March 2017
The
Messenger
415 River Street W. Tweed, ON. K0K 3J0, P. O. Box 200
Celebrating
March
Hal Entertains
March 8
Daylight Savings
March 12
Day Spring Youth
Group Entertains
March 14
Pub Night with Jay
March 15
Barbara Entertains
March 22
Moira River Ramblers
March 27
Birthday Party
March 29
www.moiraplace.com
Telephone: 613-478-5524
Message from the Administrator
Our 6th Annual Easter Egg Hunt is slated for the Saturday before
Easter, which will be a fair bit later than last year, occurring on April
15th, so hopefully the chocolate eggs wont’ be buried in snow! The
event will take place at 10:30 AM at Moira Place, and we’re hoping
for a similar turnout to last year. We will have prizes for four
different age categories and approximately 25,000 chocolate eggs for
the kids to find. The setup will be the same as last year where the
older age groups will conduct their hunt outside in three separate
sections of our grounds, and the toddlers will be in our Fireside
Lounge. The entire community is welcome to attend, along with
family members of our residents, so please invite the kids and
grandkids to join in on the fun. Once again Drain Poultry is donating
funds towards the purchase of the chocolate eggs, and our Residents’
Council is donating funds towards the purchase of the bicycles that
we give out as prizes to the kids. Both deserve a big thank you as we
appreciate the support in our ongoing commitment to community
engagement.
We have a good working partnership with Loyalist College in
Belleville and there are a number of students from the Personal
Support Worker (PSW) program sprinkled throughout our home.
This is a wonderful opportunity to help these students become adept
at the practical portion of the program, and to instill our Mission and
Values at this early point in their careers. I have taught students at
Loyalist College the “Gentle Persuasive Approaches” program a
number of times, which is something that we teach all of our staff.
The program helps people working in this field better understand the
person living with dementia; what dementia is; its causes and effects;
and how to best approach anyone exhibiting responsive behaviours.
It’s an honour to help these new students and be a part of their
education, as all of us will access the healthcare system at some point
in time and receiving service from someone who’s had their empathy
level raised can make a huge difference.
Michael O’Keeffe,
Administrator
A Reminder for our
Four Legged Visitors
Fred is having a visit with Jessica.
Many of our Residents enjoy when family pets come
to visit. It lifts their spirits, brightens the day and the
benefits of spending time with an old family friend are
immeasurable. We ask that when
bringing in a pet for a visit, that you
bring in with you a copy of their upto-date immunization that can be kept
on file with Life Enrichment. This is
a policy of the home that ensures
everyone is safe and well looked
after. We also would like you to be
aware that not everyone is comfortable with pets and
that you keep your pet with you at all times and on a
leash.
Agitation is a Responsive Behaviour
Margaret is enjoying a visit with one of our new
Companion Pets. With built in speakers and sensors,
the pets can recreate some of the most delightful times
of owning a pet.
Agitation can often be a response by a Resident, to a
situation beyond their control. An example would be:
During a visit with his wife, Jim fidgets, picks at his
clothes and seems restless. He can’t sit still and his wife is
getting upset with his behaviour.
Possible causes:
 Environmental, such as changes to living
arrangements or in caregivers
 Fear of bathing, unknown surroundings or having
clothes changed
 Dehydration
 Fatigue, feeling overwhelmed or confused
Strategies:
 Redirect person’s attention Remain calm and positive
 Use visual and verbal cues (gestures)
 Simplify tasks and routines
Whenever possible, give the person options. But offer one
or two choices to avoid overwhelming him. (e.g. do you
want to wear this blue shirt or this red short? vs. what shirt
do you want to wear?)
Don’t:
 Ask him to stop picking, tell him to calm down or
raise your voice
Do:
 Give him something to hold, distract his attention with
music talk about a happy moment in his life or go for a
walk. Consider the environment: is it too noisy or bright?
Consider the time of day: is he tired?
Stuck in the Middle of You
Middle names. Why bother? Are they a source of
pride, embarrassment, or obligation? Bask in the glory
of your middle name on March 10, Middle Name
Pride Day. Middle names as we use them today first
gained popularity among the elite classes during
Renaissance Italy. Parents were torn between naming
their children after a saint or a family member.
The easy solution was a three-name structure: family
name (like an aristocratic inheritance), baptismal
middle name (for piety), and surname. It wasn’t until
immigrants arrived in America that the middle name
shed its religious significance and evolved into a
maternal maiden name or, by the Civil War, just about
any name the parents pleased. Regardless of their
intent, middle names almost always have meaning, so
embrace your middle name by choosing to go by that
name on March 10.
