Community spirit impacts residents during Christmas
Friday December 14, 2007 -- Deron Hamel
One of the benefits of having a long-term care home in a small town is that there is a lot of community support, says Darlene Thibault, life enrichment co-ordinator and supportive measures specialist at Almonte Country Haven.

Thibault had worked at long-term care homes in Ottawa for 18 years before coming to Almonte, a town of about 5,000 located 50 km south of the nation’s capital. She says there’s a big difference in the mood of residents in a small-town home compared to what she would see in a big-city home during the Christmas season.

Unlike her experience in Ottawa — a city with a population in access of one million — Almonte’s community spirit is reflected in the residents at the home, she says.

A strong sense of community involvement, she notes, has a positive impact on residents. Community engagement can make a big difference in how residents feel during the holiday season.

“A lot of the residents (at Almonte Country Haven) are well-known within the community, so you’ve got community members coming in to say hello and drop in and wish them a merry Christmas,” says Thibault. “There’s not that community connection (in a large city) that you have here.”

This is not to say that there are never residents at Almonte Country Haven who feel down during the Christmas season.

Like with the other 15 OMNI long-term care homes, Almonte utilizes supportive measures year-round. However, come the holiday season, staff members take extra time to seek out those residents who might be feeling down.

Staff members take extra time for one-to-one sessions with these residents to reminisce and to allow them to express their grief if they’re upset.

During these one-to-one sessions, staff members and volunteers help residents write Christmas cards, which will cheer them up. The home also has an annual family tea so residents can spend time with their loved ones.

If the resident has no family members to visit with, a staff member or volunteer will sit with them during this time.