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This weeks #becausewecare comes from The Dementia Society in Ottawa. We are so thrilled to introduce you to Misia!

“I am forever grateful for this opportunity as it has also impacted my caregiver coaching role. I often used the ABC method when discussing triggers with families in my prior coaching role. I look at my coaching in a very different way when using the WOW method. There is so much more to reflect on with observations and who the person is both past and present. I use the WOW in every conversation I have now, and as a result, every conversation ends with at least one suggestion on how a certain activity, role or routine can help improve the quality of the person’s day. It begins the caregiver looking at things in a different way and sparks them to become more of a ‘detective’ as I often put it with them.

This has also impacted me in my personal life and made me see that often the way people react and how they behave has a lot more to do with their past and not just the present. I appreciate connection in a different way. I am so excited and hopeful to guide the Dementiability workshops for our caregivers moving forward.”

Misia McCallum
Dementia Care Coach
The Dementia Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County
Ottawa, ON

Thanks Misia! You are going to change the lives of many.

This weeks #becausewecare comes from Vancouver, BC. Andii was our very first certified individual of 2021! She has since continued to put DementiAbility into action and has had some incredible successes!

“I just love DementiAbilty and the opportunities that it gives our residents living with Dementia to embrace who they were and activities they used to enjoy! As things are getting back to somewhat normal here in Vancouver, it has been wonderful to be able to offer more programs to our residents. As well as to be able to learn more about these individuals every day. During the pandemic restrictions I think a big success in programming was being able to add to our DementiAbility library, by creating stories with our residents. Once we worked our way through the great stories DementiAbility offers we were able to read the books that the resident inspired such as “The History of the Vancouver Aquarium” and “The History of British Columbia”. We were even able to share our stories with other facilities and in turn they wrote their own to share with us! Creating stories was a great outlet for learning who the residents were and what they did (do) enjoy.
Another project we are working on right now is communication cards. These benefit residents that do not speak English or English as a second language as well as those that may be hard of hearing. They have been very helpful for all staff in being able to communicate effectively with those residents that benefit from them. We currently have 7 dialects (Tagalog, Spanish, Vietnamese, 2 Chinese dialects, Bengali and Punjabi) and always looking to add more to our card index!”

Andii Millett, RecT.
Recreation worker of Lifestyles & Therapeutic Services
Broadway Lodge
Vancouver, BC

This weeks #becausewecare is a story that absolutely touched our hearts. Christine Wilkinson from Niagara College connected us with Heather Kane and informed us of an AMAZING initiative she partook in. We are so pleased to share Heathers story with you.

“Jackie Robarts is a very busy person, she always has been, and always will be. She was the first woman to be appointed President of a College of Applied Arts and Technology in Ontario, she was often the top of her class, and the winner of many different awards for her accomplishments. Now living with dementia, Jackie is just as busy as she always was, only her sense of accomplishment and purpose has diminished.
Through my training with DementiAbility I realized how important it is to provide an environment that is familiar and set for success of the individual living with Dementia. I contacted my previous Professor from Niagara College’s Recreation Therapy program, and we developed an individualized program for Jackie. The plan was to connect Jackie with students so that she may share her work experience and advice to the students. This created a learning opportunity for students as well as an opportunity for Jackie to thrive, doing what she does best, working and encouraging for the greater good!
Jackie met for 30-minute virtual calls, multiple times a week, with various eager students. They were able to ask her questions about her work, seek advice for themselves and other students, and engage her in uplifting conversations. Prior to the calls Jackie would at times be overtaken with confusion and anxiety associated with Dementia, but during these calls Jackie was able to focus and be fully engaged. She would speak words of wisdom and share some witty humour with the students. After the calls Jackie would reflect on how good she felt being able to help the students and how important it is to her that she is there for them still.
Jackie’s friends and loved ones have all remarked on the difference in her ability to recall memories of both 40 years ago to just moments ago, something that seemed was already lost from her. Her ability/desire to communicate has been increased and overall her demeanor has improved as she feels uplifted from having purpose again!
This has been a truly meaningful experience for all involved. A huge thank you goes out to Jackie for being willing to participate and continue to teach us all. Gratitude is shared with Gail Hilyer, Jackies POA and Niagara College. Thank you all for helping to make this happen.”

