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title: "BC Weekly Update: Meaningful Engagement, COVID-19, Visitors Guide, Recreation Calendars, We’re Hiring"
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BC Weekly Update: Meaningful Engagement, COVID-19, Visitors Guide, Recreation Calendars, We’re Hiring

| View in browser Weekly Update Friday, September 16, 2022 Dear Resident or Family Member, We remain committed to providing updates to our residents, families, and staff at AgeCare. As such, we are providing weekly updates to keep you all informed on what is happening at our communities and organization-wide. Meaningful Engagement – Top of Mind in AgeCare’s Vibrant Communities Bivalent COVID-19 Booster Available Next Week!  Visitor Guidelines Recreation Calendars We’re Hiring Download Weekly Update (PDF)   Meaningful Engagement – Top of Mind in AgeCare’s Vibrant Communities This month, as we observe World Alzheimer's Day on September 21, we are proud to showcase the incredible efforts and great strides we are making to ensure those living with dementia, or any form of cognitive decline, are living their best possible lives in our communities. Below is an example of how Walden Heights has implemented a vital component of our Dementia Strategy by creating meaningful spaces for residents.   For some, home is a place. For others, home is a feeling. At AgeCare, we think it’s both, and we are undertaking an exciting initiative to make our spaces even more meaningful and therapeutic.   Providing residents with warm and welcoming spaces that promote dignity and independence is part of the Engaging Vibrant Communities pillar of our dementia model. With mindful attention to sight, sound, and smell, the dementia neighbourhood at AgeCare Walden Heights is being designed to feel like a collection of homes within an outdoor village rather than a clinical or institutional setting. This theme will offer many important sensory components and resonate with many of our residents, particularly those who are passionate about nature and the outdoors.   The idea began when we were looking for ways to reduce resident wandering behaviour, which is a common trait of those living with dementia. It’s difficult to claim your personal space or feel at home when your space looks the same as everyone else’s. Hence, we will make each resident’s ‘home’ identifiable by painting their door in a different colour and style (so they appear like brick or siding) and by placing a distinct ‘porch’ light outside their room. The vision is the appearance of a row of homes rather than a hallway.   “For many residents, their lingering sharpness is sensory appreciation — what they see, smell, hear, and touch,” explains Ken Swift, Social Worker at AgeCare and member of the Engaging and Vibrant Communities working group. “How do we appeal to that? How do we make this a community they want to be a part of? And if they do wander, how can we make sure they encounter something meaningful to them?”   Work on this innovative environment was put on hold during the pandemic as contractors were unable to come into our spaces. Best-practice research and planning has continued, however, and the impact of some COVID-related measures has influenced plans for the future.   Now, safe and engaging ways for residents to connect with their pasts and each other continue to be developed with plans in place for transforming the TV lounges into a drive-in movie theatre with a large drop-down movie screen, ‘parking stalls’ for wheelchairs and a mural of a drive-in movie theatre on the walls. Some components are already in place. A mural of Lake Waterton camouflages the elevator on the floor. Many residents enjoyed asking the artist questions while he painted, and some even joined in the painting. Not only is it a beautiful and recognizable scene, but it also makes the elevator buttons less noticeable to discourage residents from wanting to wander from the floor. With sound and smell being strong sensory ties to our memories, we sing residents’ favourite songs with them to promote calmness during personal care time, and we bake bread every morning on the floor to whet waning appetites through the smell wafting through the halls.   A guiding compass to ensure project planning is propelled by kindness and compassion, the working group continually asks themselves if they would want to live here. Adds Boc, “Our residents deserve a beautiful and thoughtful space that is comforting and tailored to them. We look forward to continuing work to make that innovative environment a reality.” Bivalent COVID-19 Booster Available Next Week! BC is making plans to offer everyone 12+ a fall booster dose. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has been clear this approach will provide the best protection in the fall and winter when we’re all spending more time inside and respiratory illness is passed around our communities. In BC, first dose boosters (third doses) are currently available to everyone 5 years and older. Second boosters (fourth doses) are available to everyone 12 years and older.   BCCDC data shows a person with three or more doses of vaccine is about half as likely as an unvaccinated person the same age to be hospitalized and about one-third as likely to require critical care.   At AgeCare, we strongly encourage all individuals to get all booster doses available to them.   According to data as of mid-August, only 61.28% of British Columbians aged 18 years and older had received their first booster (third dose).   If you or someone you know are still on the fence about whether to get a second booster, or when to get it, here are some facts to consider.   Let’s Do All We Can to Keep Ourselves and Our Communities Safe!   If you have not yet received your COVID vaccine or booster doses, please visit getvaccinated.gov.bc.ca or call 1-833-838-2323.   Visitor Guidelines While many restrictions have been lifted outside of our community, we wish to reiterate the need for safe, responsible practices in our centres, including continuous masking and hand hygiene. Remember! Help us limit potential exposure to COVID by staying away if you are unwell. Coming for a visit? Please familiarize yourself with these guidelines. Download the Visitor Guide (PDF)    Recreation Calendars Our recreation team works hard to create engaging activities that enrich the mind, body and spirit. We are continuously looking for ways to reduce the risk of transmission while having the least impact on residents' well-being. At this time, visitors are not permitted to attend indoor recreation programming, including concerts. We appreciate your understanding. Please note that communities with an exposure or outbreak may have different recreation restrictions. Contact your community or sign up for email updates to stay informed on the latest information. For our AgeCare communities from Revera, your Activity Pro Family Portal is still available for you to access. You can log in with your usual username and password at online.activitypro.net/users/login/agecare.   If you are a current resident family member and don’t yet have a username and password to access your loved one’s Activity Pro page, please contact the community directly and ask to speak to the recreation team. They walk you through the steps needed to access the family portal. View the Recreation Calendars for your AgeCare Community: Arbutus Care Centre AgeCare Brandt's Creek Mews AgeCare Cariboo Place AgeCare Glenwarren AgeCare Harmony Court AgeCare Holyrood AgeCare James Bay AgeCare Lakeview Monashee Mews Mount Ida Mews Age Care Royal City AgeCare Sandringham   We’re Hiring Did you know AgeCare is hiring? Great opportunities for caring people. From health care aides to food services to recreation to administration and more, we are looking for dedicated and caring individuals. If you or someone you know is looking for an exciting new opportunity, check out our careers page at www.agecare.ca/hiring AgeCare, 19655 Walden Blvd SE, Calgary, Alberta T2X 0N7, Canada, 403-873-3200 Unsubscribe Manage preferences |
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