Source: AxionNews.ca - Kristian Partington, 9/17/12
Program to battle the plague of loneliness and depression in LTC residents
Few will argue that moving from independent living into a long-term care setting is one of the most difficult transitions a person will make in the course of life.
Loneliness, depression and feelings of helplessness can be rampant for residents, and helping them combat these feelings to live lives of fulfillment and meaning is an important goal of providers — it’s a cornerstone of life quality.
But when a person goes from raising a family and contributing steadily to the growth of their community through a lifetime of careers and volunteering to the point when they no longer ask for their help or advice, one could imagine finding meaning in life might be difficult.
This is where many residents in long-term care settings find themselves, but what if there was a way for their life experiences, knowledge and compassion to help others? What if their stories could fuel positive change through a mutual support system where residents carve out the roots of loneliness for each other?
This is what the Java Music Club is all about.
It’s an evidence-based approach to engagement that encourages people living in care homes and in the community to open up about issues of loneliness and depression in a safe environment, much like a mutual support program.
Guided by a facilitator, residents share space and speak from their hearts and souls about their past, present and future and in doing so, find new commonalities among each other, and build upon their own capacity to be healers for each other.
For two organizations in Ontario that began using the program this year, initial results have already exceeded expectations.
Volunteer and social services co-ordinator Melynda Anderton is the facilitator of the Java Music Club at the Village of Sandalwood Park in Brampton, one of six homes trialling the program at long-term care and retirement provider Schlegel Villages.
Since March, residents have participated in 21 sessions, and Anderton is continually amazed by each experience she’s part of. She looks forward to each session, as do residents.
“I love the idea of the empowerment that the program offers,” she says. “I’m there to guide the program but the residents are there to support and enhance each other’s quality of life.”
She says residents continually tell her how much they look forward to the sessions, and she now sees that sense of support extending well beyond the sessions, permeating the home itself. Participants are now identifying others who could benefit from the program, and seeing the benefits in each other.
Lynda Germain, is the director of training and development for Responsive Management, overseeing seven of the company’s homes in Ontario.
The company bought the homes in early 2010, and was looking for a signature program to separate new approaches from old, she says.
When they came across the Java Music Club, the interest was immediate and now, 55 managers and front-line staff have begun training in the program, which began rolling out this summer.
“I watch people coming out of their shell . . . and they’re able to talk freely,” she says.
Even before rolling the program out, they brought residents in to see the process in action and staff members and residents alike were instantly connecting like never before.
Both Germain and Anderton are beyond simple praise for the program, and agree it should be a part of every community where people are at risk of sinking into loneliness and depression.
Click here for more information on the Java Music Club, and if you have any questions or comments, feel free to e-mail kristian(at)axiomnews.ca.\
This article was originally published to the OMNIway, and appears here with permission. The OMNIway is published by Axiom News, and is a Stakeholder News service designed to engage OMNI Health Care's community in questions and stories that focus on assets and look to spark thinking around new possibilities. Feel free to contact peter(at)axiomnews.ca to learn more about Stakeholder News for your organization.