Heather Kane
Recreation Coordinator
The Community of Lookout Ridge
Fonthill, ON

This weeks “Because We Care” comes from one of our new DementiAbility Certified Grads! We are so thrilled to introduce you to the lovely Maheen.⁠
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“I find this experience both challenging and rewarding. I not only learned about our day to day challenges with caring for dementia residents but also realized that we think of them as being normal part of Dementia care. ⁠
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Dementiabiliy course gave me an insight about looking at the resident beyond their diagnosis. ⁠
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WOW model helped me look into resident’s past and what they were as a person before the diagnosis of dementia. Once I learned about their past life, I was able to understand their behaviour and personality better. It helped me with my observation of their behaviours, their interests and abilities. The WOW model helped me with incorporating new ideas and interventions to keep me resident positively engaged. It helped me know about the resident holistically. ⁠
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I also noted that these involvements and observations are always growing and changing with our clients. I understand that when you know a person with dementia you know only one person with dementia. I appreciate that my residents with dementia have a new day every day…⁠
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This course has given me an in-depth understanding of the struggle of people with dementia and their loved ones. It makes me realize that we must work with our care team and the families but also keep the communication channel open.”⁠
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Maheen Ashfaq⁠
RN, GNC (C). ⁠
Fairview Lodge⁠
Whitby, ON⁠
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Congratulations on all your wonderful success Maheen!

We are back for more #becausewecare! This week we are so pleased to introduce you to Melissa. Melissa came to our workshop in Vancouver 6 years ago and has since been a true advocate of DementiAbility. She has now become DementiAbility certified and is working towards certifying her whole home! Here is an excerpt from Melissa’s certification experience.

“When we started the DementiAbility Certification process here at St. Charles Manor we wanted to test our understanding of the materials/kits and methods learned and how to put them into practice here at our home. How do we put DementiAbility Methods into practice? About 6 years ago myself, Melissa Howarth, Activity Coordinator enrolled in the 2-day course with Gail Elliot in Vancouver BC and then completed the fresher course in January 2021. Our Executive Director Twila Thomson, Care Aide Roselo Sefuentes, RN Leah Chisholm and RN Lara Strachan completed the 2-day course in March 2021. We have all been busy learning and understanding the DementiAbility Methods. In starting the implementation of materials for Residents to use I started making up “kits” with labels on yellow paper with black bold fonts what the kits intention. Then started buying furniture that would assist in displaying these kits/materials, so they were easy for Residents and Staff to see and use daily. Making sure these were age appropriate, easy to sanitize, and dementia friendly kits. We have a shopping list for staff to put items they would like, or if we run out of something and need more as I do all the shopping. The next step is an ongoing learning process for ALL staff members.”

Melissa Howarth
Activity Coordinator, St. Charles Manor, Trillium
Victoria, BC

Thanks Melissa! We can’t wait to see what you continue to do!

This weeks “Because We Care” comes all the way from Burns Lake, BC. Jhenny sent me a message last week showing some of the wonderful art work she has inspired some of her residents to create. We are so pleased to introduce you to Jhenny!

“I am a greeter during the pandemic but to pass time I try and mingle with the residents.
One day I just decided to sit down and draw. Drawing has always been something I’ve enjoyed.
So I just sat down started drawing and pretty soon I had 2 people join a few days later I had 4 and now I will sometimes get up to 6 people sit down and colour or learn how to draw basic things like birds dogs cats etc…

Sometimes I will bring in my guitar and play some tunes some they know some I know.
Everyone is invited and remember when it comes to art there is no wrong way!”

Jhenny Nelson
Student
The Pines
Burns Lake, BC

We love your attitude Jhenny! Keep up the great work and we can’t wait to see where your career takes you!

“I loved the Certification process. Going through the ‘All About Me’ and the other forms including Needs, Interests and Roles started some fascinating conversations. The two participants I had chosen were two that the team and I believed we knew quite well. But opening up these conversations meant that we learned some very valuable information about each participant that we did not know of before. I highly recommend getting Certified! Now as a Trainer, I absolutely love the discussions that I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of. While teaching over Zoom isn’t always the easiest, there are so many creative minds that love to collaborate and discuss new challenges and strategies that have arisen during the Pandemic.”

Kelly Jagger
Clinical Resource Worker,
Community Support Services
St. Joseph’s Health Center,
Waterloo Wellington

This weeks “Because We Care” comes from a recent DementiAbility Certified grad. We are thrilled to introduce you to Brandon.

