Garden Terrace staff rallies together in wake of storm
Staff members conquer winter storm
Monday March 17, 2008 -- Deron Hamel
A blizzard that blanketed the Ottawa area with nearly 100 cm of snow over the March 8 weekend presented staffing challenges at Garden Terrace, but thanks to the efforts of everyone at the home resident care was not affected by the inclement weather.

Carolyn Della Foresta, administrator at the Kanata long-term care, says as a precautionary measure, staff members were asked to get up early on the days they worked and to make travel arrangements if necessary.

However, Della Foresta and others wanted to do more for staff members to accommodate the needs of those who were working over the weekend. Since the spacious, 156-bed home houses a chapel, a theatre and an education room, it was decided that the best thing to do would be to set up makeshift male and female dormitories for those who wished to spend the weekend at the home.

Staff members retrieved extra mattresses out of storage and transformed the chapel and the theatre into temporary dorms. Dietary staff worked hard at keeping everyone well-fed throughout the duration of the storm.

“We had staff members who worked well above what’s expected of them,” says Della Foresta. “They did their eight-hour shift (then) they stayed and did a double. They went and had their rest and we were able to go and call them and say, 'OK, we need help with the next shift' and they were there. . . . We are incredibly thankful for their commitment and their willingness to come and stay and help us out.”

About 60 staff members worked between that Friday evening and Sunday morning. Of these, about 20 took advantage of the accommodations, including six staff members who stayed over night.

Anna Penny, Garden Terrace’s nursing administrative services manager, was one of the staff members working over the weekend. She says she was happy to see the way staff members pooled their efforts to ensure OMNI’s mission of bringing hope, purpose and belonging soldiered through the poor weather.

Aside from making sure residents’ needs were met, staff members also took time to shovel snow. One staff member even used a snowmobile to fetch staff members at home to bring them to work.

“They did an amazing job,” says Penny.

Through all the challenges the weather posed only nine staff hours were lost — an excellent accomplishment, she adds.

Did staff members at your home rally together during the poor weather? If so, please contact deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

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