麻豆视频

On a typical day Anna Erick has the duty of planning activities for residents at Moose Mountain Lodge in the town of Carlyle. Her activities range from music programs and games to sewing and art. However, amidst the festivities during Christmas less than a month ago Erick retired as activities director at Moose Mountain Lodge (MML). She says her fondest and most lasting memory of the retirement home will be remembering each resident as an individual.

"We always had a lot of events for seasons and stuff You always have your mother's day tea and your family Christmas tea and all those kind of things but the things you remember most are the individual things," she said.

"The individual talks and the individual stories, you meet a lot of the families and you get to know a lot of the families. You go downtown and a lot of the families have had somebody in there (MML) in the last 15 years. So you know when you get into the town, you know most of the people because you've touched their family in some way."

Erick has amassed 30 years of experience in recreation management and has been activities director for Moose Mountain Lodge for the last 15 years. She says recreation is something she has always enjoyed and as such decided to go into recreation technology when she left high school. After two years in Saskatoon at the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) at the Kelsey campus she graduated and headed to Weyburn. And then did 15 years at the Souris Valley Mental Health Hospital in Weyburn. She then moved to Carlyle with her family and describes the community as one that gets highly involved with the programs at MML.

"The people are really good, we've had super volunteers. We've had volunteers that come all the time, you can count on them every month, some people come every day, we couldn't have done it without the volunteers - run the program," she said.

Erick says she always liked working with the residents and indicated that being hands on was always the fun part of the programs. She also praised the MML staff saying many of the programs could not have been successful without their help. "If it's not for the backbone of your staff you don't get to carry out your program. Without the nursing staff, kitchen staff and housekeeping - they're the back bone to keep things going. You just have to mention you're doing something and they're right behind you," she said.

When asked about the challenges she found in the job over the years, Erick profoundly stated, "I believe you make your own challenges." A philosophy she has used over the years to achieve success at MML.

"I think you keep going day by day You can work as hard at it as you want to. If you want to bring in more volunteers whatever you want to do, is up to you. Your challenges are kind of your ownthe job is kind of what you make it," she said.

"You sometimes feel you're doing a program and you don't have as many people as you wish then you're always questioning what you could do better. But after you do it a few times, you get to learn what works and what doesn't work and we've always had good staff and we've always gotten along really well." Another aspect of recreation management Erick spoke about was actually getting the residents involved in the activities. A feat that isn't as easy as some may believe, for many residents often have their own personal issues to deal with, which at times filter over into their social lives. This applies especially to the new comers at the home who are maybe just getting adjusted to a new lifestyle.

"To begin with, they have to get themselves orientated to the facility. You can't go in the first day there and start pushing, 'saying we have something going on today, you're coming.' You have to let them get adjusted," she said.

"They have to know where everything is and want to come. You invite everyone to come and gradually they'll start coming. It's like going to a new place; you have to work yourself into it. You can't push people, you just keep inviting them and after a while they'll give in." Erick has credited her time at the retirement home as cause for building her patience and said it drives home the reality that everyone does get old. And said the experiences that come with that can be daunting at times, but hailed the character of many families in town and their unrelenting strength.

"A lot of people have had a lot of challenges in their life - physical and mental, and they just keep plugging away. A lot of families have gone through struggles with Alzheimer's in their family and they keep going, they learn how to cope," she said.

"There are a lot of really strong families because it takes a lot of courage for people to come see their parents going downhill all the time and coming back. Where a lot of people let it go and say they can't visit which is kind of a cheap way out. I think people who can come see their parents and make the real effort to do it often - they may not think their family members really know or appreciate it but they really do." This commitment by families will result in residents becoming much happier and as a staff member she said you do recognize the changes in attitude when family is around often.

Erick enjoys quilting and has eight grandchildren all under the age of 10. And though she has no immediate plans for her retirement, Erick believes she will be kept very busy and looks forward to new prospects in the years to come.