Innovation & Excellence - Summary of Submissions for the 2004 OANHSS Awards

Sharing successes and innovative approaches to services for seniors is what the OANHSS Awards program is all about. This year we had some truly unique and exciting submissions reflecting the creative things going on every day in member organizations. Below is a summary of the entries received for the following awards:

2004 Recipient:
Sunnyside Home "Community Alzheimer Program"

Recipient - 2004 Innovation & Excellence Award - "Supporting Seniors" Category

Sunnyside Home
"Community Alzheimer Program"

Sunnyside Home was the first home to receive funding from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to launch a Community Alzheimer Program. It was implemented in 2003 and projected to benefit 70 families each year.

The program is directed at cognitively impaired adults who are unable or reluctant to attend community formal day programs in the Waterloo region, but continually require stimulating and therapeutic recreational activities. Along with providing leisure education and coping strategies to family members and volunteers, the new program provides community integration and ongoing support to its clients. The Ministry funds a community recreation therapist 16 hours per week who specifically tailors activities to fit clients’ cognitive levels of impairment.

Sunnyside Home has reported that meaningful recreational activity can slow the progression of dementia. Extensive monitoring and evaluation techniques have been put in place to secure the validity of this claim, including interviews conducted with caregivers, family members and therapists. Data is also collected to monitor decreases in maladaptive behaviors in clients. This data will hopefully support the notion that leisure activities can delay, or even prevent, admission to long-term care facilities in the future. Sunnyside Home also claims that nurturing clients’ home environments will enrich their community involvement, cognitive abilities and self-esteem so that in the future they may require less medication.

The Ministry of Health, administered by the Region of Waterloo, has fully funded this innovative project with an intended budget of $20,000 each year, as services to clients are free of charge.         

For more information please contact Gail Carlin, Administrator at cgail@region.waterloo.on.ca or Betty Perrin, Coordinator- Community Alzheimer Programs at bperrin@region.waterloo.on.ca or call 519-893-8482.

Recipient - 2004 Innovation & Excellence Award - "Workplace Quality" Category

Lakeview Manor
"Workplace Weight Watchers Program"

In January 2003, 15 staff members participated in a six week Workplace Weight Watchers program. Since that time, the program has continued with increased enrollment in each consecutive session.

Goals of the program include improved nutrition, weight reduction and decreases in physical injury due to increased physical fitness. On a weekly basis, Weight Watchers sends a representative to facilitate and manage the sessions. The program is organized and paid for by staff members who receive reduced registration rates as incentive to join the program. The facility provides a room for various Weight Watchers events including the weekly meetings.

As well as improving confidence and self esteem, Lakeview Manor reports the program has lead to employees taking less time off work due better overall health. One employee suffering from back problems has lost 34 pounds! Total weight loss for all participants in 2003 was 183 pounds, with a total of 160 additional pounds lost in the first five months of 2004!    

For more information please contact Don Wouters at 705-426-7388 ext. 229.

Questions?
For more information on the OANHSS Awards Program, contact Sharon Clark-Koufis at 905-851-8821 ext 237.

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OANHSS members include not-for-profit providers of long term care, services and housing for seniors in Ontario.
Members include municipal and charitable long term care homes, non-profit nursing homes,
seniors' housing projects and community service agencies.