NS Healthcare Hero: Glen Haven Manor
“The team at Glen Haven Manor is a special league of everyday care superheroes. They easily earned this title long before the pandemic but throughout these most daunting times, they are excelling with vigilance, caring and creativity. It has been a united effort, razor focused on protecting residents and each other and working as partners in care with residents’ families. There is a great sense of family and of belonging. From the front line workers taking on many extra shifts, to reducing personal movement, to leadership pitching in to carry the load in the trenches, to co-horting, to eliminating work at any other location, there is nothing too little or too big, staff would not do for our residents. Vaccines have been administered with inspiring compassion and great skill. Staff are making anniversaries, birthdays and other celebrations memorable, whether it is through sharing musical talents such as serenading a resident dressed in costume, baking a special cake, preparing a fancy meal, or arranging a virtual visit.
There are Fiddle Fridays, programs such a Tim Hortons Drive Thru on site, and offering artistic talents to create beautiful murals. Curbside visits and indoor visits were created swiftly, with great care and attention to detail. Two Glen Haven nurses volunteered to help when Northwood was facing an outbreak last year while stories continue to be shared with families and the community though heartfelt videos and articles. Residents have had a new pen pal program with a local elementary school, have been videoed reading children’s bedtime stories and a Christmas story series. A virtual Christmas Lights Tour video with touching messages from staff, their families, and members of our community brought Christmas lights to nursing home residents across Nova Scotia, while staff and residents taped their own T’was the Night Before Christmas poem and Santa even did a drive by.
A Town Crier joined us last spring to celebrate Long Term Care Day while church bells through the
county rang in a salute to those working in long term care and our team raised funds for the Nova Scotia Strong group. Our Residents’ Council President gave public shoutouts to the Glen Haven team through local radio and a Resident Care Manager has created a snapchat character, affectionately named Granny Rona, delivering insightful and humourous messages of encouragement. Stories have been shared about the experiences of families and residents receiving that first long awaited hugs, on milestone wedding anniversaries and on the commitment of newcomer staff to join the Glen Haven family while achieving a life long dream to work and live in Canada. Mother’s Day flowers were given to residents and each holiday was filled with music, good food, and a festive spirit.
Most recently a music video was created, showing residents and staff in unison experiencing the benefits of music which lifted hearts and spirits. Our staff, residents and leadership have consistently joined together to send messages of hope, reassurance, and kindness to Canadians in several other beautiful videos, staying devoted and connected.”
- This nomination was sent in by Kimberly Dickson