The Drew Nursing would like to extend a huge Thank You to Roses Independent and the community for the recent Campaign “Give to the Drew-Tantramar Foundation.” This campaign raised $2503.59, which will be used for some new patio furniture for residents and families to enjoy.
Premier Susan Holt and Honourable Lyne Chantal Boudreau, Minister responsible for Women’s Equality and for Seniors, visited the Drew, heard of strengths and challenges, spent some time with residents who were making Easter bonnets, and learned about services offered by NHWWT! See the Premier’s Facebook post.
Pictured L to R: Emilie Doucet, Barb MacIntosh, Premier Susan Holt, Honourable Lyne Chantal Boudreau, Rachelle Gariepy, Linda Shannon, Judy Cairns.
On Tuesday, March 11, around 60 individuals gathered at the Drew Nursing Home to celebrate the official launch of Nursing Home Without Walls–Tantramar!
This program is quickly making a big difference for seniors in Tantramar who wish to age at home with the support of their community. Speakers included NHWWT Program Coordinator Rachelle Gariepy, NHWW Program Creator Suzanne Dupuis-Blanchard, MLA Megan Mitton, Mayor Andrew Black, and two wonderful participants currently benefiting from NHWWT services. Their stories showcased the positive impact of NHWW services.
A big thank you to everyone who joined us for the celebration with inspiring talks, meaningful conversations, and delicious snacks. Let’s keep this momentum going and continue supporting one another to live well at home, in Tantramar.
Join us for the launch of Nursing Home Without Walls—Tantramar on Tuesday, March 11 at 2 pm in the Coates Lounge. All are welcome!
Lots going on at the Drew! Catch up on the news in this new year review from the Drew Nursing Home.
Residents enjoyed the “Tim Horton’s Drive-thru” event at the Drew Nursing home in January.
Thank you to Greta Patterson and Norah Doucet from the Sackville Quilters’ Guild for making this beautiful tote bag for Nursing Home Without Walls–Tantramar. Now Rachelle Gariepy, NHWWT’s Coordinator, has lots of room for the laptop, files, and supplies she needs to transport to meetings and visits with seniors in the community. Thanks also to The Covered Bridge Quiltery for printing the NHWWT logo on the front pocket.
Shown above (l-r): Greta Patterson; Linda Shannon, Executive Director of the Drew; Rachelle Gariepy; and Norah Doucet.
Care Bears, Stick men, and lots more fun costumes were enjoyed by staff and residents at the Drew today.
Both residents and children had fun at the Drew for the annual “Trick or Treating” day. Residents were provided with treats to hand out to the children who came to visit.
Three Fathers Memorial Run was established to honour RCMP Constables Douglas Larche, Dave Ross, and Fabrice Gevaudan on Father’s Day following their tragic deaths.
The race took place this year on Sunday, June 16, 2024, and started at 8:30 am. The Drew’s Activity Coordinator and a Drew resident did the 3-kilometer run this year with intention of doing the 5-kilometer next year. They plan to make this a yearly tradition. The Drew is hoping to have more residents and staff involved next year.
Many thanks to Trent and Bill!
Residents and staff at the Drew had a great time during Nursing Home Week, June 9-16th. An old-fashioned country fair was held June 13th. Everyone enjoyed treats including Trueman’s Homemade Ice Cream. Entertainment included a Petting Zoo and Dunk Tank. It was a fun day for all!
An Eden Alternative training session was held for 22 Drew staff May 28, 29, and 30. Thank you to the Drew-Tantramar Foundation for providing funding for this education session.
The Eden Committee will continue to implement suggestions from this training to make the Drew Nursing Home a more person-centered environment for its residents.
Congratulations and thank you to the following employees for successfully completing this training and becoming Certified Eden Associates:
Susan Allen, Nadia Aumentado, Trent Bowser, Katelyn Brooks, Emily Browne-Bourgeois, Michelle Deveza, Emilie Doucet, Elizabeth Estabrooks, Donna Landry, Amanda Lauritsen, Stacey LeBlanc, Donna Lowerison, Donna Parsons, Ruth Patriquin, Grace Penaredondo, Hayley Perry, Jill Read, Barb Scoggins, Sam Smallwood, Lynn Tower, Rhonda Wells, and Martha Wry.
The group learned about the 10 Principles of the Eden Philosophy, with the goal to provide Person Directed Care to eliminate the 3 plagues of Loneliness, Helplessness, and Boredom. We are happy to share some pictures of the employees hard at work in the course, learning the Principles of the Eden Philosophy through poetry and skits, dance parties with residents, and the graduation.
Residents enjoyed adopting a Stuffie today. Thank you very much to Angela Parsons for this wonderful donation. There were a lot of excited residents at the Drew today.
