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With restrictions in place, Lanark Heights embraces creativity to keep residents busy
From playing bingo to celebrating Mother’s Day, team members have been finding ways to keep things interesting
5/29/2020
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Deron Hamel
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With restrictions and safety protocols in place to keep everyone safe at Lanark Heights, team members at the Kitchener long-term care community have drawn on their creativity to ensure residents continue to enjoy a high quality of life with enriching programs.
Steeves & Rozema long-term care and seniors living communities are following important protocols to keep residents and team members safe during the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of these protocols, only “essential visitors” (who must be screened on site) are allowed entry to the homes and regular programming has been put on hold for the time being.
Bingo is a long-standing favourite activity among residents, so the life enrichment team tweaked regular bingo to create “hallway bingo” which has residents coming to the doorways of their rooms with card tables set in front of them to place their cards and chips. The caller, a staff member, maintains physical distancing at all times.
Mother’s Day is always an important date on the calendar for Lanark Heights residents, and the life enrichment team wanted to make sure all the mothers got to celebrate their special day on May 10.
While the Lanark Heights mothers were not able to have family visits this year, they were still able to have video calls with their loved ones, and this was well received, says life enrichment manager Julia Slomke.
“(The resident mothers) got to enjoy a small goody bag of chocolate, (and) residents held up signs with sayings on them and sent them to family members as a Mother’s Day surprise,” she tells S&R Today.
With hairdressers unable to visit Lanark Heights, staff members have been harnessing their beautician skills to do residents’ hair, Julia notes.
Family members of residents have also been playing an important supportive role, Julia says, adding residents’ loved ones have been driving by Lanark Heights to wave hello or hold up signs.
“One resident got to enjoy a birthday drive where family members drove by with balloons and signs,” she says. “Not only the birthday resident enjoyed this but also staff and other residents.”
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