“Country Roads” brings a little sunshine to Chesterville

Nothing brings a community together better than singing and a little sunshine.

The Carefor Nor-Dun Support Centre team has been missing their Chesterville Diners and decided to bring some joy to their neighbourhood. With the help of Marleen Fawcett, a local singer who generously donated her time, the group put together an impromptu show at the Nationview Apartments in Chesterville.

Marleen serenaded the distanced crowd with old favourites like “Tiny Bubbles in the Wine”, “Country Roads”, and other classics. The group shared smiles, laughs, and some social distanced hugs.

To make the occasion even more special, Dennis and Barb, once regulars at the Nor-Dun Diner’s Club celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with the “Tennessee Waltz”, dedicated to the couple.

Caroline Rooney, the Team Leader at the Carefor Nor-Dun Support Centre shared, “We believe we bring added security to their lives during this pandemic.  We genuinely care about each of our clients and know what they are going through at this time. Clients know that we are just a phone call away!”

Following the show, the Carefor Nor-Dun team took to the streets of Chesterville and drove by the homes of their clients, who were greeted by a convoy of vehicles with signs reading “Carefor Cares for You” taped to the windows, accompanied by exhilarated waving and the honking of car horns.

Staff and clients were happy to see one another and look forward to seeing each other in the future once the Support Centres reopen for public use.

A bittersweet Mother’s Day at Richmond Care Home

The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t made life easier for anyone, especially for individuals who have loved ones in long-term care homes. While it’s hard for families to not be able to have close contact with their parent or grandparent, it’s even more difficult for those whose loved one is living with dementia. And as Mother’s Day approaches, this special day just won’t be the same. 

At Carefor’s Richmond Care Home, a 16-bed home uniquely designed for women living with dementia, Mother’s Day might be rather bittersweet for some. Staff are working around the clock to keep residents healthy and connected, and loved ones are finding ways to give back.  

Jean O’Connor brought her mother, Bernice, to Richmond Care Home approximately six years ago. While she can’t see her mother as often as she used to amid the outbreak, she spends her time connecting with her virtually and donating items to staff.

“I donated 1,500 masks because I want the staff to be able to change their masks more often and feel more at ease.” Jean has also sewed buttons on dozens of headbands so that staff feel more comfortable when wearing masks. 

Jean’s generosity has sparked a movement in Richmond Village, encouraging other local residents to participate in paying it forward during the coronavirus pandemic.  

She says people have been contacting her on how they can donate more masks and where they can drop off their homemade headbands. The community is also coming together to drop off DVDs of classic movies for movie night. 

Despite staying busy with these tasks, she admits not being able to hug her mother is incredibly difficult, but understands that she is in a safe environment.

“With everything going on now, I can’t boast enough about how grateful I am that she is at Richmond Care Home. It takes special people to work there.” she says. “At least with virtual chats and the calendar I wrote of each person in my family phoning every day, this will help to keep my mother’s memory in there during this difficult time where we can’t visit her.”

(Click here to see the video of Bernice’s face lighting up when virtually chatting with her family.)

That being said, Richmond Care Home staff are working hard to ensure residents are occupied as often as possible, keeping them physically and cognitively engaged to slow the advancement of the disease.

“We’re doing things like Zoom calls with families and our volunteer babies, exercise sessions like mini golf, planting seeds, and much more,” Activities Coordinator Katie Hamill says.

The reality is that for our staff, the residents are like their extended family. While Mother’s Day won’t be like other years, it will be special in its own way.

“We have taken a vow to take care of these women,” Richmond Care Home Supervisor Amy England says. “We are their surrogate family.”

To learn more about Richmond Care Home, click here or email us at info@carefor.ca. Support our Carefor Heroes and their families by giving at carefor.ca/donate.

A Christmas wish come true

After diagnosed with terminal cancer, Arthur Coughlan arrived at Carefor Hospice Cornwall to spend his final days in a home-like setting surrounded by his loved ones and a team of caring staff.

Like many people nearing end of life, Arthur has pondered on memories,  and unrealized dreams. 

The Palliative Day Away Program at Hospice hoped they could bring some joy into the lives of their patients by giving them the opportunity to have some experiences they might have missed. This Christmas, Arthur received an early Christmas present by being able to see a place he’d always wanted to visit.

