IN S I D E T H I S I S S U E

1 Remembrance Day

2 Calendar of Events – November 2014

3 Para Transit Rate Changes – January 2015

4 Christmas Preparations

5 Emergency Preparedness

6 Christmas Activities

7 Winter Footwear

8 Halloween/Employee Long Service

Our Vision St. Lawrence Lodge will be

a leader in providing progressive long term care.

Our Values Respect

Quality Service

Resident-Centered Care

Compassion Our Mission

St. Lawrence Lodge provides quality, resident-centered, long term care in

partnership with families and personal care givers and in collaboration with community resources.

Our Philosophy We believe the atmosphere of our Home lies with those who reside and work with us. The Home celebrates resident life as it is being

lived today in an environment that enables

an optimal level of independence, choice, and

individuality.

Please join us in the Fireside Lounge on November 11th at 10:30 am for a Remembrance Day Ceremony!

L O N G T E R M C A R E S I N C E 1 9 7 0 N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 4

Page 2

Tues., Nov. 4th Beth – Flute Birch – 11:00 a.m. Tues., Nov. 4th 2nd Floor Birthday Club Birch – 2:00 p.m. Tues., Nov. 4th Art Therapy on 1st Floor Elm – 2:00 p.m. Tues., Nov. 4th Movie Night Town Square – 6:45 p.m. Wed., Nov. 5th Music with Wayne Cedar – 10:30 p.m. Wed., Nov. 5th Birthday Musical Harmonica Sing-A-Long Town Square – 1:45 p.m. Thurs., Nov. 6th 1st Floor Birthday Club Elm – 10:00 a.m. Sat., Nov. 8th Tom Wilson Trio Town Square – 1:45 p.m. Tues., Nov. 11th Remembrance Day Service Town Square – 10:30 a.m. Tues., Nov. 11th Remembrance Day Pub – Tom Wilson Town Square – 1:45 p.m. Wed., Nov. 12th Music with Vangie Birch – 10:30 a.m. Wed., Nov. 12th Parabus Shopping – Wal Mart Front Door – 1:00 p.m. Fri., Nov. 14th Music with Jacquie Cedar – 10:30 a.m. Sat., Nov. 15th The Brown’s Town Square – 1:45 p.m. Mon., Nov. 17th Winnona Town Square – 1:45 p.m. Tues., Nov. 18th Beth – Flute Maple – 11:00 a.m. Tues., Nov. 18th Art Therapy on 2nd Floor Birch – 2:00 p.m. Tues., Nov. 18th Memories of Yesterday Town Square – 6:45 p.m. Wed., Nov. 19th Bernie & Verna Birch – 10:30 a.m. Wed., Nov. 19th Music with Wayne Cedar – 10:30 a.m. Wed., Nov. 19th Brockville Museum Chapel – 1:45 p.m. Fri., Nov. 21st Elvis Town Square – 1:45 p.m. Sat., Nov. 22nd Eileen Town Square – 1:45 p.m. Tues., Nov. 25th Beth – Flute Elm – 11:00 a.m. Tues., Nov. 25th Art Therapy on 3rd Floor Maple – 2:00 p.m. Tues., Nov. 25th Tom Wilson Town Square – 6:45 p.m. Wed., Nov. 26th Music with Vangie Spruce – 10:30 a.m. Wed., Nov. 26th Fiddler’s Plus Town Square – 1:45 p.m. Fri., Nov. 28th Music with Jacquie Birch – 10:30 a.m. Sat., Nov. 29th Pub – Matt Hayes Town Square – 1:45 p.m.

SPECIAL CARE (OAK) – NOVEMBER 2014

Sat., Nov. 1st Eileen 1:45 p.m. Mon., Nov. 3rd Music with Joyce 10:30 a.m. Wed., Nov. 5th Music with Vangie 10:30 a.m. Thurs., Nov. 6th Oak Birthday Club 10:00 a.m. Fri., Nov. 7th Music with Jacquie 10:30 a.m. Mon., Nov. 10th Music with Joyce 10:30 a.m. Fri., Nov. 14th Hudson Majaury 1:45 p.m. Mon., Nov. 17th Music with Joyce 10:30 a.m. Wed., Nov. 19th Music with Vangie 10:30 a.m. Thurs., Nov. 20th Bernie & Verna 10:30 a.m. Mon., Nov. 24th Music with Joyce 10:30 a.m. Fri., Nov. 28th Harmonica Sing-A-Long 1:45 p.m.

