She also noticed staff in life enrichment would often read to the woman as a means of fulfilling her day in a meaningful way. Dianne, who has been writing poems for most of her life, decided to package them up and present them as a gift to the long-term care home’s activity department. Some of the poems are about her life experiences, including her two daughters, while others have been written by her family members from faraway places.

“I’ve always been writing or drawing,” says Dianne.

“It’s nothing much,” says Dianne. “The residents here like to be read to.” Dianne notes she’ll sometimes set aside five or 10 minutes and take some time to read to the residents herself.

Dianne’s supervisor, Nutritional Care Manager Gary Rose, is pleased. “I just thought it was nice that the staff is involved (in distributing her poems).”