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 Southwood Lakes, 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- Every Monday morning our Music Therapist holds a group session in which residents sing along to songs they know, play small instrument, such as bells, chimes or a drum, and reminisce.
- In our twice-weekly Therapeutic Drumming Program, residents drum along to music. Feeling the rhythm and beat of the music can be very relaxing and calming.
- 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.
- Our residents enjoy a weekly live entertainment night with local bands and entertainers coming to our home to perform.
- Twice a month we have “order in” night, or when the weather is nice, a barbeque night, where residents get to choose what they want to order. Pizza and Chinese Food are perennial favourites.
- Once a month we have an Intergenerational Day when children from the local Daycare come to pay us a visit and spend time reading, playing games, doing puzzles and crafts with residents.
- Our year round Gardening Program keeps residents with green thumbs busy growing flowers, vegetables and herbs.
- Our twice-weekly bingo games are very popular among residents.
- Twice a week there’s cooking and baking in the activity room country kitchen and that’s a hit with the residents who like to cook…and the residents who like to eat what they cook!
We also offer a wide range of physiotherapy, cognitive, speech and occupational therapies according to the needs of our residents. Currently we offer:
- Certified Music Therapist
- Registered Respiratory Therapist
- Physiotherapist
- Occupational Therapist
- Speech Therapist