Menno Place now has a real-time alert system that can be used to communicate with families and friends in the event of an emergency or flu outbreak.

Three ways to receive alerts:

1. Email notifications – daily at 8am as the information is posted. No updates if there is no new information.
2. Webpage – real-time updates on www.MennoPlace.ca/Alerts
3. Twitter account – @MennoPlaceAlert – real-time updates via Twitter

Thank you to a family member who used our Compliments and Concerns online form to request real-time information about the Flu Outbreaks on the campus. She said,

You are all exemplary. We appreciate all the multi levels of care that are given to our loved ones. So this is not a complaint, just an observation. I just think it would be beneficial to all families if the caregivers could be notified immediately in the event of any outbreaks (a simple form email would do). Then the caregivers in turn could choose to whom they would pass on the information.

Upon receiving this suggestion, we began to create a system that would update family members in a timely fashion, while providing education on what to do with and for a loved one.

A new Twitter account @MennoPlaceAlert and webpage was launched to convey information about flu outbreaks. This same communication system will also be used to send emails when a new update is available.

Along with information about flu outbreaks, this new communication stream will be used to provide real-time updates in the case of emergency. In the case of a fire, earthquake, safety concern or power outage, you will be able to find pertinent information through the Menno Place Alert system.

How can you sign up?

In February, all subscribers to the Menno Place Family & Friends email newsletter will receive an invitation to also sign up for the @MennoPlaceAlerts

 

Ernie Poignant is celebrating his 97th birthday by doing what he loves – drawing.

Born in a Matsqui farmhouse a few months after the First World War started, Ernie still has a steady hand and an eye for wildlife.

Back in the sixties, he used to draw for kids on the Pete’s Place TV show that aired on Global BC – then called CHAN channel 8 on that old rotary dial.

“He’d have me come up, and one of the things I’d draw [was] a snowball coming down the hill.”

His cartoons are living history – he has documented epic Fraser Valley events like the great flood of 1948.

Ernie has been married to Rose Poignant for over 60 years – but she didn’t fall just for the art.

“I thought he was good-looking, and I was looking for a good-looking man,” said Rose, “and a nice man too. And he was both.”

Ernie’s trademark is taking someone’s initials and making them special – even the initials T.F. turn into Ted and a bear.

Nursing unit clerk finds a workplace with heart

Originally published on the University of the Fraser Valley website

Growing up, Shayla Peters had dreamed of becoming a nurse.

But then, grade 12 happened. “I lost my motivation,” Shayla recalls. “I just wanted to get out of high school. I no longer knew what I wanted to do.” Shayla found work at a fast food outlet. “That was just a job,” she says.

“The kind you do when you’re not serious about your future.” Bored and underpaid, Shayla felt stuck. After six months, she realized she needed to take action if she wanted a change.

Choosing a Career

“My mom told me about the eight-month Nursing Unit Clerk program at UFV,” she says. “It did not require as much schooling as Nursing and wasn’t as expensive. I had always wanted to work in health care. The idea of helping people appealed to me.”

Shayla started researching the profession online: she saw lots of job postings on employment sites. And the hours were good.

“I enrolled in the program in 2010,” Shayla says. “It was a lot of work, but it was worth it. The program has high standards. And the teachers are incredible. They have experience in the field and the stories they share are relevant and useful.”

At the end of the program, Shayla completed a practicum at the Abbotsford Regional Hospital, where she gained hands-on experience. After graduation, she applied for a job there. But under pressure, she failed the test. The job required that she type 50 words a minute; she fell just short of the mark at 48.

She beat herself up afterward. It was such a missed opportunity. What followed was almost a year of applying for every Nursing Unit Clerk job under the sun. While looking for a break in the profession, Shayla worked in a coffee shop. “It was discouraging,” she confesses. “But I still would say to anyone in my shoes, ‘Just keep applying.’ Persistence pays off in the end.”

Taking an Unexpected Path

However, when a nursing unit clerk job opened up at Menno Home in 2011, Shayla considered letting it pass. “I had never pictured myself working in residential care,” she says. “I was afraid it may be a depressing work environment.” But months of hopes dying in the bud had toughened Shayla up. What did she have to lose? She opted to apply to the 24-hour care facility, located on the Menno Place campus in Abbotsford.

This time, not only did her résumé make it to the top of the pile, but she also landed the job. And submitting an application turned out to be the best decision of her life.

“I was wrong about working with seniors,” she explains. “I just didn’t know how rewarding it would be. Menno Home is an amazing place and I would like to continue working here until I retire.”