One of Arthur’s biggest wishes was to visit London, England. His eyes lit up when he spoke about his love for history. He says he has always dreamed of visiting iconic landmarks, museums, and castles. However, he and his family never had the opportunity to visit London due to financial or time constraints.

Thanks to Wishplay, a company that uses virtual reality to give everyone the opportunity to live beyond their limitation, Arthur was able to feel like he was walking down the streets of London for the first time.

“If someone always wanted to do something and wasn’t able to because of their health or finances, they can do it now,” says Shannon Ball, Patient & Family Supportive Services Coordinator. “It can also help decrease boredom or depression.” 

It’s not only the virtual reality experience that made this Christmas special for Arthur, but also all the people around him.

“There’s so much that goes on [at Hospice] that people don’t know about,” he says. “Out of all the places that I’ve been in, this is the only place that I’ve felt welcome. The minute you walked in you were treated with respect. They’re there to give you comfort and pride.”

“It’s hard to believe that this is supposed to be a place of death … This is a place of luxury, a place of living,” Arthur adds.

You can help us bring quality support programs that enrich the lives of our clients and their families by donating at https://carefor.ca/donate.

A second love story

When we marry, we expect it to be forever. We enter into it with the belief that it will be through good times and bad, till death do us part. It’s no secret that this doesn’t always happen and many people enter their later years alone. While we often think that love is a song played only for the young, sometimes you come across a story of people who hear it in their golden years.

Sometime after his wife’s passing, Wilfred Leonard decided he did not want to spend the rest of his life alone, and asked his neighbour Karen McRobert to join him for coffee. “I tried catching her one day before she went back inside to see if she would like to go to dinner or something, but she was too quick. So, the next time I saw her getting something out of the trunk of her car I made sure to go over and invite her out,” shared Wilfred.

From there, their love grew and after a short time, Wilfred and Karen decided to get married. Karen explained, “We had talked about it, and decided we wanted to spend the rest of our lives with one-another. We figured there was no point in waiting two years because we didn’t know how much time we would have.”

With the help of the family, the couple hosted a beautiful wedding under the gazebo at their church with immediate family this past August. Karen shared, “When we told our families we were getting married, my daughters picked it right up! They took care of everything and did an awesome job.”

Shortly thereafter, the newlyweds decided to go to the Nor-Dun Diners Drive-Thru in the fall and were met with a surprise. While they were waiting to pick up their meal, an entertainer sang a song in honour of their recent marriage. Wilfred and Karen got out of their car and started dancing in the parking lot. An announcement was made sharing the recent marriage, and diners began honking their cars in celebration of their special day. “We got up, and they started cheering us on,” Karen shared in excitement.

Now, as we approach Valentine’s Day the couple is grateful to have one-another during the COVID-19 stay home order. Karen explained, “It’s been great just having each other for company. You know, we’ll go for a drive and go down a new road just to get a change of scenery.” Although Karen is quite content to read books and to stay home, Wilfred enjoys being out of the house. Prior to COVID-19, Karen and Wilfred would go out a few times a week for coffee and to chat with the locals and would frequent the Nor-Dun Support Centre social programs.

Karen and Wilfred share the following advice for couples trying to get through the stay at home order: It’s important to be able to apologize. When you hurt someone or say something that’s not quite right, you need to be willing to say “I’m sorry, and I love you” before the end of the day. Don’t let it drag on. Telling each other you love one another is so important in any marriage, and especially when you’re together all the time.

The Carefor Community Support Centres act as hubs for hundreds of people, each with their own story to share. Read some of their stories here.

A Seniors Guide to Exercising for Joy

It is without question that exercise is beneficial at any stage of life, but did you know that exercise can actually make you happier? Thanks to the release of endorphins that make people feel good, exercise is proven to improve people’s moods and spark joy! Moreover, studies from the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal confirm that “exercise plays an active role in treating depression”, which is a particularly important finding considering that “1 in 4 seniors lives with mental health challenges (e.g., depression, anxiety or dementia) or illness, and 10 to 15% of adults 65 years or older and living in the community suffer from depression.”[1] Not only can exercise prevent depression, but it can also help to reduce stress, improve sleep and improve the overall health of seniors.

