How we help enrich lives
If we are going to help our residents live better, then it is our responsibility to offer them every opportunity to be actively engaged and involved. At Extendicare Hamilton, we provide social and recreational services seven days a week - including holidays. These services are designed to meet the physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual needs of our residents. All activities are developed, organized and led by qualified staff and we offer both group and individualized services to meet residents’ unique needs and circumstances. Examples of our recreational services and activities include:
- Snozelen Program: Our Snozelen Room is a sensory stimulation environment full of lights, smells, tactile surfaces and sounds for residents with dementia. Sights, smells and sounds are geared to the resident’s personal history and it is very effective in calming agitated residents and creating positive responses.
- Montessori Program: Our Montessori Program helps residents living with dementia connect with things and activities from their past. The Behavioural Support Team learns as much as they can about the residents past from friends and family and then tailors activities to their past history. It helps them to feel needed or useful and can help reduce and control responsive behaviours.
- Music and Memory: Through our Music and Memory program, residents living with dementia can have their own personal playlist loaded on an iPod and listen with earphones to their favourite music.
- Zumba Class: Held twice a month for our more active residents as a way to use music and chair dancing to stay fit and flexible.
- Creative Workshop: Through our twice-monthly Creative Workshop, the art therapist works with residents with moderate to low functioning residents to create their own paintings. The finished works hang on our walls for a month and then are given to the family.
- Pet Therapy: Through our Pet Therapy program, the local SPCA therapy rabbit visits our home once monthly and the local St. John’s Ambulance dog visits once weekly to spend some one-on-one time with residents.
- Monthly Birthday Bash: Our Monthly Birthday Bash is a staple and enjoyed by residents.
- Ice Cream Truck: Once a week from May to October when the weather is good, the ice cream truck stops by so everyone can enjoy a delicious ice cream cone.
We also offer a wide range of physiotherapy, cognitive, speech and occupational therapies according to the needs of our residents. Currently we offer:
- Physiotherapist
- Occupational Therapist
- Art Therapist