VIP - Volunteers In Partnership

VIP – V O L U N T E E R S I N P A R T N E R S H I P

Spring 2015 Volume 10, Issue1

3

Mary Black, Coordinator of Volunteers Wellington Terrace Long Term Care Home 474 Wellington Road 18, Fergus, ON N1M 0A1 519.846.5359 ext. 7266 maryb@wellington.ca

NEWS IN VOLUNTEER SERVICES Ontario Volunteer Service Award Winners!

It is that time of year again when the Ministry of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade acknowledges volunteers throughout Ontario that have reached milestone anniversaries for their volunteerism with one organization.

This year we are so pleased to celebrate the following volunteers’ continued service and commitment to Wellington Terrace!

They each receive a pin from the ministry at the Ontario Volunteer Service Awards ceremony at the River Run Centre on March 18th.

Kelsey Hamilton – youth award for over 2 years of service Shirley Moore – 20 years (YES TWENTY!) Karen Banu – 10 years Jean Low – 10 years Colleen Quarrie – 10 years John Doherty – 5 years Nancy Knudstrup – 5 years Congratulations to all of the recipients of the Ontario Volunteer Service Awards this year!

Inside This Issue News in Volunteer Services; Summer Roles New Volunteers; We Remember Training and Information Sessions Name Tags, Falls Strips Alarms Current Volunteer Opportunities

1 2 3 4 4

National Volunteer Week is April 12th to April 18th “National Volunteer Week began in 1943 as a way to draw attention to the impact women were having on the war effort by volunteering on the home front. By the late 1960’s, the focus shifted to celebrating all community volunteers, recognizing that volunteerism was integral to the success of our communities.

Today 13.3 million Canadians volunteer their skills, time and energy to provide a high level of support and assistance to our communities. Volunteers can be seen helping in a hospital, fighting fires, coaching sports teams, sharing historical information and coordinating festivals and events.” (Excerted from Member Resource Package of Volunteer Centre of Guelph/Wellington)

On behalf of the residents, staff, and family members of Wellington Terrace, I would like to extend our sincere appreciation to each and every member of our Volunteer Team. The impact that you have on our community amazes and inspires us.

Thank you for your dedication, your enthusiasm, your compassion and your friendship.

Mary Black, Coordinator of Volunteers

Summer is on the way!... …well, okay, perhaps in a few months, but we are looking and planning ahead!

Our Biking Buddies Role is such a rewarding position, taking individual residents out for bike rides on the trail. Please let me know if you wish to learn more about this role OR if you know of anyone in the community who might enjoy this volunteer position.

Volunteers must be 18 years of age for this role.

As well, our Recreation Staff will be taking small

groups of residents out for golf cart rides many days during the week and on the weekends. This is a great role for anyone 14 years of age and older, and a great way for teen volunteers to accumulate hours while enjoying time with residents in the spring, summer and fall months. With the good weather comes a great opportunity for volunteers to take residents outside for strolls. This, too, is a wonderful volunteer role during the warmer months.

Page 2

VIP – Volunteers in Partnership

WELCOME TO OUR NEW VOLUNTEERS! Since our last publication, we have welcomed the following new volunteers: Molly Y – Sing and Social Assistant Natalie K – Games Night Volunteer Catherine S-G – Sunday Church Service Assistant David C – Volunteer Musical Entertainer Megan C – Volunteer Visiting; Painting Group Lead; Dining Room Assistant for Oak Glen Anna B – Sing and Social Assistant; Sunday Church Service Assistant Quinton Smith and Marylyn Smith (welcome back Marylyn!) – Crokinole Games Volunteer for Cedar Gorge

Welcome everyone, and thank you for joining our team!

“Those who can, do. Those who can do more, volunteer!” ~Author Unknown

“Friends pick us up when we fall down, and if they can’t pick us up, they lie down and listen for a while.” ~Author Unknown

Co-op Students From February to June of this year, we are hosting three co-op students from Centre Wellington District High School, as well as one student from Emmanuel Christian High School.

All of the students are completing their assignments in our Life Enrichment Department. Alan is with Cedar Gorge and Maple Ridge in the mornings; Raychel is with Birch Dale and Walnut Grove in the mornings; Esther is with Apple Valley and Oak Glen in the afternoons, and Avery is with Physiotherapy and Restorative Care in the afternoons.

Please join us in welcoming our co-op students! ___________________________________________

We Remember We would like to take a moment to remember two resident volunteers who recently passed away.

Louise Goldsmith gave so much of her time and talents to our residents and our home, volunteering in the dining room, leading a painting class, and visiting co-residents. Louise passed away on December 31st, 2014 at the age of 102. We are so fortunate to have been able to get to know Louise while she lived here at Wellington Terrace. She is deeply missed.

Carol Gammie was another well-known resident, who shared her friendship with many people. Carol volunteered to visit new residents and sat on our Welcoming Committee. Carol also volunteered to welcome and thank entertainment during our large group events. Carol passed away on February 1st of this year. We miss Carol’s friendliness and her sense of humour.

