February 2015 The Messenger 415 River Street W. Tweed, ON. K0K 3J0, P. O. Box 200 Celebrating February Mary Chamberlain Entertains February 4 Manning Brothers Entertains February 11 Valentines Day February 14 Ash Wednesday February 18 Pub Night February 18 www.moiraplace.com Telephone: 613-478-5524 Message from the Administrator By April 1st of this year, all long-term care homes in Ontario are required to submit a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP). A QIP is a formal, documented set of commitments that a health care organization makes to its patients/clients/residents, staff and community to improve quality through focused targets and actions. QIPs are used in many sectors to assist organizations in delivering quality programs and services. Hospitals and organizations such as Tweed’s own Gateway Community Health Centre have been submitting QIPs for a few years now. This QIP will be available on the Health Quality Ontario website for anyone to see, and the Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care has provided the quality indicators that we are to use this year and specified the time periods from when the data were to be taken (most are pulled from Jul to Sep 2014): Falls: Percentage of residents who had a recent fall (in the last 30 days) Pressure Ulcers: Percentage of residents who had a pressure ulcer that recently got worse Restraints: Percentage of residents who were physically restrained (daily) Incontinence: Percentage of residents with worsening bladder control during a 90-day period Appropriate Prescribing – Potentially Inappropriate Antipsychotic Use in Long-Term Care: Percentage of residents on antipsychotics without a diagnosis of psychosis Resident Experience: this will be data pulled from two areas of our Resident / Family Satisfaction Survey Potentially Avoidable Emergency Department Visits for Long-Term Care Residents: Number of emergency department (ED) visits for modified list of ambulatory care sensitive conditions per 100 long-term care residents. We’ve been gathering data on all of these except for the last indicator, which we will begin now, and we look forward to posting a Quality Improvement Plan that can be another aspect of our quality journey. Michael O’Keeffe, Administrator Wiarton Willie Wiarton is home to Canada's most famous prognosticating albino groundhog and has been celebrating the Wiarton Willie Festival for over 55 years. Each year on February 2nd, dark and early morning, towns' folk and fans from all over come out to hear Willie's prediction. Will it be an early spring or six more weeks of winter? How did it all begin? The story begins in 1955 where local resident Mac McKenzie sent out an invitation to a hundred of his closest friends to join him in Wiarton for Groundhog Day celebrations. Well, the media got a hold of the story and a lone reporter from the Toronto Star travelled up to Wiarton to see what was going on. Unable to find the celebrations and after making inquiries all over town, the reporter was directed to the local 'establishment' where sure enough, Mac and his buddies were raising an elbow or two. When the reporter asked Mac "Where's the deal?" Mac responded "This is it!". The reporter joined the party but was concerned the next day when he didn't have a story to bring back to the paper. Mac, always an opportunist, grabbed a white fur hat off of a lady's head and flung it in the snow. The reporter snapped a picture and a photo of the grinning group huddled around the 'groundhog' made it into Monday's paper with the caption: “High spirits, hole in ice, but as for groundhog — no dice.” The next year 35 people showed up for the celebrations and year after year the festival grew. Today, approximately 10,000 people come for the Wiarton Willie Festival celebrations. Wilfred and his visitor. Doug and his daughter pause for a photo op! Too Many Valentines There are 14 different saints named Valentine, according to the Roman Catholic Church While February 14 is widely celebrated as Valentine’s Day, there is some confusion as to which Saint Valentine this day actually refers to. According to the Roman Catholic Church, there are 14 different saints named Valentine. Some believe Valentine’s Day honors the Bishop of Terni, in central Italy, who was condemned by the Roman Emperor Claudius. Others believe Valentine’s Day is connected to a Roman priest who secretly married Christian couples until he was discovered by the Roman authorities and sentenced to death. Perhaps the real identity of St. Valentine is unnecessary since what is truly important is his enduring legacy of love. Lorie & Ted are helping to call Bingo. Moira Place invites family members and friends to meet with them on Tuesday February 10 at 2:00pm in the Fireside Lounge to inform individuals of their right to form a Moira Place Family Council. What is a Family Council? A Family Council is an organized, self-led, selfdetermining, democratic group composed of family and friends of the residents of a Long-Term Care Home. The main purposes of a Family Council are to; • improve the quality of life of the residents • to give families and friends a forum for sharing their experiences, learning and exchanging information A Family Council works with residents’ family members or friends and the Long-Term Care Home to identify and resolve issues that affect residents’ quality of life, plan activities for residents, families and staff, and support each other. John is enjoying the party. Music is Good for What Ails You Here are a few studies that show how Mozart may trump medicine: Singing helps the stroke-stricken to speak sooner: A study conducted on a group of Finnish stroke sufferers found that listening to their favorite tunes while recovering helped them regain their ability to recognize words and communicate. When compared to stroke sufferers who listened to audiobooks or nothing at all, those that listened to music for a few hours a day experienced a much faster recovery of their verbal skills. The music listeners were also less likely to be depressed and confused. You don't have to be formally trained to help your loved one reap the holistic healing benefits of music. Here are some suggestions for how caregivers and their loved ones can bond over song from the comfort of their home: • Make your own music: If you or your loved one had a passion for playing a particular instrument, don't hesitate to dust off the old six-string and strum out a few chords. "Live music has its own set of special rewards," says Snyder-Cowan. • Travel to another time or place: Music and memory are intimately intertwined. To help your loved one get in touch with their past, try playing music that was popular when they were in their 