“As part of completing my DementiAbility Certification each of us were tasked with implementing a “reading club” (what the Wilkes Terrace resident’s referred to as.) With the hurdles and demand of working in these challenging times our reading group at Wilkes Terrace long term care home was structured to take place twice a week (Wednesday + Thursday) at the same time each week. The overall experience was great and a huge success in my opinion. This project allowed me to learn a lot. I learned new things about the Wilkes Terrace residents, I learned that this reading group provided an environment where they felt safe, and secure enough to share stories. I also learned that there is a lot of behind the scenes preparation that goes into an activity like this. The residents here at Wilkes Terrace have requested that reading club continue to be an activity weekly, speaking with our activities coordinator she has now added “Reading Club” to the monthly activities twice weekly on our original days that we used. It was also passed on to me that it was proposed at Resident’s council meeting that the reading club had inspired the residents to want to write their own short story/stories. This is something that will most definitely be looked into as a project for the future.”

Brandon Pope
Psychogeriatric Resource Consultant
The McCausland Hospital / Wilkes Terrace LTC
Terrace Bay, ON

This weeks “Because We Care” comes from one of our newest DementiAbility Certification graduates! Helen Hunter (MPH) is the founder of the Dementia Family Caregiver Network in Sidney, BC.

“DementiAbility course and certification has helped me as a medical professional by increasing my knowledge to help those living with mild cognitive impairment, and dementia and their family caregivers. Using the knowledge from the course, workbook, and using the program participant profile and connecting what you know to what you do through the table of Connecting Observations to Goals and Interventions and using the WOW model assists in making a successful plan for each client.

Thank you, Gail and Laura, for this fantastic program, Dementiability!”

Thanks Helen! We can’t wait to see what you continue to do!

“I have had the incredible honour of working in a retirement home setting for the past 8 ½ years in the culinary department. I love working with our Senior Community and do my best to connect with each one of our Community Members on any level. Although I have had the desire, it has sometimes proved challenging for me to connect with those who are facing dementia.
Recently, I was able to take the DementAbility workshops, both communication and methods. While some of the material seemed very focused on long-term care settings and advanced dementia, I saw so much potential and benefit in applying these lessons to the Community Members I have the privilege of working with each day.
Just recently, a few days after completing the workshops, I had an interaction with one of our ladies. She has been diagnosed with Dementia and struggles with confusion which causes her anxiety and some depression. She was feeling very out of sorts, confused, and upset on this particular evening. She was wandering around in our 24-hour café unable to settle. I could see her struggle on my way out for the night, so I approached her, called her name, and asked if she would like to sit with me. We sat, but I could see that see was still quite unsettled. I called on what I had learned in the workshops. I moved closer to her, put my hand on her forearm, and began to talk about my day. It was incredible, almost instantly, I could feel her relax, focus, and connect with me. We had a cup of tea and had a lovely conversation. Something so simple, just taking the time to try instead of calling our “wellness” team to come and get her, or just walk by.
This, to me, is a great example of how being present and being aware can allow us to make a difference. Had I not been a part of the workshop, I would have known something was bothering her, but would not have known how to help her myself. I may have said some comforting things, but the likelihood is, without this training, my words of comfort would have been for me, as I would not have known how to connect with her and bring her comfort.”

Kelly-Anne Moss
Culinary Services Manager
V!VA Whitby Shores
Whitby, ON

“CARINA ERVINE:

When Royal Rose Place (RRP) first opened its doors in 2016, we had the opportunity to build a new culture from the ground up. From the very beginning, all staff members worked together to implement a person centred home, to achieve, improve and make a difference in each and every one of our residents’ lives. Beginning with the basics, Sarah Hessels, Life Enrichment Coordinator, was able to lead the home and implement a wide variety of DementiAbility Methods such as; activity buckets for residents to engage in throughout the day, All About Me posters outside residents doors, Mealtime Masterpieces for residents to create prior to meals, Job Boards to provide residents a sense of purpose within the home, a Craftsman Shed for the residents to show off their handyman skills and finally a calendar of programs that fully encapsulated DementiAbility Methods. Since then, we have been able to provide our residents with new themed areas such as; Little Roses Nursery where women and men can enjoy doll therapy, conversing about being a parent or talking about their childhood, a Sensory Room that provides comfort and cognitive stimulation and The Royal Garden which is a seasonal room where the residents can continue their passions of gardening or learn a new hobby.