We also remember Maureen Grimmer, a former volunteer who shared her musical talents with us alongside her late husband Peter Grimmer.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of these former members of our Volunteer Team.

Keeping Informed In Long Term Care Everyone can benefit from continued training and education in working with residents in long term care. The Wellington Terrace acknowledges the importance and value of providing information and training for volunteers throughout the year. We will be offering information on various topics through a variety of sources, such as information sessions, role reviews, postings in the lounge, articles in the VIP newsletter, and through email messages.

It is useful for me to keep track of the number of volunteers who have participated in education and training.

When volunteers attend our training and information sessions, it is easy for me to keep a record for each session.

However, when we are sending out information via other sources such as postings, email and newsletters, it can be difficult to maintain an accurate census of who is reading this information. As well, volunteers attend information sessions outside of the Terrace, and we would like to have that information in our records.

This is where I ask volunteers to assist me! If you could let me know that you have read any article/email/posting that we send out throughout the year, it would be very helpful for our records. All volunteers that read the information and alert me that they have read the article/posting, and all volunteers that attend information sessions, will have their names entered into a draw that will happen at the end of the year. If you take a course or education/information session through another organization or facility, please let me know this as well.

Anticipated Information Sharing Throughout 2015 We are in the process of planning our presentations and information sharing for the year; we are proposing the following topics to be shared through various means, and I will keep you informed about dates and times of live sessions. Please watch for articles and sharing of information through the VIP newsletter, lounge postings and email messages.

Information topics will include: Bus Outings Role Review; Behaviour Support Ontario Overview; Biking Buddies Role Review; Reminiscing and One to One Visiting; Montessori Programming; Volunteer Roles at End of Life for Residents; Snoezelen Sensory Stimulation; Falls Prevention; Emergency Response Situations; and Resident Safety and Therapeutic Relations.

We hope you will find our training and information sessions supportive and helpful for you in your roles and experiences here at Wellington Terrace.

The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live. ~Mortimer Adler

The Alzheimer Society of Waterloo Wellington offers many education sessions for families, friends and people living with Alzheimer’s Disease.

There is a pamphlet in the Volunteer Lounge with several topics and dates offered this spring.

Topics include: Family Learning Series (many 3 week series as well as a one day workshop); The 10 Most Common Questions About Memory; Shifting Focus on Supporting People Living with Dementia; The Art of Communication; and 10 tips for Preventing Dementia-Related Falls.

Locations of the sessions vary (Fergus, Cambridge, Elmira, Erin, Guelph, Mount Forest, Kitchener, Baden.)

You can also visit their website for more information at www.alzheimerww.ca

Page 4

VIP – Volunteers In Partnership A Note About Name Tags

Our staff are always discussing interventions and strategies to decrease and eliminate risks and injuries to residents AND staff/volunteers.

Most recently, it has been decided that staff and volunteers will no longer wear a lanyard around the neck, to maintain safety for residents and staff/volunteers.

We have made available in the Volunteer Lounge 2 different name tag holders; one has a clip that can attach the name tag to your lapel, and the other has a pin that can be pinned to your shirt (if you don’t mind using a pin).

Thank you for your assistance with this new practice.

Alarms for Residents’ Safety As many of you are aware, some of our residents are at high risk for falls, if transferring or walking on their own. For residents at high risk, we have falls strips – a flat pad that can be placed on a chair or bed. An alarm will sound when a resident lifts their weight off of the pad when they are attempting to get up out of their chair or bed. Some alarms will sound just like an alarm; some new strips we have, however, sound off with well-known songs to provide a more pleasing environment. Please know that if you are walking by a resident room where an alarm is going off (a steady sound OR a song that repeats its’ chorus), we encourage you to go into the room to ensure the resident is okay, and to activate the call bell so that staff can come immediately. Please do not attempt to lift a resident if they have fallen; always allow for staff to come to assess and assist.

Thank you!

We are currently looking for volunteers to fill the following positions. If you, or someone you know, would be interested in any of the following roles, please contact Mary: ~Musical Entertainment This role involves providing various entertainment for our group programmes, parties and special events ~One to One Visiting Our staff complete thorough assessments of all of our residents, and submit volunteer referrals for volunteers who would like to spend some time with residents who would benefit from one to one visiting ~Volunteer Drivers On occasion our residents have scheduled appointments in the community, and require a ride to and from the appointment. We have an accessible van that we can offer for this transportation, but require volunteers to drive it.

This role requires the volunteer to be at least 25 years of age, who can provide proof of a valid driver’s license with a clean abstract, and who is comfortable and confident in their driving skills.

There is always a van escort that goes along with the driver and the resident as well. ~Sunday afternoon church service assistance We have a large number of residents who enjoy attending our Sunday church services; our Recreation Staff appreciate volunteer assistance in helping residents to and from the service, between 1:30pm and 3:00pm on Sundays ~No One Dies Alone Supportive Visiting This role involves sitting with residents who are at the end stage of life, particularly if their loved ones are unable to be there at this time.

“Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.” ~James Matthew Barrie “Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.

~Doug Larson