Make-A-Wish
Pleasant Meadow makes dreams come true
Friday September 19, 2003 Natalie Miller
NORWOOD—The closest she ever came to being a nurse was processing “OHIP cards by the million” for a family physician in Havelock.

Betty Blakely worked for the doctor for 13 years, booking appointments and handling health insurance information the old-fashioned way, without computers. Her aspirations of becoming a nurse were left behind with her youth.

But that all changed when Betty moved into a long-term care home in Norwood. Pleasant Meadow Manor introduced a wishing well program to the home in October 2002. Staff invited residents to write a special request on a star made of construction paper and drop it into the depths of the wooden well. Betty’s request was to work as a nurse for just one day.

On Jan. 13, her dream of 50 years was fulfilled. Betty, dressed in a pale-green uniform, a stethoscope draped around her neck and an old-fashioned nursing cap pinned to her curls, worked the 3-7 p.m. shift at the long-term care home.

She accompanied Jessica Clark, registered practical nurse (RPN), on her rounds, helping with the dressings, drawing up insulin and filling in paperwork.

While Betty never pursued the career because “I didn’t think I had enough brains to be a nurse,” the experience at Pleasant Meadow changed her mind. She doesn’t imagine that career would have been any tougher than the commercial course in typing and shorthand she took in college.

Making residents’ wishes come true is becoming commonplace at the Norwood long-term care home. The wishing well program has been a tremendous success, says Life Enrichment Supervisor Chris Charlebois, who along with Administrator Connie Garden, initiated the Make-a-Wish program at Pleasant Meadow.

About four years ago at an Ontario Long Term Care Association conference, Connie learned about an organization in the United States that went into long-term care homes and granted residents’ wishes. She archived the information and years later, when a resident requested a steak dinner and it went over famously, she and Chris developed the wishing well concept.

"We had a resident a couple of years ago and all he wanted was a steak dinner,” says Chris in an earlier interview with the OMNIway.

“That's all he would talk about, wanting to eat a steak dinner. So finally we made it for him, gave it to him… He couldn't chew it. He had no teeth. But he sucked that steak ‘til it was dry and had the time of his life."

She knew then she wanted to see the wishes of more of the residents at the home realized. The concept of the program is to grant residents special wishes, just as the Children’s Wish Foundation does. Chris and another staff member arranged for a local community member to make the wooden wishing well. Employees fundraise through raffles, an annual walk-a-thon and a variety of other activities to pay for the granting of wishes.

To date, Pleasant Meadow Manor is the only OMNI home with a fully-implemented Make-a-Wish program, although Frost Manor has just started one. Chris was recently approached by home office for some details about the initiative for other homes. “It has been brought up,” says Chris. “I know there are a lot of homes interested in getting it started. It has been great here for staff morale and resident morale. It gives everyone something to look forward to.”

Since its introduction, staff members at Pleasant Meadow have granted seven wishes. Employees have fulfilled dreams of overdue family reunions, elaborate homemade meals and other career aspirations that until then, had never come to be.

HELP MAKE GRACE'S WISH COME TRUE

Photo by Ron Craig

Grace Patterson has become somewhat of a celebrity within her community since her wish to meet Oprah was chosen through the Make-a-Wish program at Pleasant Meadow. Read More

THINGS TO DO: • How you can help • Form letter to sign EDITORIAL: • To Oprah, with Grace GRACE'S WISH STORIES: • Home office backs Grace’s quest to meet Oprah   • Norwood community starts pulling for Grace’s Wish   FEATURE: • Grace’s journey in life leads to Oprah   MAKE-A-WISH STORIES:     • Pleasant Meadow resident teaches at local school   • 'Jonesey' coaches the Petes   • OMNI employees interested in ‘Make-a-Wish’   • Home grants residents’ wishes   IN OTHER NEWS: • Oprah, you've a big fan in Norwood who wants to meet you   • Axiom, OMNI Health Care want Grace to meet Oprah   • OMNI works to grant resident’s wish to meet Oprah

The home has gone about its Make-a-Wish program rather quietly, until Grace Patterson’s wish was selected in late August. Staff unfolded that construction paper star and discovered a wish much loftier than those made before. Grace wants to meet Oprah.

Keeping it a secret from Grace at first, Chris emailed and sent a letter to the Oprah show on Aug. 23. She introduced Grace, spoke about the Make-a-Wish program and requested a reply. She did get confirmation the email had been received, but so far hasn’t received word of whether Grace and Oprah will meet.

Since then, OMNI home office has teamed up with Pleasant Meadow to generate excitement in all of the 16 homes and also within the

Norwood community, as a starting point.

OMNI has designed a poster and postcard for people to sign in support of Grace’s wish. In less than a week, Pleasant Meadow has received 200 signatures. The campaign is expected to last three weeks and then the package will be sent to the Oprah show.

“Let's be sure to keep up the momentum, truly mobilize our people and make Grace's wish come true,” says OMNI's CEO Fraser Wilson.

Last week, due to all of the publicity Grace is receiving, Chris told the resident her wish had been selected. Chris didn’t make any promises, but nevertheless, Grace is thrilled.

On any given weekday between noon and 1 p.m. Grace can be found settled into her wheelchair, in front of the large-screen television in her room. When her program is on, Grace shuns away from any activities going on at the long-term care home. That hour a day is her time with the iconic talk-show host.

She doesn’t recall when she started watching the woman who is a source of inspiration to many. But she does know it was long before she moved into Pleasant Meadow in September 2002.

“I’ve watched her quite a bit,” says Grace.

“I just like her show. She has a lot of different people and it’s usually pretty good.” Grace describes Oprah as “down to earth. She’s quite honest with what she says.”

When asked what she would do if she met Oprah, Grace says, “I’d say, ‘Oh my, I didn’t expect to meet you.”

“Maybe I’ll just jump at her and give her a hug,” she says, but then notes she can’t get out of her wheelchair so Oprah would have to come to her. “Getting a famous person to come to me – that would be something.”