The Drew Nursing Home is looking for drivers to help distribute Meals for Seniors on weekdays at lunch time. Please contact fsm@drewnursinghome.ca if you would like to help out and let us know which day(s) you can be available.
Residents, families, and staff made Halloween a fun day at the Drew. So great to see all the costumes and happy faces.
Keep up to date with news from the Drew! The Fall Newsletter provides updates on:
Thank you from all of us at the Drew for your interest and support.
The Drew Nursing Home is thrilled to be a prize winner in the Fall Fair Parade. The Home’s float, entitled ”Fall in Love”, won the prize for Best Theme!
Thank you to everyone who helped decorate and participated in the parade. Residents enjoyed watching all the preparations at the parade start on this perfect autumn day.
Residents at the Drew Nursing Home had a great time during Nursing Home Week, June 4-10, 2023.
An old-fashioned country fair was held June 6. Residents enjoyed lots of treats such as ice cream cones, cheesies, and cotton candy! Entertainment included a Petting Zoo and Caricature Artist. The weather did not allow for an outside fair as originally planned, although everyone was pleased to see lots of rain, due to the forest fires.
Next, residents enjoyed barbequed hamburgers on June 8 and an afternoon visit from Llamas, Pearl, and Anna from Llama-zing Adventures. Everyone loved this special visit.
The week ended with a fancy tea party and a movie afternoon.
From June 4-10 Rose’s Your Independent Grocer will be collecting donations at the checkout counters on behalf of the Drew Foundation.
All donations will go toward the purchase of outdoor patio furniture to be used by residents and their families. Being outdoors when the weather is nice is one of the favourite activities of residents who enjoy the gardens, sitting together, and watching the activity on the street.
The Drew Foundation is the fundraising arm of The United Church Home For Senior Citizens, which comprises both the Drew Nursing Home (known to all as “The Drew”) and the Tantramar Residences (usually referred to as “The Cottages”). This non-profit organization has been serving families in the community for more than 65 years. In 1984 the Foundation was established to provide additional financial resources to support the organization.
The Drew’s Executive Director, Linda Shannon, tells us the Foundation helps ensure The Drew keeps up to date with the best services, activities, and environments for adults and seniors who need extra care.
“Not all of our expenses are covered by government funding,” she explains. “The donations collected help us to provide the “extras” to help take good care of our residents.”
“We’re very focused on making sure The Drew feels like a real home,” she adds. “The Foundation helps us maintain an environment that is welcoming to residents and their families, and also provides a safe and efficient work space for our staff.”
The Drew is grateful for your donations, and looks forward to enhancing the spaces where residents gather outdoors to enjoy the warm weather.
Staff shortages are a major challenge faced by the healthcare sector in the last few years, and nursing homes are especially hard hit. During the COVID-19 pandemic, care homes have depended on the dedication of hard-working staff to maintain a high level of care for residents, but shortages have resulted in fewer beds available for new clients.
At the Drew Nursing Home, there is space for up to 20 more residents, but not enough staff to tend to their daily needs. Despite a focused effort to hire and train more staff, retention is an issue in an environment where qualified, available candidates are few, and competition is fierce. Given the urgent need for bed space in Sackville, the Drew recently ramped up efforts to attract Licensed Practical Nurses and Resident Attendants.
Earlier this year, the Drew’s Executive Director, Linda Shannon, traveled with a team organized by the provincial government to recruit nurses in the Philippines. After interviewing many licensed nurses to evaluate their skills, their interest in immigrating to Canada, and their English-language proficiency, 20 candidates were identified as highly suitable for the Drew’s needs.
Following the process of applying for work visas, etc., it is expected that some of these nurses could begin to arrive as early as late spring. They will be hired as Resident Attendants and commit to two years employment at the Drew while they work on their Canadian nursing certifications.
This is welcome news for the community, as it means there will be back-up for vacationing staff, and the 20 empty spaces could begin to be filled as early as this summer.
The next hurdle is to find places for the nurses to live as they arrive in Sackville. Because of the severe shortage of rental accommodations, a decision was taken by the Drew’s Board of Directors to assist in the short term by increasing the number of cottage spaces available to staff from one apartment to three. Apartments, furnished with multiple beds, will be available for up to six months, with the first month’s rent free, giving the newcomers time to settle in and look for more permanent housing.
Board members and staff are always focused on making the Drew a welcoming place for residents and their families to call home, and we will extend that hospitality to our new co-workers. We also rely on the friendliness and support of the Sackville community to help the new arrivals feel welcome in town.
We especially look forward to providing relief to our hard-working staff after the challenges of the last few years, and to making more space available to local families and their loved ones.
For more information, please contact Linda Shannon at execdir@drewnursinghome.ca.