Bertha Isleifson has worked with seniors for nearly thirty years and says that no matter how old or even how ill someone is, their life has meaning and value; something she hopes to enhance and improve at Carlyle's Moose Mountain Lodge, by forming an auxiliary to benefit the facility and improve the daily lives of its residents.
"We have a wonderful facility here. We have 40 full-time residents and two respite beds that are always full," says Isleifson. "But there's always room for improvement and there are always things that can improve the quality of life for our residents as well as providing things that are fun for them."
"When I visited Redvers' new home, I saw that they had a big hairdryer mounted on the wall, with a big arm. For our ladies who are in big [wheel]chairs, that would be such a nice thing for them and to make the experience of getting their hair done so much easier on them."
"But it doesn't always have to be a big thing like that. In Stoughton, there's a breakfast club at their nursing home, where residents are treated to a breakfast of waffles with strawberries and whipped cream by a few ladies who come in. It just gives the residents a little something special to look forward to and it's such a simple thing, but it really keeps them connected to the community, which is so important."
"I think our residents can get so cut off from the town and what's going on, and it doesn't take a lot to make a huge impact with them. One example is the Dickens Parade. They start the parade here and we line up the residents so everyone can see the lights. They appreciate it so much. It's only about 10 minutes, but it's huge."
Isleifson was inspired to start an auxiliary that could aid residents of Moose Mountain Lodge during Gentle Persuasive Approach (GPA) training. "GPA is a way of helping people with dementia," she says. "To simplify, it's respecting them and letting them have their feelings. They often may act out something that is probably rooted in their past, for example. Because of their illness, we may never really understand where that's coming from, but what we can do, is respect them and their concerns. We can also try and prevent them from becoming bored. In all of us, boredom has the potential to lead us to constructive action or destructive action. We all look for excitement when we're bored, and by adding things that are enjoyable and fun to the lives of our residents-whether they have dementia or not-we can make sure that their quality of life is better."
"I've talked to different people and they're much pumped about the idea of forming a Moose Mountain Lodge auxiliary group," she says. "A few people have asked why the health region isn't funding a lot of these things, but all I can say is that our budget only goes so far, and in the meantime, we could be working to add some simple pleasures to the lives of our residents."
Currently, Isleifson's wish list for the residents of Moose Mountain Lodge is modest and achievable. "I'd like to spruce up our outdoor sitting area and I'd like to have our gazebo painted. I'd like to add to the wonderful volunteers who already come in to provide entertainment to our residents, as well as provide things for our residents like the hairdryer I saw in Redvers. Simple things, really."
"There are so many wonderful charities both here at home and overseas that we all support, but if you have a loved one in the lodge, you know that it doesn't take much to make a huge impact in our residents' lives. They live in this community, and we want them to feel connected to their towns and to the larger world."
"We realize that in our area, many people are very busy with work, so naturally, we welcome financial contributions if they can't volunteer or make it out to a meeting."
"But there are so many ways to contribute. We need money for the projects we'd like to do, but we also need bodies to do the fun stuff, like a breakfast club, too."
"A lot of people here helped to build our communities and make this area what it is today. Here at Moose Mountain Lodge, we want to return the favour by making sure our residents' lives continue to have meaning and value. And besides, we all want to have fun."
The inaugural meeting of the Moose Mountain Lodge Auxiliary will be held at Moose Mountain Lodge, 801 Souris Ave. West, Carlyle, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. For more information, call Bertha Isleifson at 453-2322.
