Memorable Celebrations In Our CHSLDs
Volunteers play a vital role in the well-being of the residents at our CHSLDs. These dedicated individuals help to organize activities and make a big difference in the lives of the vulnerable individuals in residential facilities. These activities include the year-end holiday celebrations, which were back after having been put on hold for a couple of years due to COVID-19. And it was returning volunteers who helped make them happen. We spoke with Micheline Béland, president of the CIUSSS Users’ Committee (CUCI), to find out what made the festivities at our residential care centres such a success.
Like many other people, Ms. Béland had to face the fact that her parents were growing older. As they dealt with home care and a move into a CHSLD, she and her family quickly realized that they would need to be involved on a day-to-day basis in order to provide her parents with a good quality of life.
When she retired after more than 30 years with the Commission scolaire de Montréal, Ms. Béland became even more involved. She has been president of the CUCI since April 1, 2015, the day our CIUSSS was founded. And her dedication to the well-being of our users and residents has remained unwavering to this day. “On the contrary, I see a constant improvement in the quality of life at all our long-term care facilities, be it in terms of day-to-day activities or major events such as year-end celebrations.”
Extensive Collaboration With All Partners
This year, with COVID-19 abating, we were once again able to organize holidays activities, to the delight of all. “This year’s holiday celebrations were exceptional,” says Ms. Béland. According to her, it is thanks to volunteers, generous donors, managers and CHSLD staff at our CIUSSS that we were able to organize lovely meals along with quality activities and lovely gifts for all. “For those who are most at risk and needed to remain isolated in their rooms, Santa Claus and musicians were kind enough to go and visit them,” she added. Ms. Béland also mentioned that families were able to gather in dining rooms or smaller rooms to celebrate together for the first time in a few years. “Everyone really appreciated the work the staff and volunteers put in.”
Just Good News
The success of the festivities in 2022 is thanks to the dedication of CHSLD employees and managers, adds Ms. Béland. In those cases where getting groups of people together proved to be more problematic, employees wearing personal protective equipment acted as waiters to provide catering, going from person to person with appetizers and treats. In some places, volunteers organized wine and cheese events. These resources also made it possible to provide quality entertainment, including circus acts, musicians, singers, and jugglers to make these days even more special for the residents. And thanks to donations from the Volunteers’ Association and the foundations, some CHSLDs were able to organize individual photo sessions and give personalized frames to some of the residents.
Ms. Béland fondly remembers the smiling faces of those residents who were once again able to enjoy the company of their families and special treats on these occasions. She says that she is far from her second retirement and that the end of the pandemic has given her renewed energy. She is feeling optimistic about improvements in the quality of life for our residents living in CHSLDs.
