Taking care of her elderly mom seven days a week had an Okotoks woman starting to feel imprisoned.
“I was housebound and that was very hard,” said Peti Webster. “I could make no plans with friends because somebody had to be with her all the time. I felt I was missing out on my life.”
For months, Webster never got out to see her friends and her ministry work dwindled until she learned about the Adult Day Support Program that runs out of the Okotoks Health and Wellness Centre.
The program runs three days a week, providing snacks, lunch, games and exercise opportunities for seniors who would otherwise feel shut in and isolated due to their mental and physical limitations.
It also provides respite for those caring for the adults who have little to no time for themselves, like Webster.
“I got a portion of my life back,” she said. “I got to hang out with my friends, I got to do a little bit of ministry work and I did some shopping without having to push a wheelchair.”
Webster also noticed improvements in her mom, who became calmer, easier to deal with and was no longer depressed.
When Webster’s mom went to a care facility, Webster inquired about a job with the program and is now a recreation therapy assistant in Okotoks.
“It’s the best job I’ve ever had,” she said.
The Adult Day Support Program receives financial support from the Sheep River Health Trust, one of the Western Wheel Cares charities this year.
The day programs are also available in High River, Black Diamond, Nanton and Vulcan.
Andrea Mitchell, Sheep River Health Trust executive director, said the charitable organization has been supporting the Adult Day Support Program since day one.
“It’s an opportunity for those seniors to socialize and meet other people and it gives caregivers a day to do something as well,” she said. “AHS (Alberta Health Service) can support a level of good health care – we want to provide great health care. We are there to enhance the programs through general fundraising.
Mitchell said the Sheep River Health Trust has a committee that selects what programs it can support each year, depending on how much money it’s been able to raise through a variety of initiatives, such as the Avenue of Trees which brought in more than $45,000 this year.
“We decide if we are going to take on capital projects and equipment purchases,” she said. “Seniors are one of our major funding pillars. We believe it’s an area that needs to be further explored in our community. We have lots of aging people and people who need to get out and have that social interaction.”
Mitchell said the Adult Day Support Program provides social activities and games for those seniors who wouldn’t otherwise have an opportunity to get out.
“They don’t all get the opportunity at that age to be part of the community and this allows them to still have that piece in their lives,” she said.
The health trust is also focusing on two capital projects for 2017: renovating the tub room at the Oilfields General Hospital in Black Diamond and constructing two private rooms in urgent care at the Okotoks Health and Wellness Centre.
Mitchell said the tub room, which is about 30 years old, is in need of upgrading — a project that will cost about $130,000.
“The room itself is very sterile and it doesn’t fit with the philosophy of trying to evoke safety and security,” she said.
“Bathing is a very sensitive time for residents. We want to make sure their environment plays a role in a positive experience.”
Mitchell said the changes are mostly aesthetic and that the room will be stripped down to the studs and will have new tiles, walls, furnishings and even music.
“We are making it like a spa-like experience for the patients there,” she said. “They come from a home and now they’re in a hospital and not used to the environment. We feel if you live in a hospital it should feel like a home. It’s a stressful time.”
The Sheep River Health Trust will also begin raising money for the two private rooms in Okotoks, expected to cost about $40,000.
Mitchell said of the nine rooms two are private – one for gynecology exams and the other for isolation, while the remaining rooms have curtains.
She said it will provide much-needed privacy for when doctors are speaking with patients when sensitive questions are being asked by physicians or sensitive diagnoses being shared.
“Our philosophy is the patient first – how to make health care better, how do we make the system easier and how do we make it less stressful and easier to navigate so we can look at prevention rather than reactionary medicine,” she said.
To make a donation to Western Wheel Cares call 403-938-6397 or drop by 9 McRae Street Monday to Friday from 9 p.m. to 5 p.m. We accept credit, debit, cash and cheques (payable to Western Wheel Cares). Donations can also be mailed to Box 150, Okotoks, AB T1S 2A2 (please do not mail cash) or sent via Paypal at www.westernwheel.com
Donations of $10 or more will receive a 2016 official tax receipt at the end of the campaign.
For more information about Western Wheel Cares contact Gayle Wolf at 403-938-6397 or [email protected]
