EaglE VallEy
NEWS
Students celebrate at aboriginal grad Page 3
Parkview makes its mark in mathematics Page 6
Wednesday, June 3, 2015 PM40008236
Vol. 60 No. 22 Sicamous, B.C., • 1.25 (GST included) • www.eaglevalleynews.com
Frolic in the foam: Ouri TzuellaSculnick. left, and Alaina Rich play in the foam pit at the Sicamous Safety Fair at Finlayson Park on Saturday, May 30. The public was invited to the free event, which showcased the local emergency services. See more images on page 7. Photo by Evan Buhler
Sicamous considers dementia-friendly options Idea: District looks at concept as a way to improve care for seniors, offer economic spinoffs. By Lachlan Labere Eagle Valley News
There are big ideas for the future of Sicamous depending how far the community is willing to go in becoming dementia friendly. Along with the effort to make Sicamous an age-friendly community, there is also a movement afoot to make the District of Sicamousa centre for dementia-friendly care. According to the Alzheimer Society, a dementia-friendly community program focuses on improving inclusion and the quality of life for people living with dementia. Sicamous Coun. Malcom Makayev and Mayor Terry Rysz recently met with Union of British Columbia Okanagan staff to show and discuss what Sicamous has that could facilitate it in becoming a dementia-friendly community. What UBCO staff saw inspired them to visit Sicamous and make a presentation to council as to what the community could be.
One presenter, Dr. Elizabeth Andersen, an assistant professor with the school of nursing, talked about two different models of nursing homes that she said would attract attention if they were in Sicamous. She also described two models of care “that would also be quite innovative and attract attention and potential employees to the nursing home.” One of the housing models, called a “green house nursing home,” would involve the creation of individual cottages on a “community street.” “Each little house has its own kitchen, dining rooms, bedrooms and functions as a little sort of home,” said Andersen. She suggested the homes could be staffed by “cross-trained” nurse’s aids who aren’t relegated to one type of employment, allowing flexible assignments and the ability to customize their own shifts. Dr. Keith Culver, UBCO’s dean of management, said he sees opportunity for
Sicamous, for wellness and economic development. He noted Canadians are becoming more realistic in their thinking about dementia, and that there is a growing interest in the concept of the “dementia village,” places “designed for living with dignity.” He suggested Sicamous might become “another one of these champions in Canada that becomes a destination.” “We can partner with you, but we need you to be doing it,” said Culver. “We need you to choose it, you to implement it, it needs to be yours. “What are we pretty good at? Measuring stuff. We’re pretty good at measuring against international benchmarks, measuring against your goals. We’re a neutral third party, we’re not here to profit from anyone… we try then to help you all to learn.” Rysz too sees the potential for Sicamous to become a prototype, but recognizes there needs to be community buy-in. “We will consider this program when we
do up our official community plan,” said Rysz. “But at the end of the day, if we’re going to turn Sicamous into a dementiafriendly community or an age-friendly community, it has to be recognized by the entire community, in my opinion. So that remains to be seen. Rysz says the primary goal is the care of Sicamous residents, adding a dementiafriendly approach could encourage doctors and nurses to work in the community. “Maybe we could get Interior Health on board, maybe they can help us with the construction of something like a nursing home,” said Rysz. “I don’t know where it’s going to go… but we’re going to definitely keep working towards some sort of process.” On Wednesday, June 10, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., the Alzheimer Society is hosting a free training workshop at the district civic centre, to help people learn how to recognize the signs of memory problems and how to support people living with dementia.