Long-term care improves lives Wednesday January 9, 2008 -- Deron Hamel
Providing residents with meaningful opportunities and improving their livelihood is what long-term care is all about. In some cases, long-term care has given residents the best quality of life they’ve had in years.

A resident at The Village of Erin Meadows has made a significant improvement since coming to long-term care a few years ago, says Ash Agarwal, the general manager of the home, which is owned by Oakwood Retirement Communities Inc.

Agarwal says when the resident, whose name is Annie, first came to the home, she was quiet, kept to herself and didn’t participate in any of the activities offered to her.

“When Annie came here, she was a very depressed, confused lady,” he recalls. “She always stayed in her room. . . . Her family was very concerned about the well-being of their mom.”

After seeing the high quality of life enjoyed by her fellow residents, Annie slowly became more active. She started participating in activities and made new acquaintances.

Annie’s daughter, Marlene Wilson, applauds the work of the staff at the home for the positive impact their efforts have had on her mother.

“(The staff) helped her so much to build her self-esteem,” she says. “The nursing care there has been exceptional. She’s made a real turnaround.”

As testament to her improvement, Annie recently got all dressed up.

This big step forward for Annie and the improvement she has had, thanks to long-term care, was not only noticed by staff members at the home — her family has also seen the benefits.

“The family is so happy because they say they’ve found their mom again after so many years,” says Agarwal.

Not only does long-term care help improve the emotional well-being of residents, in some cases it picks up where acute health care leaves off.

Sixty-eight-year-old Ken Brown came to OMNI Health Care-owned Pleasant Meadow Manor in April 2007 shortly after suffering a fall that left him in a wheelchair. Doctors told Brown he would never walk again.

But within only a few months of moving into the Norwood long-term care home Brown was again on his feet, thanks to the support he received from staff along with a physiotherapy routine.

“We told him that we would do everything we can,” says Barbara Ross, a physiotherapy assistant who works with Brown. “He has worked really hard and with a lot of encouragement he has carried on.”

After 4 ½ months of physiotherapy, Brown began dividing his time between walker and wheelchair.

Brown has taken his recovery up another notch, thanks to all his hard work. Today, he uses his walker full time.

And since he no longer requires a wheelchair, he had to keep a promise to Ross.

“I told him that when he got better that I was to have the first dance with him,” she recalls.

In October, while attending a performance by the Otonabee Fiddlers at the home, Ross cashed in on that promise.

“I said to him, ‘It’s time to dance,” and he said, ‘Can I?’ I said, ‘Yes, you can,’ and we got up and danced,” she says.