Fish races rev up residents at Villa Care Centre
Easy-to-start program a hit with everyone
Tuesday June 30, 2009 -- Deron Hamel
The June 23 goldfish and minnow races held at Villa Care Centre were an exciting activity that caused an atmosphere at the Midland long-term care home reminiscent of a steeplechase, says life enrichment co-ordinator Anne Cascagnette.

One of the great things about the program is the fact that it’s easy to create and one that goes over well with residents, says Cascagnette. While participating residents at the Jarlette Health Services-owned home were not awarded prizes for this year’s event, they were given bragging rights, she adds.

Overall, the event promoted an atmosphere of fun and excitement, which was the purpose of the program, Cascagnette points out, adding that many people get an adrenaline rush from watching this sort of competitive event.

“The residents were all getting excited because it’s like going to the races,” she says. “Residents were all yelling and cheering their fish on. It was a great event.”

A former staff member from the home’s life enrichment department launched the program last year to great success.

As part of the program, staff members line up four water troughs side by side and fill them with a few inches of water. Participating residents are then provided with a goldfish or minnow — which can be easily purchased at pet stores or bait shops — to place in the troughs.

“The residents were laughing and talking about it afterwards — it was a lot of fun for them,” says Cascagnette. “It was something that they really, really enjoyed. It was the rush they got from it.”

Due to the interest that this year’s program garnered, Cascagnette says in the future she plans to use two troughs, rather than four, and run them along a large table. This way more residents will be able to watch the races, she notes.

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