Our Services - Resident Services

Our Resident Services philosophy is to encourage our Residents to maintain their unique person-centered identities, morals, values and beliefs as well as lifestyles to ensure meaningful leisure time.  The Recreation staff strive to provide a comprehensive program inclusive of the 5 pillars of Leisure which are social, emotional, physical, spiritual and cognitive designed to meet the needs of our Residents. Under the direction and supervision of the Resident Services Supervisor, we take pride in our Activity Calendar being filled with a variety of programs offered during both days and evenings as well as weekends. Our programming is planned on a monthly basis as a team to ensure seasonal programs   aimed to promote and fulfill the Residents' intellectual and cultural needs.

A few of our weekly programs include Bingo, Live Music and Music Therapy, Group Exercise and active / physical games such as balloon badminton. In the summer months we have bike rides weekly on our very own triage bike in which the staff pedal while the resident sits on the bench seat at the front feeling the wind in their hair! We also have walking clubs, and gardening programs considering our large green spaces and land granting us lots of vegetation opportunities. Pet Therapy is a 24/7 program as we have a therapy dog named Maple that also calls Maple View Lodge her home. She is a golden doodle with a very soft and gentle demeanor and may protect her home with the odd bark at the main entrance. We have regular artistic opportunities such as abstract painting and seasonal crafts. For our residents that would like to get involved, we have Residents Council meetings with the entire leadership team to ensure opportunities to support our residents in having a voice and sharing with us how we can support in improving their Long-Term Care experience. We have Community Outings such as boat tours and Christmas light tours in December. We do bake programs and cookie decorating for our residents that have a love for culinary creations. Our programs are delivered through one-to-one sessions as well for our residents with progressed Dementia that benefit from Montessori programming such as doll therapy or household tasks such as folding and sorting as well as comforting and sensory based programming such as aroma therapy and or light therapy/stimulation.

We are very grateful to have many volunteers who work closely with us in the Recreation Department to fundraise and support as well as assist and facilitate many of these recreation programs, one-to-one visits and special events.

On each home area, you will find our Recreation Boards. These boards show what programs are planned each day of the week. We also do a morning announcement sharing what fun activities are happening each day to ensure an audio option for our residents that prefer to listen. We also circulate the monthly recreation calendars to each resident room and e-mailed or mailed to families. Recreation calendars are also able to be picked up at the Home upon request.

There is a hairdresser/barber on the premises two (2) days per week available at a reasonable cost to the residents. We understand the importance in supporting our residents in looking and feeling their best. No money is exchanged at the time of the service. Charges are added to the Resident's accommodation invoice at the end of the month.

 The hairdresser/barber will attempt to accommodate residents and families who wish to have their hair styled for special occasions whenever possible. We ask that you provide sufficient notice (i.e. one week) in advance of special appointments.

BSO stands for Behavioural Supports Ontario.

The government has provided funding in Lanark Leeds and Grenville for select Long-Term Care (LTC) homes to have an in-house BSO team. BSO supports residents, family and staff in the LTC homes with non-pharmacological intervention to responsive expressions.

Responsive expressions have been identified as the following:

Agitation, wandering, sexual behaviour, sundowning, aggression, hallucinations and paranoia, repetition, “I want to go home".

Liaison with families and residents upon admission using an evidence-based assessment tool to ensure a person-centered transition into long term care taking into consideration the individuals unique background, experiences and values and beliefs.

Monitor and support a resident during transition into home.

Provide support to staff, resident and family through education and information sharing.

Collaborate with multidisciplinary health care team through weekly huddles to develop strategies for non-pharmacological interventions and person-centred care as well as consult with Psychogeriatric Resource Consultant, Mobile Response Team and Geriatric Psychiatry when needed.

Example of a supportive intervention to a responsive behaviour:

Expression: “I want to go home”

Meet the resident where they are; How do you feel coming home after a long day? For most of us, it’s a sense of relief or contentment. You are in a safe place and surrounded by people and things that put you at ease. When a resident says “I want to go home”, they want these same feelings.

How to help:

• Consider possible causes:
  • Fatigue
  • Over-stimulation 
  • Asking the person to complete an unfamiliar task that brings discomfort
• Strategies:
  • Watch your tone of voice and body language. Speak calmly and use short sentences.
  • The home a person speaks of may be where they grew up. Use this to start a conversation: “Where was home? Did you grow up in the city or the country? What was your favourite thing to do when you were there?” Even if you know the answers, still ask.
  • Acknowledge their anxiety.
  • Provide reassurance and validate their feelings.
• Don’t: Explain to them that this is their home now and they have nowhere else to go.
• Do: Acknowledge their feelings. “It must be hard to want to go home. Can you tell me about your home? Where did you live? What did you like doing there as a kid?  Do you have any siblings?”  Reminisce even if you know all the answers; you want them to feel safe and at ease as if they were at home. You might even hear a new story!

Community Resources and Supports

Our Community Resources and Supports include:

Psychogeriatric Resource Consultant, Providence Care

Mobile Response Team Nurse, Providence Care

Geriatric Psychiatry Nurse, Royal Ottawa Hospital

For more information visit the BSO Website.