Proud to be an Independent CANADIAN Publication
Your Independent Local Newspaper Established in 1918 VOLUME 103: ISSUE 35
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 2021
4-H MULTI CLUB HOSTS EXPLORE 4-H SPORTS EVENT.
tofieldmerc.com
RYLEY SCHOOL REINVENTING ITSELF: SCHAADE.
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Tofield & Area Health Foundation donates $15K, impacts lives
MOUSH JOHN Editor
Tofield and Area Health Services Foundation (TAHSF) donated $15,000, which has been used to beautify Freebury Memory Care Unit of Tofield Health Centre with a series of therapeutic murals, decals, and paintings. “The family wanted the money to be used to make the lives of the residents better,” said Brenda Chehade, chair of TAHSF. “The Foundation board asked if there was anything that could be done, and it didn’t take AHS recreation therapist Nicole Kulba long to present us with the murals and how they would impact everyone on the unit. The Foundation is so pleased to have the family’s wishes granted in such an impactful way.” According to Amelia Schofield, AHS Senior Advisor of Foundation Relations, the initiative has been modelled after the Butterfly Project, developed by Britain’s Dr. David Sheard, where the site’s secured continuing care unit had been adapted to create a more comfortable, communitylike environment for residents. “Through the project, a series of therapeutic murals, decals, and paintings were installed through-
out the unit to encourage residents to recreate experiences and memories from their past,” Schofield explained. “AHS recreation therapist Nicole Kulba led the initiative alongside students Kristy Holdis and Stephanie Hewlett, who are currently completing work placements through the University of Lethbridge’s recreation therapy program.” In addition to the enhanced decor within the unit, Kulba, Holdis, and Hewlett have led new educational opportunities for staff. “The research shows that the physical environment within continuing care facilities plays an important role in the care of individuals with dementia,” Kulba added. “With this project, we’ve been able to create an atmosphere that is calming to residents, providing interventions that add both purpose and value to their daily lives. “For example, we were able to install signage and murals that made the dining room area feel like a café. We also added bookshelf decals and trees to the doors and walls to provide residents with spaces they can engage with.” The new improvements were made possible through a donation to the Foundation by Bob Crosland in memory of
$1 INCLUDING GST
What’s Inside
Tofield RCMP busy with mutiple incidents of domestic disturbance PAGE 4
AHS recreation therapist Nicole Kulba poses in the newly installed Edith Crosland Memorial Gardens hallway in the Tofield Health Centre’s continuing care unit for residents with dementia. SUBMITTED PHOTO his mother, Edith Crosland, along with other community support. In recognition of Mr. Crosland’s gift, one of the newly decorated hallways is named the Edith Crosland Memorial Gardens. “My mom would have loved this,” Crosland said. “Nicole and the recreation team have changed it from a stagnate medical model to something really incredible. It’s a 10 out of 10!” According to Chehade, they have been working on this project for about a year. “Many donations that we get have a specific request attached to them, like for example ‘I would
like the donation to be spent in Long Term Care’ etc.,” she noted. “The murals bring a very homey feeling so this makes the residents less agitated and much calmer. The effect that this transformation has had on everyone has been amazing. “The main entrance door into the Unit has a decal of a hutch with dishes in it and does not look like a door in which you couldn’t leave. The dining room area now looks like they are in a café. The door to each resident’s room looks like a door to a home. There are also interactive murals. There is a Post office with a drop box for them
to send letters. It’s really remarkable what the team has done.” Chehade said that they are the first to make such a huge difference in the lives of both residents and staff in the dementia unit. “AHS has sent out to all Health Foundations in Alberta, what Nicole and the Tofield and Area Health Services Foundation has accomplished here in Tofield and the difference it has made.I am very proud of Nicole, her students that helped her for all the hard work they did to make this happen. And our board for thinking outside of the box and believing that we can make a difference!”
Loose Ends: Making Something Out of Nothing PAGE 5
Editorial: The Liberal Budget – Doubling Down on Failures by MP Kurek PAGE 6
What’s On Tofield Class of 2021 to graduate on Friday, May 7, event to be livestreamed PAGE 8