Such a statement appears extreme for a young person who has almost 40 years left in the workplace. “I am serious,” Shayla protests, when she is faced with skepticism. “My co-workers are amazing. They are compassionate and loving. They care about each other and about the residents. Not many workplaces provide this type of supportive environment.”

Life as a Nursing Unit Clerk

At Menno Home, Shayla works at the front desk. “I am right in the middle of all the action,” she points out. “Every day is different. I love that. It never gets boring.”

In addition to handling admissions, transfers, and discharges and keeping all records in order, Shayla organizes charts, prints lab reports, stocks supplies, directs visitors, answers questions, and more.

But perhaps more meaningfully, she gets to make a difference in people’s lives. “It is like caring for your grandparents,” she says. “You just grow to love the residents.”

Working with seniors takes patience and understanding, especially when memory loss strikes. “Residents sometimes wander to the front desk, and they are confused or agitated,” Shayla says. “I may comfort them or take them to their bedrooms. They are so thankful for my help.”

Shayla acknowledges that the death of residents is always heart wrenching. “It is sad to see people you care about decline and die,” she says. “But we can rest on the fact that we have done everything we could to make the last part of their lives as happy as it can be.”

Despite the hard moments, Shayla would not give up her job for anything. “Every day, I feel good about going to work,” she says. “It’s exciting and rewarding to work at Menno Home.”

On the whole, Shayla credits her training for the opportunity to find fulfillment in her career. “I wouldn’t have had the chance to work at Menno Home if I didn’t take the Nursing Unit Clerk program at UFV,” she stresses.

 

 

Come and join us to discover how family and friends can be supported and involved in residents’ lives at Menno Home and Hospital.

Thursday, February 18, 2016
1:30 – 2:30pm
Menno Hospital Chapel

We are looking forward to seeing you!

Facilitators:
Dan Janzen – Social Worker
Ruth Neufeld – Social Services

Today is #BellLetsTalk awareness day  – an open conversation about mental health. At Menno Place, we are aware of the impact of depression among the elderly, particularly as they experience multiple losses in their lives.

Depression among seniors is a result of “factors such as loss of control and independence as the result of illness and/or disability, loneliness, and lack of social support” – Fact Sheet: Depression Among Seniors, Canadian Psychological Association

It is critical to remember that depression is NOT the unavoidable fate of older age. Statistics say that about 15% of older persons over 65 report significant levels of depressive symptoms.

At Menno Place, we seek to reduce depression in elderly seniors by providing a full social calendar of recreational opportunities; spiritual care including Bible Studies and one-on-one pastoral care visits; friendship care through one-on-one visits; medical intervention as recommended by a doctor; music therapy; bus trips and so much more.

Depression in elderly seniors can be difficult to detect. The symptoms of depression such as sleep problems, feeling fatigued and lack of energy naturally occur in older adulthood.

The Canadian Psychological Association suggests several psychological approaches that are particularly useful for people who are unable or unwilling to take antidepressant medications:

• Cognitive-behaviour therapy helps individuals with depression become aware of how thoughts influence mood and behavior, and learn to correct negative ways of thinking in order to alleviate depression.
• Interpersonal therapy helps the depressed person cope with current stresses and challenges in interpersonal relationships – in particular in the context of conflicts, grief and bereavement, changes in roles, and social support.
• Problem-solving therapy helps individuals with depression develop effective problem-solving skills to cope with current difficulties, such as managing a health condition or adjusting to living in a nursing home.
• Reminiscence therapy helps individuals with depression re-evaluate personal memories in order to rediscover a sense of worth and life coherence and meaning.

These psychological treatments are safe and effective alternatives to medications for mild to moderate depression, with combined drug and psychological treatment often used for complex cases

For the past 2 years, Menno Place has been pleased to participate in providing an immersion exercise for the Family Systems: Advanced Marriage and Family Therapy course (CPSY 616) for the Masters of Arts Counselling Psychology degree at Trinity Western University. This involves setting up two one-on-one interactions per student with an elderly senior who lives on the Menno Place campus to increase the student’s understanding of issues faced by the elderly.

Our participation in this course has supported professor Martin Bartel in bringing into focus the issues elderly seniors and their families face.

With this involvement in educating future Family Counsellors, Menno Place is bringing the issues of mental health and family dynamics into the conversation. Our goal is to provide support in the area of mental health for elderly seniors and their family now and in years to come.