Quiet one-to-one time important during the holidays
Monday December 17, 2007 -- Deron Hamel
During the Christmas season long-term care homes see increases in the number of visitors and higher-than-normal noise levels. Because of this, staff members need to utilize supportive measures to ensure residents with cognitive impairment are not being agitated, says Sherry Baldwin, life enrichment co-ordinator at Riverview Manor.

A person who has a cognitive impairment hears noise differently from people who do not have a cognitive impairment. Individuals with a cognitive impairment will often hear everyday sounds as garbled, irritating noise. This noise can trigger agitation.

A recent family Christmas dinner hosted by the Peterborough long-term care home had a turnout of 100 people. Staff members used supportive measures to ensure those residents most sensitive to noise and clutter wouldn’t become agitated by the increased activity in the home.

Staff members brought three residents who are sensitive to noise into a quiet activity room with closed doors so they could eat their meal away from all the excitement. As a result of staff members using supportive measures, these residents enjoyed their meal.

“We could do it at a much slower pace and we could spend a little extra time with them — we didn’t have to rush through with them,” says Baldwin.

Although staff members at Riverview Manor concentrate on supportive measures throughout the year, these techniques to reduce agitation and keep spirits up are especially prominent during the Christmas season.

Like any other segment of the population, residents in long-term care homes can get the blues this time of year. Many residents no longer have families to spend the holiday with, and become upset as a result.

Using supportive measures such as bringing presents to residents on Christmas Day — a practice Baldwin has used for many years — can work wonders when it comes to keeping people happy during the season. And it’s a supportive measure the home takes seriously.

Riverview Manor has a Christmas tree set up at each end of the home. Come Christmas Day, residents can look forward to some personalized time with staff members while they open their presents.

“There are 65 presents going under one tree and 59 on the other. It’s a whole day spent of basically one-to-one (programming),” says Baldwin.