Without Christine Wilkinson, Coordinator of the Recreation Therapy Program at

Niagara College, we would not have had our Royal Garden and many other DementiAbility activities. Since 2018, we have collaborated with her class to implement DementiAbility Methods within our home.

CHRISTINE WILKINSON

About five years ago, we were developing a new course in the Recreation Therapy Program called “Therapeutic Approaches for an Aging Population”. I knew in the development phase that I wanted to include DementiAbility Methods training for our students. After receiving an enthusiastic response from Gail Elliot when we first discussed this idea, planning began, and we were able to build the full DementiAbility Methods workshop into the course from the onset. I wanted to include a practical opportunity for students to put into practice what they learned in the workshop. It was an amazing stroke of luck that Royal Rose Place is located around the corner from Niagara College, and that Carina was fully onboard with collaborating from the first time we talked about it.

The assignment that students complete related to the workshop includes creating two DementiAbility activity kits for residents of Royal Rose Place. They also design a new themed area and then pitch that themed area to RRP staff. For the first two years of the partnership, students took their activity kits to RRP and had the opportunity to try them out with the residents, with the kits then being left at the home for future use by staff and residents. We have had to adapt this part of the assignment due to COVID-19 these past two years, but students were still able to create and present their activities virtually to staff, with RRP staff receiving the activities after the fact. For the themed area pitches, staff at RRP have selected the ideas that are the most appropriate, feasible, and creative, and have worked towards creating those themed areas, as they did with the “Royal Garden”.

Learning about the DementiAbility Methods and then having this practical opportunity through the partnership with Royal Rose Place has been very meaningful for students. Recreation Therapy student Jelena Vicentic says “this experience has been the most rewarding and eye-opening journey of my academic career. Prior to taking the DementiAbility Methods workshop I was terrified of dementia due to the common stigmas surrounding it. Now I see that individuals can lead a life with meaning, joy, and purpose by creating a supportive environment along with validating their reality. It was truly an honour and a privilege to learn, create, and collaborate with RRP. Knowing that our contributions will improve the lives of older adults is one the reasons we do what we do.” Jelena and her group members were one of the deserving teams whose themed area ideas will soon be implemented with the future creation of a retro-styled music room at Royal Rose Place.

CARINA ERVINE

Throughout the years, Gail Elliot has provided tours of our home for her colleagues around the world. When she gave Helen Millar, our Administrator and I the sign that says “DementiAbility Neighborhood” we felt truly honoured. It has been a pleasure to work alongside all of these wonderful people and I am genuinely excited to see where the Royal Rose Place team will take the home in the upcoming years. Although COVID-19 has affected our lives greatly, we have found ways to continue to provide our residents with a sense of normalcy through the use of DementiAbility Methods and our partnership with Niagara College.”

Carina Ervine, BRLS,Majoring in TR., CTRS – Life Enrichment Coordinator at Royal Rose Place

Christine Wilkinson, M.Sc., R/TRO – Coordinator, Recreation Therapy Program at Niagara College

This weeks “Because We Care” comes from an individual who has absolutely touched our hearts. We are so thrilled to introduce you to Christiana.

“What’s in a name?

DementiAbility, has been the core of my daily practice for decades as the owner and operator of Alexis Lodge Retirement Residence for the past two decades.

My journey through the years has been defined by transition, from beginnings working as a Registered Nurse on a busy crisis unit at Canada’s largest Psychiatric hospital, to my current day to day work, providing care to individuals with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia.
My first introduction came from Jill O’Donnell and her team, as our Consultant. Months later, I was all alone in the community to fend for myself and my residents. I had a couple of things in my favour, passion and the desire to make a difference. Unbeknownst to me, I branded Alexis Lodge as a home for difficult to manage individuals. My passion to create change also made me take on very challenging individuals, that no one wanted. I remember the day that one of our Nursing interns suggested a change of name to “Alexis Lodge Rehabilitation Centre.”

To help me along in my new position, I was constantly searching for educational opportunities and participating in training to improve my ability to care for those with dementia. Even so, I knew nothing about the Dementiability program, until our Local Health Integrated Health Network (LHIN) offered us the chance to do a workshop. After noticing the name, I remember mentioning DementiAbiility to a friend of mine who also operates a small home. At mention of the name, she lit up, and simply could not stop singing praises of the program. She told me that I’d soon realize I had never attended anything like it before, and insisted that I give it my full attention, so that I could bring my learnings back to my staff. Finally, she went on to tell me about the mother, Gail Elliot, who created the program, and her daughter, Laura, who now runs the program with her mother. She told me how kind, receptive and encouraging they both were. Driven by this enthusiastic reception, my curiosity got the better of me, and I could not wait for the training day to come.

