Manitoulin Lodge staff gives back each month
Monday September 10, 2007 -- Jason Thompson
Heather Nodecker says monthly teas at Manitoulin Lodge, a nursing home owned by Jarlette Health Services on Manitoulin Island, are a great way for staff to get to know the people they care for outside of a professional setting.

“We consider all of them family,” says Nodecker, a health-care aide at the home. “We’re a very close community and this is just a way that we can be involved with them that isn’t in the professional manner.”

The teas are held on a Sunday each month. The staff bakes and serves the residents and their families, who are also invited.

“This is where we get to sit and be friends and not caregivers,” Nodecker says. “I love my job, I’ve been doing it for 24 years, but you don’t have the time to sit down and really enjoy them.”

Gloria Hall, the activities director at Manitoulin Lodge, says staff from every department in the home helps with organizing the teas.

“It’s a nice way for the staff to give back to the residents and the families because often times you’re doing things but you’re not having fun with them.”

The theme of the monthly teas is based on different seasonal holidays and events. The tea in September was scheduled for Grandparents Day.

The theme for the August tea was based on the Providence Bay Fair, an annual event on Manitoulin Island.

“We’re doing something because a lot of the residents can’t go (to the fair),” says Nodecker.

The tea in July featured red and white decorations and was in celebration of Canada Day while the ones in May and June celebrated Mother’s Day and Father's Day respectively.

“It’s a nice way for the staff to give back to the residents. It’s a nice social time for everybody,” says Hall.