With a goal of ‘Honoring our Mothers and our Fathers,’ the Ontario senior community offers an innovative and supportive environment for residents
Written by Sarah Wolfe & Produced by Xan Wynne-Jones
Visit Shalom Village in Hamilton, Ontario, and you’ll hear the phrase “AT HOME.’”
It originated in 1981 when the non-profit was a 40-unit senior housing facility. The phrase then carried through an expansion coordinated by The Hamilton Jewish Foundation to create both a long-term care and assisted living community with the goal of “Honoring our Fathers and our Mothers.”
Today, AT HOME is thriving among the 260 staff and 205 residents. Beyond connoting a place of comfort and belonging, the acronym represents a benchmark everything is measured against.
“AT HOME evolved from feedback from a focus group 10 years ago. We asked what ‘at home’ meant to them,” says Pat Morden, Chief Executive Coach. “The first thing they said was they wanted people to know them as a person - that even with their lumps and bumps they’d be loved and valued and have a sense of importance.”
From there, AT HOME was developed. “AT” stands for Acknowledged and Together, referring to residents and families working together for the best care. “H” is for Home. “Responses said home is not a place, it’s a feeling; that warmth and sense of belonging,” Morden explains. That means not letting Shalom feel like a facility with only medical services.
“O” is Organization and means staying focused, listening to feedback and being consistent in following standards. “And ‘M’ stands for Memories,” Morden says. “Elders like to remember, but here it’s not just about the past, it’s about the present and future.”
“E” is for Enablement, which centers on providing each member the chance to maximize their independence at Shalom, meet their individualized health needs, and contribute to the community in a meaningful way.
“AT HOME has been a powerful tool. Everything we do here is because we want people to feel at home and that this is the rest of their life. We want to create that sense that they may have had a change of address, but they’re home,” says Morden.
This message caught the attention of the Jewish National Fund who, breaking the tradition of honoring individuals, honored Shalom Village last year. The evening was hosted by Rick Mercer of CBS’ “The Rick Mercer Report” and actor Eugene Levy, who is a Shalom family member. The senior community received $100,000 for its Possibilities Fund including staff additions, and additional event funds went toward the development of a park in Israel for senior citizens.
HOUSING AT SHALOM
Shalom’s long-term care provides 24-hour nurses and a staff doctor. A Care Innovation Coach (nurse specialist) works with those suffering from cognitive impairments. Generally 60-100 people are on the waiting list.
“Additionally, we have 81 assisted living apartments with 90 residents, including couples. Emergency staff is accessible 24 hours,” says Morden. “Both types of housing [and the whole community] are also linked by the Levy Solutions network.”
Shalom offers short-term care, up to 90 days, for people recovering from surgeries and medical issues. Shalom2Home partners with area hospitals to help individuals heal and lessen the need for assistance before going home. Goldies2Home day program lets people who are already home do rehabilitation sessions for as many as four weeks.
Both programs access “The Club” fitness center, designed for people 70 and older following a collaborative study with McMaster University’s Department of Kinesiology. The Keiser low-impact equipment encourages strength and well being through individualized plans. Shalom Village has so far seen an increase from 72 percent physical activity to 96 percent.
SNOEZELEN AND SUPPER CLUB
Goldie’s Place day program at Shalom is for cognitively-impaired adults and allows caregivers a required rest. A popular tool for participants is the Snoezelen Room. “People whose abilities are diminished due to Parkinson’s and other neurological diseases can stimulate their brain with the aromatherapy, bubble tubes, music and fiber optics,” Morden says. “Agitated people who can’t express what they want relax, and it works well for soothing palliative patients.”
Research out of Shalom’s Ruth Sherman Centre led to the Supper Club, which is for those people who wander because of dementia. From 4 -8 p.m. they’re engaged in activities. One man who couldn’t sit still now shows a passion, and the patience, for painting, Morden says.
The Ruth Sherman Centre dedicates itself to research and education on aging issues. A Care Innovation Coach is in charge of taking research and applying it to the community.
A COMMUNITY DESTINATION
Shalom is a destination in itself. There are gardens to stroll through or, when someone can’t make it outside, a wheelbarrow full of flowers to enjoy in their room for a while.
The bottom floor features York Street, where there’s the gym, a beauty salon, corner store with snacks and gifts, and a movie theatre. The biggest draw, however, for both residents and the Hamilton community, is kosher fine dining at Samuel’s Bistro, as well as Bubbi Bessie’s café.
For errands or recreational outings, residents can hop on the MilliMobile for “Sun Cruises.” Part of the JNF donations goes to the driver and bus and a staff member whom accompanies the resident.
Shalom additionally offers Shabbat services in its Beit Knesset as well as regular ecumenical services. Chaplaincy volunteers and a Rabbi are also available to residents, family and staff members.
INVESTING IN STAFF, THE FUTURE
Training for Shalom’s employees centers on the AT HOME model and a coaching leadership model. Senior staff members have sessions every three weeks and RNs train in leadership triads with an external executive coach. “Our nurses tell us that’s why they stay here; because their sense of fulfillment at work increases. As a result, there’s hardly any turnover,” says Morden.
There are typically 10 nursing student interns from McMaster University and other area schools working at Shalom. “More than 100 volunteers, including young children, also visit with residents. They bring the community here,” Morden says. “We’re really working hard to have people come here for unusual events to have them become familiar with our warmth so they will feel more comfortable if a loved one chooses to move home to Shalom Village.”
Morden’s own father-in-law moved into Shalom last year. “He told me ‘this is home,’” she says. “Being able to create that moment as a family member and have their loved one call a new place home - how wonderful is that?”
FACTS AT A GLANCE
COMPANY NAME: Shalom Village
CEO: Pat Morden
OPERATIONS: Shalom Village is both a long-term care and assisted living community
ESTABLISHED: 1981, when the non-profit was a 40-unit senior housing facility
EMPLOYEES: +100
www.shalomvillage.on.ca
View Digital Corporate Profile of Shalom in Healthcare Digital December 2009