After attending the program, I must say that it was everything my friend had told me, and more. Laura did not disappoint! It resonated so strongly with me, that from the very first day, I made up my mind, that I was going to become certified in Dementiability. All the things I have done through the years, now had a name, DementiAbility! All those years of pouring into people that were more or less written off, were now validated!

The goal in dementia care is to maintain and or enhance the individual’s remaining abilities, and Alexis Lodge has always, and will continue to do this by providing a safe, caring, loving and supportive home, that allows the abilities of our residents to shine through.

We are on our way to fully adopting the principles of Dementiabilty, guided by research, education and change in practices.”

Christiana Egi, RN, RNHN, NC
Executive Director
Alexis Lodge Retirement Residences
Scarborough, ON

Thank you Christiana for your years of dedicated service to those living with dementia. You have changed so many lives and will continue to change more. We look forward to many more years working together!

“Good morning Gail and Laura,

My name is Jelena Vicentic. I am a first year student in the Recreation Therapy program at Niagara College.

We had the opportunity to work through two of the DementiAbility workshops with Christine in Therapeutic Approaches to an Aging Population. Prior to learning about your methods I was terrified of Dementia. So much so that it was too difficult for me to attend the initial lecture introducing Dementia. I certainly did not see a future in Dementia care. Since participating in your workshops my life has changed forever.

Consider me a forever advocate of the DementiAbility Methods.

Thank you both for all the wonderful work you do.”
Jelena Vicentic
Recreation Therapy Fast-Track
Niagara College

“DementiAbility came to our Home to help us integrate their methods into the lives of residents living at Billings Court Manor in 2018. As a result , residents are now more engaged in meaningful activities in their daily lives.

We began by working on the environment of the Home. The residents are now able to enjoy a café, a workshop, an office, and a kitchen area. Throughout these areas, a variety of activities are made available with easy-to-read signage. Residents who have dementia are able to follow these cueing signs and initiate purposeful activities such as: sorting, reading, folding, colouring, and playing word games.

Many of our programs are now based around more meaningful activities, concentrating on the residents’ needs, interests and abilities. Examples are reading groups, baking bread, sorting laundry, setting the dining room table, and dusting. We started with one unit, and the staff from the other units saw the successful implementation of DementiAbility which included the decrease in behaviours and the overall happiness of the residents; they initiated similar interventions throughout the other four Home areas.

We thank Laura from DementiAbility for all her support. She helped transform our Home by using the DementiAbility methods, and has helped to give our residents an improved quality of life.”

Kathryn Penalgion

Director of Therapeutic Recreation Services

Billings Court Manor

Burlington, ON

It is time for another “Because We Care” segment! ⁠
Over the past few months we have had multiple staff come through the DementiAbility Certification process. Karleigh Wright, Sara Galusha & Stevie-Lee Kaemingh worked together to implement the DementiAbility Methods with those in their care over the past few months. This is what they had to say about their certification process:⁠
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“I’m grateful to have had this experience. The client we selected for certification was quite an interesting person to get to know, and I enjoyed the time we were able to share together as a result of being involved with the DementiAbility certification. I feel it gave me a good opportunity to sit down, get to know him as a person, as well as who he was prior to his admission to long term care. Because of this experience, we were able to trial new interventions with him, and find some that were particularly successful. Objectively, the resident is doing much better now – demonstrating fewer responsive behaviours; more engaged at meal time; seemingly happier day to day. ⁠
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While this type of thing is the specific role of the psychogeriatric resource program, and is not necessarily foreign to us, it was interesting and a fun experience to have a different “routine” to follow in determining and implementing these interventions. It also gave us a better opportunity to focus in on this client specifically, and we feel we’ve been able to assist him in achieving a better quality of life as a result.⁠
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We are grateful for the experience!”⁠
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Karleigh Wright, Sara Galusha & Stevie-Lee Kaemingh⁠
Canadian Mental Health Association ⁠
Fort Frances Branch⁠
Fort Frances, ON⁠
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Well done and congratulations for all you have accomplished and becoming DementiAbility Certified!