The warm weather has arrived and we can finally enjoy comfortable balconies, beautiful gardens, daily golf cart rides and wheelchair bike rides on the trail.
A Resident Family Day, held on June 20, was a huge success, despite the ‘mist on the Highlands’ that kept most of us inside that day.
This summer’s Adventure Club Outings program is well under way, and participants have travelled to some very exciting destinations. Some of the summer outings include: African Lion Safari; a Blue Jays game; a Grand River Boat Cruise and dinner; the Warplane Museum in Hamilton; local farms; local parks for picnics; Port Elgin beach; shopping outings; lunch outings to various restaurants; a musical at the Centre in the Square; Spa outings; the Donkey Sanctuary; local plant nurseries; the Grand River Raceway; local chip wagons; Little League baseball games; a Train Museum; and browsing on Mill Street.
Visits from the Fergus Pipe Band, as well as the Fergus Brass Band, entertained the residents and staff in the front garden in July.
The Tuesday evening Bingo Bonanza program is such a success, that the residents have requested to keep it on our calendar for the summer months as well.
For the past few months residents and their family members and friends have been enjoying “Somethin’ on the Grill” dining club every Wednesday evening. With the warmer weather upon everyone, this program has been changed to an evening program with a variety of activities, such as “The Drive In”, where participants watch a movie on a projector screen outside while enjoying freshly popped popcorn.
As well, we will be hosting a “Campfire Night: where those taking part roast s’mores, hot dogs and sing campfire songs around the fire.
Thursday evening program consists of a pub night, and some very gracious, musically talented volunteers have been coming in to entertain for our Pub customers.
The Terrace been very fortunate to have a student gardener again this summer, and many residents have been very busy working along with her in various gardening programs.
The newly ‘renovated’ on-site library is now open for business, for residents to borrow reading and listening materials to enjoy during the hot summer days.
On Sunday, June 21, Graham A. Giddy Funeral Home held a dedication ceremony to mark the establishment of their Memorial Forest on the grounds of Wellington Terrace. The funeral home has planted 150 trees in remembrance of those whose arrangements have been entrusted to the firm. It is hoped that the Memorial Forest will provide the community with a place to remember those who have gone before and an opportunity to pay tribute to the life that has been created.
Future ceremonies will be celebrated on an annual basis to mark memorial plantings that occur throughout the year.
The support and commitment of volunteers is always appreciated each and every day of the year here at Wellington Terrace; this summer we have been hosting some special events to show our appreciation to all of the generous volunteers.
Due to the wonderfully large number of volunteers that are members of the Volunteer Team of Wellington Terrace, three different Volunteer Appreciation Events are being held this summer.
On Wednesday, July 8, we invited our resident volunteers, the Second Time ‘Round volunteers, and the members of the Wellington Terrace Family Council to join us for cocktails and dinner in the clearing.
On Wednesday, July 15, we hosted a very similar dinner for all of the volunteers who give of their time within the Home.
On Wednesday Aug. 19, we will be holding our third Volunteer Appreciation event, a Tea celebrating all of the large groups that volunteer their musical talents and their spiritual guidance for our residents.
Thank you to each and every person who gives so freely of their time and talents to the Wellington Terrace.
The Wellington Terrace is pleased to announce that it has formed a Resident Welcoming Committee which consists of seven residents from various neighbourhoods within the Home. These dedicated and passionate residents go around and welcome our new residents with a big smile, a little gift and an invitation to a “Welcome Friends Tea and Social” which is held on the third Wednesday of each month. The purpose of this committee is to assist our new residents of the Wellington Terrace to feel as welcomed as possible, to make their transition as smooth as possible, and to address any concerns or questions they may have. We are so lucky to have such kind and caring residents and we always look forward to welcoming new people into our home.
When families face the decision to place a loved one into Long Term Care, it can often be very upsetting, and bring many emotions to surface, especially if your loved one has a form of Dementia. The Wellington Terrace offers two different support groups for family members who may benefit from support in coping with this transition, or who just need to talk with others who are going through a similar situation. The Spousal Support Group meets once monthly on the fourth Thursday of each month, and the Caring for Your Parents Support Group meets once monthly on the last Tuesday of each month. These groups are facilitated by our own Social Service Worker.
From all of us here at Wellington Terrace, we wish you a wonderful summer filled with sunshine, good health, and special times spent with friends and family.
