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title: "Weekly update AB: Grandparents' Day, COVID-19, Recreation Calendars, We’re Hiring"
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Weekly update AB:Meaningful Engagement, Bivalent COVID-19 Booster Available Next Week, 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 in our communities and organization-wide. Meaningful Engagement – Top of Mind in AgeCare’s Vibrant Communities  Bivalent COVID-19 Booster Available Next Week!  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! Beginning September 21, the new Bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine approved by Health Canada will be available to eligible Albertans who are 18 years and older. The Moderna Spikvax bivalent COVID-19 vaccine triggers a stronger immune response and provides additional protection against both Omicron and the original SARS-CoV-2 virus strain. Albertans who have completed a primary series are eligible for the bivalent vaccine. The recommended interval between doses is a minimum of five months from the last dose or previous infection.   Bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be available in for Albertans 12-17 years of age in late September or early October.   At AgeCare, we strongly encourage all individuals to get all booster doses available to them.   Let’s Do All We Can to Keep Ourselves and our Communities Safe!   Book at: bookvaccine.alberta.ca or call 811.   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 our residents’ well-being.   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. 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. 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. View the Recreation Calendars for your AgeCare Community: AgeCare Bow Crest AgeCare Columbia AgeCare Glenmore AgeCare Jasper Place AgeCare Mckenzie Towne AgeCare Midnapore AgeCare Miller Crossing AgeCare Mount Royal AgeCare Orchard Manor AgeCare Riverview AgeCare Sagewood AgeCare Seton AgeCare Skypointe AgeCare South Terrace AgeCare Sunrise Gardens AgeCare Valleyview AgeCare Walden Heights   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/careers AgeCare, 19655 Walden Blvd SE, Calgary, Alberta T2X 0N7, Canada, 403-873-3200 Unsubscribe Manage preferences |
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