20s and 30s. • Match tempo: No one genre of music is more therapeutic than another. It's all about personal preference. Pick songs that you and your loved one enjoy listening to. Keeping in mind the principal of entrainment, try to synchronize the songs to the mood you're trying to invoke. Highlight hobbies: For example, your loved one may not be able to visit the opera like they used to, but that doesn't mean they have to forgo their favorite arias. You can help bring the opera to them by purchasing or downloading some of their favorite performances and playing them. Bob makes a good hit at balloon badminton. Donna is ready for lunch. Falls in the Elderly You CAN prevent falls ... and here is how! Use Safety Aids Be sure to use your cane or walker – they can keep you safe and active Make sure your cane or walker is the right height for you Be sure to wear your glasses and hearing aid Appropriate footwear is important. Comfortable shoes that provide good support can prevent falls Use other gadgets that can make your life safer: reachers, anti-skid soles on your shoes, hip protectors, etc. BE SURE TO USE ALL OF THESE THINGS Eat Healthy Meals Don’t skip meals. It can cause weakness and dizziness. Nutritious meals keep up strength, resistance and balance. Eat lots of vegetables and fruits. Keep Fit Build your muscle and bone strength by doing resistance exercises (such as weight lifting). Walk. Try an exercise program. Do what you can to maintain your flexibility and balance. Engage in physical activity everyday or as much as possible. It’s your best defense against falls. Dorothy & Myrtle are enjoying the sing-a-long at the Birthday Party. Charlie and his wife Dolly. What’s a Residents’ Council? All residents of a home are members of the Residents' Council and are provided with support from the home to form, organize and maintain administrative matters, as required. The purpose of the Residents' Council is: • To provide a forum for residents to have input and to advocate on their collective behalf concerning the operations of the home • To provide residents with a voice in decisions that affect them and their quality of life in the home • To establish two-way communication between the residents and the home staff, and to establish a formal mechanism whereby Residents' Council concerns are communicated to administration for intervention and resolution • To provide a means of mutual support for Residents' Council members, which extends to new residents in the home; and To allow residents to be informed about the long term care system as a whole and to provide a forum for discussion about strategies for improvement; and to promote and encourage activities directed at the provision of quality care and quality of life for residents. Carol Ann is ready for the party. Do you have a spouse, family member or friend living at Moira Place? Do you have questions about Alzheimer disease or a related dementia? The Alzheimer Society of Belleville Hastings-Quinte provides on site support and information to family, friends and residents of Moira Place on a monthly basis. Join us for Memory Cafe a new interactive education session being delivered at Moira Place . Jess and Lloyd having a game of chess. For more information contact Darlene at 613-395-5018. I Cannot Tell a Lie Music to My Ears. 1. Stuttering is suppressed when singing, whispering or On February 23, 1940, Walt Disney released speaking in a chorus. Pinocchio. In honor of the little wooden boy who could 2. If you are a caregiver or someone who is receiving not tell a lie without his nose growing, enjoy the quiz care, try reducing your stress by gently massaging below. Can you determine whether the statements your face to familiar music. Research shows that this below are true or false? technique may work to lessen depression and anxiety. 3. 95% of people are right ear dominant. In health care 1. Sugar makes children hyperactive. settings where headphones are not being used, place 2. Diamonds form in coal. the listening device on the care receiver’s right side. 3. Bulls hate the color red. 4. To help with difficult days use one standard song for 4. You can see the Great Wall of each interaction i.e. You Are My Sunshine for China from outer space. bathing, Daisy, Daisy for getting dressed, or Pretty 5. Napoleon was very short. Baby for getting ready for bed. 5. Singing or humming may help residents by lessening anxiety, distraction and enhancing interpersonal ANSWERS: 1. False: Medical tests show no connection. difference between children given sugar-full and sugar-free diets. 2. False: Diamonds do form deep underground under extreme pressure and intense heat. 3. False: While bulls do see the color red, they charge because they feel threatened by the matador. 4. False: Many astronauts have debunked this myth, though other man-made structures can be seen from space. 5. False: Napoleon was actually five feet, seven inches tall, which was considered tall for his time. Eileen Quinn of Compassionate Music Care is spending some time with Ted and sharing her beautiful harp music. Marjorie and Donna are trying their luck at bean bag toss. Wes and Peggy are posing with two of the Loyalist RPN students who have come to do placement at Moira Place. This is the first placement of their first year in the program. There are two groups of students covering both the day & evening shifts. Edna doing her daily laps. A Little Trivia “Everybody Loves Somebody” became what crooner’s signature song in 1964? Dean Martin. The song knocked The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night” off the number one spot one the charts in the U.S. in 1964. Martin hadn’t had a Top 40 hit since 1958. “Everybody Loves Somebody” replaced Martin’s previous signature song, “That’s Amore.” Gwen playing a little tune. A grouchy demanding patron at a restaurant said gruffly, “Bring me two eggs. Boil one and scramble the other.” The waitress returned shortly with his order. The man took one look at his plate and said, “Take them back! You scrambled the wrong one.” What are the last two lines in the original poem “Roses are Red”? “Sugar is sweet. And so are you.” It is not known who the author of the poem is, but it might be traced back to the line “She bathed with roses red, and violets blue,” from The Faerie Queene, a 1590 epic poem by Sir Edmund Spencer. What candy bar was introduced in 1894? Hershey’s. Milton S. Hershey founded the Hershey Chocolate Company in Derry Church, Pennsylvania, in 1894. In 1906, the name of the town was changed to Hershey because of the popular chocolate company. It is called “Chocolatetown, USA” along with “The Sweetest Place on Earth.” The company is one of the oldest chocolate companies in the U.S.