We kicked off the month of June with Pride awareness by raising the Progress Pride flag at the main entrance off Father David Bauer Drive. We welcomed a speaker from Spectrum, a local community organization that supports the wellbeing of 2SLGBTQIA+ members in the Waterloo Region. 

May gave us an opportunity to celebrate all mothers and mother figures in our community with a High Tea including delicious scones and classical music.

This month we enjoyed an abundance of music including more than 11 different local entertainers! The Museum helped residents expand their knowledge of Waterloo’s musical past through a special presentation called Rock This Town.

March certainly came in like a lion, but we didn’t let that stop us from enjoying this month! We discovered more about the beauty and history of Ireland in our Travelogue series this month. St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated in style with a social where residents enjoyed Celtic music with Bob MacLean and green drinks!

Our focus in February was on Black History Month, Heart Health, and Valentine’s Day. We had wonderful and informative conversations on Building Heart Strength with Wellness Coordinator, Joy Hancock, followed by the viewing of The Healing Power of Love & Intimacy TED Talk, and a presentation on Black Resistance with guest speaker Umi Mohammed, Lutherwood’s Equity Leader.

Our focus for January was Mental Health and Wellbeing, as well as celebrating the Lunar Year, Robbie Burns Day and recognizing Alzheimer’s Awareness Day. We started the month off with a discussion on Anxiety Coping Tools, we welcomed back Andrea from Ebb and Flow to show us strategies for wellbeing through breathwork, and our footcare nurse from Kaye’s Footcare showed us how to care for our feet.

As the new year begins, the Wellness team would like to reflect on some highlights from December and the Holiday season: December was filled with music and treats as we enjoyed holiday festivities throughout the month. Our musical variety included Celtic music, traditional holiday carols with children from the Beckett School at Laurier, German Christmas carols, carols by candlelight as well as our very own Singing Group and regular entertainers.

We were pleased to host a Dementia Information Session on November 3rd with a local interdisciplinary healthcare team experienced in dementia care. Guest speakers included Dr. Linda Lee, a pioneer of the MINT memory clinics, a Registered Practical Nurse, Occupational Therapist, and a Clinical Pharmacist. Plum Tree Memory Care is a new resource in the region offered to those looking for support and education in dementia care.

Registered Kinesiologist Nancy held an open house for residents to see the newly renovated Fitness Centre. This was also an opportunity for residents to complete a survey on their fitness interests to help us shape future programming. Our Fitness for the Aging Brain series has also continue throughout October and some of the concepts were incorporated into existing classes which was well-received.

With lots of activities and special celebrations, the month of September was a busy time for our Residents and staff!