HeartBeat Newsletter | October 2021

OCTOBER 2021

A FASTER PACE OF WORK

Hello,

The fall season often has a way to bring back a faster pace of work as we transition out of the long, summer days. This year is no exception. We continue to work with the government and various partners while the pandemic remains active in our nursing homes. The NBANH also hired a registered nurse through funds from the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour to provide support in infection prevention and control. We would also like to take the opportunity to recognize your outstanding leadership in ensuring the safety of staff and residents during these difficult times.

The mental health of everyone, including managers, is currently fragile. In fact, we are delighted that Dr. Julie Devlin McMillian, Psychologist, will make a presentation at the Fall Administration Group meeting to discuss mental health with the management teams. Keep reading our newsletter to find out more.

Take care, and thanks for reading,

The NBANH Team

Three years ago, W.G. Bishop Nursing Home in Minto started a Team Building Event that will also bring joy to the residents. The leadership team decided to give each department of the home a garden to decorate. The participating departments were administration and activity, nursing, maintenance and housekeeping, and dietary being the fourth team. The Board of Directors gave each team a small amount of money to create their garden space, however, each team dedicated more time and money to their garden creation to add to the surprise for the residents. The residents got to vote on their favorite garden. The winning team received a prize and their name on a plaque in the home… plus bragging rights! This competition became a huge success with the participating staff, and especially for the residents and their families. The community newspaper was also invited when the winner was announced to take pictures for the whole community to enjoy.

This summer, the theme was Cottage Core, and the winning department was Activity & Administration (see garden below). Who will be the next department to gain bragging rights?

Burger Week at Loch Lomond Villa

Rachel Muzak-Ruff, St. FX Dietetic Intern

The third week of June marked Loch Lomond Villa’s first ever “Burger Week”! Burger Week has become a popular culinary event in many cities across Canada, so staff thought why not bring Burger Week to Loch Lomond Villa for our residents to enjoy as well? This was a fun-filled event where staff demonstrated strong teamwork and collaborative skills. The cooks of Loch Lomond Villa were tasked with putting their creativity and culinary talent to work where they each curated a unique burger recipe to be offered to residents on the event menu. The event was titled “Battle of the Burgers” as this was also a competition between the cooks to see who could create the most popular burger amongst residents. 19 residents living in Dogwood House participated in the event where they selected two of the restaurant-style burgers to try during lunch service on both June 23rd and 25th. It was evident both staff and residents extensively enjoyed this event, the dining room was filled with smiles and chatter! Photos of our happy burger customers and kitchen staff below. A survey was conducted amongst residents to measure the success and gather feedback from the event. Residents rated the taste, temperature, and overall satisfaction of their meals very highly, stating they thoroughly enjoyed their burgers and the overall concept and idea. The survey resulted in 100% of residents stating they would enjoy more events like Burger Week which has sparked further conversation and brainstorming amongst the nutritional services team to plan similar special meals and events in the near future.

My name is Nathalie Pallot and I am originally from St-Amateur, a small region of Paquetville, NB. I am married to a NBCC professor. Michel and I are parents to 2 young adults, Frédéric, 24 years old, and Jérémie, 21 years old. Both are members of the Canadian Armed Forces. My parents live in a small house, attached to our own, and I am very happy to have my 84-year-old mother with me. My hobbies include recharging my batteries in nature, specially at my cottage in northern Bathurst. I enjoy gardening, taking care of flowers, snowmobiling and riding in our side by side. I also dog sit my son Frédéric’s 2 large dogs who are also natural alarms at my house!

In 1992-1993, I started my career as a registered nurse in the cardiac and dialysis departments of the the G.L. Dumont Hospital. At the end of 1993, I moved in the Acadian Peninsula where I worked at the Mgr Chiasson nursing home in Shippagan and at the Enfant-Jésus Hospital in Caraquet. In 1994, I started working at the Résidences Inkerman and, the number of hours worked at all 3 of these facilities equalled a little more than a full-time job. At the end of 1994, I got an offer for a full-time position in the cardiology department of G.L. Dumont in Moncton. I accepted and remained at the Résidences Inkerman on an occasional basis.

I came back in the Acadian Peninsula at the end of 1996 to have my babies. I worked at the Villa Beauséjour, in Caraquet, at the Résidences Inkerman, and at the Bathurst Regional Hospital, 2 West Department, specialized practice.

In 2008, I took a detour and became a professor at the CCNB Péninsule Acadienne in the registered nurses’ section of the health department. At that time, I was also studying at the Université de Moncton, campus de Shippagan, to get a diploma in adult teaching. I kept on working on an occasional basis at the Résidences Inkerman during my Christmas and summer holidays.

In 2015, I met Denise Paradis and became an NBCCSA CPI and GPA trainer for French homes. On September 21, 2021, I accepted the position of Infection Prevention and Control Provincial Coordinator. I am extremely happy to be part of the NBANH team.

Neighbours in Aging is now Available!

Collaborative for Healthy Aging and Care

Neighbours in Aging is the Collaborative’s quarterly newsletter that features engaged community profiles, individual healthy aging stories, and everything in between. It aims to highlight and celebrate inspiring stories of New Brunswickers making an impact in their local communities.

Click here to read the fall edition of the Collaborative's newsletter.

Happy reading,

Erin Jackson

Coordinator, Collaborative for Healthy Aging and Care

Deliver uninterrupted, top-quality patient care

Colliers Project Leaders

Building or relocating to a new long-term care home may be one of the biggest, most complex projects your organization ever undertakes. While the construction itself is important, you also want to be sure everything will be fully operational on Day One — so your staff can perform their jobs effectively and your residents get the care they need. Operational readiness experts can provide invaluable assistance. Learn more about how operational readiness can help you avoid service disruptions, while saving you time and money.

Watch this video to learn more.

New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes Inc.

1133 Regent street, office 206 Fredericton, NB, E3B 3Z2

(506) 460-6262 | www.nbanh.com