Pairing new residents with staff members makes admission day easier
Thursday January 31, 2008 -- Deron Hamel
Having staff members dedicate their time to new residents on admission day has been beneficial to everyone, says Maureen Imamovic, administrator and director of care at Springdale Country Manor. 

For the first eight hours after a resident moves into the Peterborough long-term care home a frontline staff member is assigned to spend time getting to know the resident and helping them familiarize themselves with the home.

This practice also allows time for the resident’s family to set up the resident’s new room and tend to anything else that needs to be done before the resident can move in.

“It also gives the family and the resident an advocate in the home and we find that the family always goes back to that person and it allows the resident someone to trust — someone to take them to their first meal, someone to show them around, someone to help them get their room settled,” says Imamovic, adding that the practice has received a “great response” from residents and their families.

Not only has the process worked well in the effort to help new residents adapt to the home, it has also been an effective tool for helping staff members get to know new residents.

After having spent eight hours with a new resident, Imamovic says the staff member can often write a complete report on the resident’s likes, dislikes and the other things that make the resident a unique person.

Staff members also use the eight hours as a time to find the new resident companions with whom they share interests, notes Imamovic.
One of the biggest challenges Imamovic sees when it comes to bringing new residents to the home is that staff members have to convey the fact that the resident has likely made a permanent move into long-term care. This is usually the result of the resident’s family not explaining the situation to them.

“We’ve had a big incidence of families coming in and telling staff, ‘I can’t tell them they’re here for the rest of their lives,’” she says.