned your cookies and witches brew as you gratefully exit the house.

Personal support workers Virgilia and Mariluz were among the first employees at Langstaff Square to tour the haunted house on the first day. Both ladies originate from the Philippines, and explain how Halloween is celebrated there as All Saints days, which is a period to remember and pray for departed loves ones. They have embraced the tradition here in Canada, and are great sports for daring to venture into the dark void below.
 
Several team members from Langstaff Square volunteered to play the characters in the house, donning masks and costumes, and acting the part of seasoned stage performers for each tour.
 
The Haunted House runs throughout the week of October 26. It’s free for residents and team members, and is open to the public on October 31 with a $5 admission.

Cedarvale Lodge resident defends her Cook for the Cure title

Armed with her rice cooker, two pots, two daughters, and a team of five other residents, Assunta Mancini is getting ready to take on Keswick’s professional chefs once again.

Assunta’s team won the Cook for the Cure event in 2014 at Cedarvale Lodge Retirement and Care Community, where she has been a resident since October 2013. After entering for the first time last year, she’s now back with a new dish and a strong resolve to face off against professional chefs from four local restaurants.

The competition will run the evening of October 20, where up to two hundred hungry guests will be eagerly waiting to taste the competing dishes and vote for a winner. Cedarvale Lodge is one of six Sienna homes running the competition this year, with a combined fundraising goal of $25,000 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Last year, nine Sienna homes raised over $42,400 for the Foundation, with Cedarvale donating over $7,500 of this from their event.

Assunta’s winning dish went the traditional Italian route, with made homemade fettuccine using 40 eggs, and three hand-powered machines in constant use to churn out the pasta. Five hundred meatballs and 25 bottles of sauce later, she was ready to enter her food in the competition.

Leisure consultant Emily Curcuruto helped decorate the table in an Italian theme, and bought all the required ingredients.

The award has also given Assunta the coveted title of being the first resident to win one of these annual cook-off competitions.

“It was a lot of work,” she said, but this clearly hasn’t deterred her spirit or determination to get back in the ring. Exchanging her winning recipe of meatballs and fettuccine for her legendary beef stew, she is confident she can win again this year with the same trusted team behind her.