Forest Hill holds early
Halloween parade
Monday, October 30, 2006
-- Craig Anderson
Every Halloween residents at
Forest Hill wait in the home’s foyer with
candy in hand to see if any kids will arrive.
For five years, says Carolyn Della
Forest, the home’s LEC, no one, grand kids
or local kids, have shown up.
It has nothing to do with the home,
she suggests.
“Halloween is crazy for parents,”
says Della-Foresta, saying that by the time a
family finishes dinner and hits the streets to
go Trick-or-Treating its already dark and often
too late, especially for young ones.
Della-Foresta has longed to see
residents
interacting with kids and so the
remedy to the five-year long draught was simple:
hold Halloween early.
She invited staff and residents
to bring or invite their children on Tuesday,
Oct. 24th to a week-early Halloween party.
The turnout – more than 100
staff, residents and their kids and grandkids
(and two great grandchildren) – could barely
be contained in the home’s lounge area.
“It was a ball,” says
Della-Foresta. The kids held a little parade and
residents held out of cups of candy.
For Della-Foresta’s own kids
– Micha, 4, and 2 year old twins, Jeremiah
and Gabriel – it was a preparatory Halloween.
This visit was also an echo of Della-Foresta’s
own childhood.
Her mom, Pat Watson, was an RN,
Director of Care, and later administrator at Almonte
Country Haven. Della-Foresta says she spent considerable
time visiting the residents, which led in great
part to her own career choice and a level of understanding
and comfort with the elderly.
“It’s very important
to me that my kids are comfortable with seniors
as well,” she says.
Her children are responding to increased
trips to the home positively, with Micah saying
– “are we going to see your seniors,
mummy?” says Della-Foresta.
Forest Hill will still hold its
annual Halloween party on the 31st for residents.
The early party will now be an annual event.
Listening to residents talk joyfully
about the event on the following day, Della-Foresta
says she felt relieved.
“It alleviated my guilt [about
the lack of Trick-or-Treating] a little, too.”
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