Paul is waiting for his company to arrive.
All Thumbs
Humans are unique from other animals in lots of ways,
but our opposable thumbs and two-pincer grip led the
way for some of our most important evolutionary advances. It’s a wonder that more
animals do not have thumbs. But
what if they did? Consider the
possibilities on March 3, If Pets
Had Thumbs Day.
Many animals have opposable
thumbs, such as apes, opossums,
pandas, koalas, and tree frogs. What do these animals do
with their thumbs? They use them mostly to climb and to
eat. Chimps use their thumbs to the greatest advantage:
using tools, foraging for food, building shelters, and
fighting. If cats had thumbs, would they learn to use a can
opener? Would dogs throw a ball for themselves? Would
hamsters build their own tube tunnels? Would rabbits
punch with their feet and fists? Of course, the burning
question is whether any of our pets would use their
thumbs to help us around the house. Probably not.
Christine and Gordon pose for a picture.
Quilt Show
Thursday, March 30th
Quilts will be on display
in the Fireside Lounge
from
10:00am - 1:00pm.
2:00pm Brenda Allen will demonstrate the new
methods of piecing together a quilt.
If anyone has a quilt made by
one of our residents and
would like to lend it for the
display, please contact
Brenda at the front desk or
Kelly in Life Enrichment.
Cheryl is working hard on a puzzle.
In the Good Old Days
of March
Fifty years ago, the average annual income was $8,801.
The average cost of a new house was $24,600. A loaf
of bread was 22¢, and a gallon of milk was $1.15.
Stamps were 5¢ each. A car cost $2,425, and gas was
33¢ per gallon.
Myrtle and Vera are enjoying each other’s company.
Malcolm is ready for the day.
Lily is enjoying Eileen playing her harp.
March in Canadian History
March 23, 1752 - Media
- John Bushell starts
publishing Canada's first
regular newspaper, the
Halifax Gazette; the two
sided paper contained
public notices, ads from
booksellers and
wholesalers, notices about slave auctions, poems and
elegies, and excerpts from notable publications; did
also publish the first book in Canada, an 8-page
pamphlet for the government, on December 6.
Today's successor newspaper, the Halifax ChronicleHerald, is the oldest existing newspaper in North
America.
March 3, 1965 - Canadian actor Christopher
Plummer stars with Julie Andrews and Eleanor
Parker in the film adaptation of the Broadway hit,
The Sound of Music, about the Trapp Family singers,
released this day.
March 31, 1975 - CN Tower reaches 555.35 metres
in height, becoming the world's tallest free-standing
structure; the giant communications mast cost $44
million, uses 145,000 tonnes of concrete and steel.
March 3, 1980 - Pierre Trudeau sworn in as Prime
Minister of Canada for the second time, replacing Joe
Clark; Clark PM since June 4, 1979.
Moira Place took part in the 2nd Annual “Ready Set
Cook Competition” on February 7 at Canterbury
Gardens in Peterborough. Teams from seven AON
Homes showcased their cooking talents while raising
funds to benefit Myrtle’s Kitchen in Peterborough.
Moira Place’s team, Cook Jenna, Dietary Aide Selena
and Director of Dietary Dawn Black came in second
place with their Apple Pie Egg Roll with Sumac, Vanilla
Bean Cheesecake Ice Cream with warm Bourbon
Carmel Sauce. The winning team from Princess Gardens
gets to display the trophy and has bragging rights until
they meet again. Congratulations to our amazing team!
Angela and Margaret stop for a picture after a
visit to the Salon.
Working hard during exercise class.
Eye Clinic
Don, you moose be kidding!!!
March is National Pharmacy
Awareness Month
Moira Place works with Classic Care Pharmacy to
provide the best possible care to our Residents. Their
team of experienced and qualified individuals provide
pharmaceutical services and care such as:
 Clinical services including medication reviews,
audits, continuing education, committee
participation, Quality Improvement initiatives and
legislative compliance
 Infusion services
 Customizable corporate reporting, technology
including electronic medication record support,
secure web portal, specialized packaging and
medication verification machines
 Clinic Consultant Pharmacist and Pharmacy
Liaison are on-site regularly to fulfill a variety of
clinical and quality assurance initiatives
We would like to take this opportunity to say thank
you to the Classic Care team for all their support.
Wednesday March 8th
In home, full eye exams at
no fee to the resident.
In addition to monitoring ocular health and
checking/measuring prescriptions, new glasses
can be purchased at largely discounted rates.
