Duane Hicks
The Rainycrest Family Council has been more proactive than ever, working with administration to ensure the health and welfare of the long-term care residents there.
And as far as council chair Barb Duguay is concerned, now is the perfect time for family members or friends of Rainycrest residents to join the group.
“We have 23 people now and are always looking for new members,” Duguay said during a potluck supper at the Super 8 Motel here last Tuesday evening.
“It keeps growing,” she noted of the membership, adding many of them joined when a loved one was admitted to Rainycrest.
But some have remained involved with the family council even though their loved one may have passed on.
There’s no doubt the Rainycrest Family Council has been keeping busy with a variety of projects.
One of the most recent is T-shirts for members and non-members, which they are selling as a fundraiser. Some residents even are buying them.
Family council members sell them at Rainycrest once a month for $20 each (the next two times they’ll be there is June 28 and July 26 from noon-4 p.m.)
Achievements in recent years have included:
•decorating the east and west wing respite and sick bay rooms;
•developing a computer lab for residents and a new “postal service” for communication via e-mail (rainycrest@gmail.com);
•developing an information centre (this project was supported financially by the Rainycrest Auxiliary, Rainycrest Resident Council, and Rainycrest Family Council);
•commissioning local artists to paint three doors in the special care unit with outdoor scenes to create a more aesthetically-pleasing environment for residents and their visitors;
•developing a meal ticket evaluation plan;
•working with the town to develop “user friendly” curbs at Rainycrest;
•inviting guest speakers to meetings;
•working to provide chaplain services for residents;
•being a support group for families and friends of Rainycrest residents;
•developing welcoming packages; and
•developing a protocol for discussing concerns and lodging complaints.
Duguay explained the Rainycrest Family Council also has a mandate to offer three educational sessions a year to the public.
Already this year, they have helped out with the virtual dementia tour conducted by Eleanor Barron, with the Alzheimer Society of Kenora-Rainy River Districts’ “First Link” program and public education co-ordinator for Fort Frances and surrounding area.
They also hosted a session on pressure ulcers by Riverside physiotherapist Deirdre O’Sullivan-Drombolis, and another on seniors and depression with Jolene Morrisseau and Susan Ossachuk of Canadian Mental Health Association’s Older Adults Program.
Duguay also said the family council is excited about new Riverside CEO Allan Katz, and that they look forward to working with him in future.
The Rainycrest Family Council’s mission statement is “to be a liaison between the residents’ families or friends and staff to facilitate communication, and to work with the staff in promotion and encouragement of programs and decisions for the ultimate benefit of the residents.”
Council members do not have to be relatives of residents—just people who are interested in the welfare of Rainycrest residents.
After all, their loved ones—or they themselves—may be residents there one day.
The council meets every third Tuesday of the month at the Super 8, noted Duguay, adding it truly appreciates the motel for donating the meeting space to them.
For more information, check out the “Family Council” section of the information centre at Rainycrest, or e-mail Duguay at rainycrest@gmail.com
