If you said they have all kept activity staff busy at OMNI’s 16 long-term care homes this summer, you guessed right.
Thanks in part to favourable weather across Ontario, the OMNI family’s residents and activity staff have been busy organizing many outdoor events including barbecues and, of course, the always-favourite strawberry socials.
The homes have also been busy with fundraising events, which help finance resident outings and activities.
June was also National Senior’s Month.
To celebrate, Maplewood in Brighton held a fundraising barbecue to raise money for its planned keepsake garden. The event had a blockbuster turnout of 140 residents, family members, volunteers and staff members, and $746 was raised.
When it is finished, the home’s keepsake garden will provide residents with a peaceful, park-like setting on the home’s grounds. There will be plants and flowers surrounded by a circular paved wandering path. There will also be a gazebo in the garden.
On June 27 LECs wrapped up ActivityPro training. ActivityPro is a program designed to document information such as activities they participate in, their health conditions and birthdays.
“(LECs are) not just tracking resident performance, but (they are) also able to assess the individual activities themselves, as well as overall departments,” says Ron Martyn, co-founder of Silver Meridian, the company which designed ActivityPro.
Once fully utilized, the program will cut down on time and paperwork, Martyn adds.
With beautiful weather comes gardening and beautifying the outdoor areas of each home.
Willow’s Estate’s staff and residents’ family members spent one Saturday in June refurbishing the walkway and garden area at the Aurora long-term care home. Thanks to their efforts, the home now has two perennial flower beds and new trees.
“The residents just love it,” says Teddy Mazzuca, Willows Estate’s life enrichment co-ordinator (LEC).
Only a few days after work was finished on the garden area, Mazzuca told The OMNIway that the feedback was coming in droves.
“There was a couple today who were out there and they said, ‘We just hate to go in now, because it’s so beautiful,’” Mazzuca said.
