Life enrichment staff helps new residents with transition
Tuesday February 5, 2008 -- Deron Hamel
When new residents move into Rosebridge Manor, they can count on a warm reception from the Jasper long-term care home’s life enrichment department.

It’s important that new residents and their families get a good first impression when they come to the home, says life enrichment co-ordinator Kathy Barr. To help ensure residents and their families feel welcome, Barr always makes sure she meets them at the front door when they arrive.

Because her office is across from the front entrance, Barr gets a good view of people coming into the home.

“I think it’s important that people are directed when they come into the home and shown to the nurses’ station, and I always offer the resident a cup of coffee or tea and a place to sit while they’re waiting for the paperwork,” she says.

One of the first things Barr does when new residents move into the home is arrange a tea in the activity room to welcome the residents to the home and introduce them to other residents.

This serves as an opportunity for the new resident to get to know other residents and staff members, and has been “appreciated” by new residents, says Barr.

New residents are also encouraged to sit in on their first residents’ council meeting upon moving into the home. Staff members and the council president explain to the resident what council does and they are encouraged to join.

Barr says the biggest challenge for staff members when it comes to helping new residents settle into the home is trying to shield the resident from agitation while they deal with the new changes in their lives.

“We understand what a huge trauma it is on the person coming from wherever they’ve been before — whether it’s home or hospital — they’re coming into an environment where there are 78 strangers around them,” she says.

It can also be challenging to ease the concerns of those residents who believe that they’re in the home because their family has abandoned them.

“There’s a lot of counselling and a lot of one-to-one time that needs to be spent with the people who are newly admitted,” says Barr.