Calendar of Events – November 2014

Page 3

Para Transit Rates to Increase Effective January 1, 2015

For several years now, St. Lawrence Lodge has been subsidizing the cost of Para Transit services for residents using this City of Brockville bus service. Basically, Para Transit monitors the number of rides taken by residents of St. Lawrence Lodge and their escorts and sends the Home a bill to cover the actual costs of operating the Para Transit service over and above the $2.25 rate that each rider is charged. Recently, the operational costs for Para Transit have been increasing substantially year over year. It is now at the point where the Home is subsidizing the use of this service in the amount of $21,540 per year. The subsidy the Home pays is in addition to the $2.25 per ride fee paid to Para Transit. The Committee of Management has been reviewing this situation and has determined that the Home cannot continue to subsidize the use of Para Transit service to this extent, since the Home receives no funding to offset the bus transportation cost. Basically, the Home has to take the money from other parts of it’s operations to pay for Para Transit. The Committee of Management recognizes the importance of this service to residents, in particular, to attend medical appointments. They are also aware of the potential financial impact to Para Transit users from St. Lawrence Lodge if the ride rates were increased immediately to cover the full cost per ride (an additional $15.00 over and above the $2.25 ride rate in 2013). The Board also is aware that all residents agree to cover the full costs of Para Transit when they endorse the Admission Agreement. Consequently, the Home will introduce new ride rates that will vary depending on the purpose of the trip. Medical appointment-related rides will have a phased in rate per ride increase. Non-medical rides will be billed at the actual full rate per ride. Therefore, please be advised that the Home will introduce the following per ride rate changes, effective January 1, 2015, which will be in addition to the rate Para Bus charges per ride, for medical and non-medical Para Transit trips: Resident Escort Total Medical Trips $5.00 per ride $5.00 per ride $7.25 ($2.25+$5) Non-Medical Trips $15.00 per ride $15.00 per ride $17.25 ($2.25+$15) Para Transit users should also note that medical-related ride rates will continue to be adjusted annually until they are at a level that reflects the true cost of using the service. The Home will continue to subsidize these ride rates in the meantime. This phase in period is expected to take approximately 3 years. Should you have any questions, please contact Tom Harrington at 613-345-0255 ext 4106.

Page 4

Christmas Calendar of Events – Our Activation Calendar will be brimming with speci al events and celebrations throughout the month of December 2 014. Please be sure to check the calendar regularly for coming events and we hop e you take the opportunity to enjoy this festive time with our residents. Christmas Decorating Week – The Home will be putting up its Christmas decoratio ns during the latter part of November and early December to c reate a fun, festive mood for all residen ts and their guests to enjoy. Christmas Decorating Guidelines – The Home has prepared Christmas Decorating Guidelin es to assist residents in making decisions about their Christmas decorating plans. These Decorating Guidelines are intended to honour resid ent wishes to decorate for Christmas, while maintaining fire safety and resident safety p rinciples. For your information, a copy of the Guidelines is attached to this newsletter. Ple ase contact the Nursing Department should you have any questions. Christmas Season Room Reservation Bookings – all residents and families wishing to reserve a room for a private celebration during the Christmas season must call Carol Brophy directly to confirm your reservation. Carol can be reached at 613-345-0255 ext. 4122. All room reservations are only done through a central o ffice so it is important for you to have your reservation confirmed directly by Carol. Christmas Day Meals - The Home is not able to provide meals for purchase on Christmas Day. However, resident guests are free to bring a festive meal to the Home . The Fireside Lounge will be available on Christmas Day as space for res idents and their families who may wish to share a Christmas meal together. Tables and chairs will be set up, along with microwave ovens to heat food. Coffee and tea will be provide d by the Home. All guests using the area are asked to please keep the area clean and tidy fo r other users. Resident Christmas Leave of Absence Form – In preparation for the Christmas Season, please find enclosed a Resident Christmas Leave of Absence Form . This form will advise our Nursing Staff of the resident’s intention to be awa y during the holiday and will help Nursing Staff prepare any necessary medications, while the resident is out of the Lodge. Labeling of Resident Clothing – Don’t forget that resident personal clothing items need to have a St. Lawrence Lodge- provided label attached. Arrangements can be made in advance of Christmas to have clothing items labeled before wrapping your gifts. Plea se bring your gift items into the Home early so they are labeled and r eady for wear after the gifts are opened. Scented Products Reminder —St. Lawrence Lodge promotes a scent free environmen t. Scented products can trigger serious health reactio ns for some residents and staff. The Home requests that people refrain from wearing perf umes, colognes, and other scented products. Please consider this in your gift- giving decisions. Thank you for your cooperation in making our Home a scent free environment.

In Preparation for the upcoming Christmas season, please review some

helpful tips and information to help you

plan for the holiday season!

Page 5

St. Lawrence Lodge Test Of It’s Emergency Preparedness Goes Well!