Physical activity for seniors does not need to be strenuous to improve mobility, muscle strengthening, flexibility, stamina, coordination, and overall health. In fact, just a moderate amount of daily physical activity can work wonders on the mind and the body. Some benefits of physical activity for seniors include:

• Increased ability to live independently
• Increased proprioception leading to a lowered risk of falls or fractures
• Reduced blood pressure in seniors with hypertension
• Reduced risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, colon cancer and heart disease
• Maintenance of healthy bones, muscles, and joints
• Controlled swelling of joints and pain caused from arthritis[2]

 Often, the hardest part of exercise for seniors is getting started. Finding a community group, exercise class at your nursing home or a movement practice you can enjoy with friends and family can help ease the fear of starting a new fitness regime. For seniors,  most common types of exercise programs are:

• Walking, brisk walking or stair walking
• Dancing (which, according to the academic journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, is the most likely form of exercise to reverse the signs of aging in the brain!)
• Water Aerobics
• Chair Yoga
• Resistance Band Workouts
• Pilates
• Tai Chi
• Gardening

Remember, if you or your loved one is just learning a new physical activity, start slow! The CDC recommends just 5-10 minutes of gentle movement to start and to always get a doctor’s approval before starting out a new exercise program.

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[1] https://www.canada.ca/en/national-seniors-council/programs/publications-reports/2014/social-isolation-seniors/page05.html

[2] https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/sgr/olderad.htm

Being a caregiver in a pandemic

Doctors diagnose, nurses heal, and caregivers make sense of it all. During the COVID-19 pandemic, caregivers were relied upon more than ever as loved ones were left with little to no social programming, and caregivers adapted to a new routine.

Donna MacLean Lee is familiar with this feeling, acting as a caregiver to her mother Myrna MacLean who is living with dementia. To keep Myrna’s mind sharp and others going throughout the pandemic, Carefor’s Adult Day Program (ADP) kept running through virtual activities, and in-person one-on-one visits.

“At the beginning of the pandemic they put together a package of activities Mom could work on at home which helped,” Donna explained. Natacha Brisson, the program coordinator then began visiting Myrna, making a world of difference for both Myrna and Donna. “Natacha does a lot of good stuff with her and it gets her mind going.” Donna shared. Natacha takes a personalized approach with the program, engaging Myrna in activities she enjoys like baking, word games, arts, and crafts. 

The team at the North-Stor Support Centre have also been supportive to Donna, offering access to additional programs to make caring for her mom easier, and offering a friendly ear when times got tough.

Like other caregivers, Donna sees and experiences the importance of the ADP program every week. She believes, “The program is important to us because it gives me and my husband a break so we don’t burn out, but it also gives mom a change in her daily routine and I know she’s safe. That’s what matters most.”

Donna along with other caregivers rely on the support of the Adult Day Program in the Eastern Counties to provide friendship and meaningful connections to their loved ones. Support the program today by making a donation. 

Building friendships at Carefor’s virtual day program

Shortly after its official launch in January of 2020, our Young Onset Dementia program was suspended amid the COVID-19 lockdown. The Club is the first of its kind of program in Ottawa for people living with Young Onset Dementia, which affects individuals aged 65 and under.

While normally our ten participants would be getting together for a weekly day of fun and exercise at Carleton University, they’re still keeping their spirits up online.

One of the highlights of Day Program Team Leader Carolyn Puderer’s week is chatting with her Young Onset Dementia group: “They’re very uplifting to be around. When I leave the conversation, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.”

The participants meet several times a week to stay socially connected and active amid the outbreak, which helps to improve their quality of life and slow the advancement of the disease. 

“Everyone is so positive and upbeat. We still get to exercise and have a good laugh. I look forward to our virtual meetings. There’s never a dull minute,” Club member Angela says.

It’s not only staff and participants that are reaping the benefits of the virtual day program, caregivers are also grateful for the extra support and see this moment as a highlight of their loved one’s day.  

“I enjoy being in the background and listening to the wonderful rapport that has developed between staff and participants,” Carol, a caregiver, says. “It is comforting to know, that despite their disease, everyone is comfortable in the setting and has been able to bond together.”

It is estimated that 16,000 Canadians and approximately 2,000 local residents are living with Young Onset Dementia. It is through these high-quality health care programs that people living with Young Onset Dementia can feel supported in their own community.

To learn more about The Club, click here or email us at info@carefor.ca. Our Adult Day Programs rely heavily on fundraised dollars. Support our Carefor Heroes by giving at carefor.ca/donate.