During the visit, minor adjustments and small
repairs to current glasses can also be made.
To book an appointment contact
Tracey McKichan 613-478-5524.
There is a Myth That Bed Rails Keep You or Your Loved One Safe
As an organization, an ongoing goal for us has been to eliminate physical restraints, which includes the removal
of bed rails. We have been working at this for close to 2 years now and we have set a firm date of June 1st, 2017
to be completely free of these bed rails.
Unfortunately, bed rails in long-term care homes have contributed to serious injuries and deaths in Canada over
the past number of years. “Between 1980 and April 2008, Health Canada received 61 incident reports involving
bed rails. The majority of these incidents were due to bed rails falling unexpectedly due to latch failures. Bed
rail failures accounted for nearly one quarter (23.9%) of all reported incidents related to hospital beds. During
the same time period, Health Canada received 67 reports of life-threatening bed entrapments, 36 of which led to
deaths. These entrapment events occurred in openings within the bed rails, between the bed rails and mattresses,
under bed rails, between split rails, and between the bed rails and headboard or footboard.” (Source: Health
Canada / Bed Rail Entrapment Statistics)
An increased risk of injury from falls can result from someone
climbing over a bed rail and then falling a greater distance to the
ground. Falls are a high priority area for us and we are
committed to reducing the number of injuries from falls.
In preparation for this change each resident is being assessed by
our interdisciplinary team to determine appropriate alternatives to
bedrails, such as fall mats, lowest bed positions, transfer devices
and bed alarms. Our Physiotherapist is working with each
resident who may still have a bed rail to teach him/her how to safely transfer in and out of bed, as well as
optimal methods for moving within the bed.
Statistics are clear that the risks far outweigh the benefits in bed rail usage. Please feel free to discuss our
commitment to resident safety and the elimination of bed rails with either Linda Facey, our Director of Care, or
Michael O’Keeffe, Administrator.
The ladies are enjoying a game of Euchre.
Eleanor poses for a picture.
A Wee Bit O' Irish Humor
"A man who can't laugh at himself should be given a
mirror." ~ Irish Saying
Irish humor is never shy, always witty, and
frequently sarcastic. The Irish poke goodhearted
fun at their traditions, stereotypes, and
anything in between. Nothing is exempt, and
everything is considered fair game when it
comes to a good laugh.
The Horse That Talked
One of the Manning Brothers playing his
saxophone in the Fireside Lounge.
Canadian Firsts
Olivia Poole - Inventor of the Jolly
Jumper
Necessity is often the mother of invention, but in this
case a mother’s seven children provided the need for
her creation. In the early 1950’s Olivia Poole moved
with her family from the White Earth Reservation to
Vancouver where she developed the Jolly
Jumper by combining traditional native
design and modern technology.
The device is a harness, suspended by a
spring attached to the ceiling, which
holds a small child slightly off the floor
and allows it to jump up and down. A
similar harness was used by people on
Poole’s reservation, but she added the
spring and used different material for the harness. By
1959, Poole and her husband were running a factory in
North Vancouver that produced thousands of Jolly
Jumpers every month. Since then, millions of children
in Canada, the U.S., Britain and Australia, among
other countries, have both strengthened their leg
muscles and kept themselves amused by bouncing up
and down in Jolly Jumpers.
An American tourist was driving in County Kerry,
when his vehicle stopped. He got out to see if he
could locate the trouble. A voice behind him said,
"The trouble is in the carburetor.” He turned around
and only saw an old horse. The horse repeated that
the trouble was with the carburetor. The American
thought he must be hearing things and dashed into the
nearest pub to
order a large
whiskey. He told
the bartender what
had happened. The
bartender said,
"Well, don't pay
any attention to
him, he knows
nothing about cars
anyway."
A Fishy Story
While out fishing, the game warden catches Sean
leaving a reservoir with a bucket of fish. "Aha, I've
caught you red-handed poachin' fish.” "What do you
mean, red-handed?" says Sean. "You've got a bucket
full of 'em right there. You can't talk your way out of
it this time.” Sean says, "Oh, you don't understand,
these are my pet fish and every week or so, I bring
them to the reservoir for exercise. After they swim a
little, they come back to the bucket and I bring 'em
back home.” The warden looks at him and says, "Do
ya expect me to believe such a tale?” "I can prove it,"
says Sean. They walk to the reservoir and put the fish
in the water. They wait for 20, 30, 40 minutes and the
fish don't come back. "Ha, ya lying rogue!" shouts the
warden, "Where are your fish?” Sean looks blankly at
him and asks, "What fish?"