As previously reported, on Wednesday October 22nd, St. Lawrence Lodge undertook a simulated fire drill to test it’s readiness for a real emergency. The drill will took place on 1st floor at approximately 12 pm. Members of the Elizabethtown-Kitley Fire Department and the Brockville Fire Department were on-site to observe the drill. No residents were directly involved in the drill. Instead, they attended a special activity in the Fireside Lounge for the duration of the exercise. However, in order to make the drill as realistic as possible, St. Lawrence College students volunteered to act as our residents that the Home’s staff were to move away from the fire area. The Fire Departments reported that they were satisfied with the Home’s response to the simulated fire incident and the Home was declared compliant with Ontario Fire Marshall requirements. These drills are important exercises to undertake so that the Home is ready to respond immediately to various emergency situations that could face the Home at any time. The following are some pictures showing the simulated fire exercise in action.

Page 6

The Residents and the Committee of Management of St. Lawrence Lodge cordially

Invite you to attend the

Christmas Pub.

Come and join us for an afternoon of entertainment and goodies.

When: Tuesday December 9th Time: 2:00 pm Where: Fireside Lounge

Mark Your Calendars!

Christmas Bazaar

Including a Christmas Bake Sale and Nearly-New Sale

When: Tuesday December 2nd Time: 10:00 am to 3:00 pm Where: Fireside Lounge

Page 7

With the winter weather coming, we would like to try to prevent winter debris from being

tracked into our newly-renovated Fireside Lounge area. We would respectfully

request that visitors coming into the Home please use the corridor on the Right Hand Side

of the main entrance to make their way down to the Resident Home Areas.

In addition, with winter fast approaching, we want to remind you that we need your cooperation to help us keep winter debris at the front door, where it belongs. St. Lawrence Lodge is home to 224

residents and we all need to treat our building accordingly.

Starting in November as the winter weather approaches, we ask you to please bring inside footwear

to wear while you are visiting. A change area is located just to the right of the main entrance

doorway.

It is important that you cooperate with this initiative in order to keep our Resident’s living areas

safe, clean, and tidy. Even a little bit of grit on the floor can become a slipping hazard for our

residents. Your support and understanding is appreciated by all residents!

Winter Footwear Reminder

Halloween Party Was A Hoot!

The annual Resident’s Halloween Costume party was another great success! There were many creative and ingenious costumes to mark the occasion! Congratulations to all who participated and a special thank you to staff and family members who helped our residents prepare their costumes. Below are some of the pictures from the Halloween party. Enjoy!

Page 8

Employee Long Service Celebration

St. Lawrence Lodge held its annual Long Service Celebration Evening recently. Over 570 years of service were celebrated, along with recent retirements, and perfect attendance.

Have a great month!

Tom Harrington

Administrator

Page 9

St. Lawrence Lodge Christmas and General Decorating Guidelines for Resident Rooms

In keeping with the mission and values of St. Lawrence Lodge, residents are encouraged to decorate their rooms in a manner that makes residents feel comfortable and safe, as well as, maintaining the ongoing appearance and upkeep of the building. With Christmas fast approaching, the Home recognizes the desire

to decorate rooms in a festive and seasonal manner. Christmas decorating suggestions include:

o Small artificial trees o Door wreaths o Window decorations, using suction cup holders

St. Lawrence Lodge supports the resident’s right to decorate their room and offers the following guidelines to ensure compliance with fire and safety standards and best practices. 1. Resident and family members are asked to use products guaranteed not to

damage walls or surfaces. Resident and family members are asked not to use screws, nails, thumb tacks, push-pins, staples, scotch tape, duct tape, glue, or foam-type adhesives to attach decorations to the door, window, or walls.

2. Door decorations are to be hung with a thin “over-the-door” hanger available at many local stores. For fire safety reasons, the door decoration and hanger must not interfere in any way with proper closure of the door.

3. Pictures and paper which cover the entire surface of the door are not permitted.

4. Spray paint, window paints or aerosol “snow” is prohibited. 5. Candles and/or any heavily scented items are prohibited. 6. Indoor mini-lights labeled by CSA or Underwriters Laboratories (ULC) must

be used. These lights are not to be strung along curtains, railings, or doors. All lights must be unplugged when the resident retires for the night or leaves the room. Exterior rated lighting is not permitted.

7. Residents and families are reminded that any electrical products must be inspected by the maintenance department prior to use in the room. Extension cords are prohibited.

8. Decorations must not be hung from lamp shades, curtain rods, ceiling tiles, ceiling track, or sprinkler heads.

9. Families wishing to bring Christmas trees in for resident rooms are asked to bring in artificial trees which must be less than 36 inches in height.

10. We ask that you be mindful of resident sensitivities and possible allergies. Please use your discretion in the purchase of Christmas plants.

(Thank you for your cooperation. We look forward to a festive and safe holiday season!)