July 6, 2015
Story by Kirsten Goruk
When Trista Schultz heard about a new program at the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre (NLRHC) geared towards parents and babies, she knew she wanted to get involved.
Schultz and her one-year-old daughter Heidi were among the first participants in the Parent-Child-Mother-Goose program, which launched in January, and brought together moms and babies with staff and residents of the long-term care unit at NLRHC.
“I know that Heidi benefits from the classes, but for me personally, it really feels like a good deed for me to bring her along. You could tell how happy it makes the seniors,” Schultz says.
Natalie Foy, a recreation therapist with Alberta Health Services (AHS) who works on the unit explains that the idea to offer the program came through her involvement with the Empathy for the Aging program offered in public schools throughout Fort McMurray. A friend of hers brought up Parent-Child-Mother-Goose as something Foy might be interested in and so she signed up for the necessary training to bring it to the NLRHC.
The first session started in January, ran for eight weeks with participants visiting once a week. There are two age groups that can take part, those parents with babies up to two-years-old and those with children between two and four-years-old.
“It’s a program where we really encompass the whole spectrum of life. The children and the parents are invited into the unit and we use songs, stories and nursery rhymes to connect with our residents,” Foy says.
Every resident on the unit is invited to take part if they wish, and Foy says the experience is well worth it. In some cases, it reminds them of days past and happy childhood memories for themselves or of their own children.
“I feel as though when our residents were bringing up their children or were being brought up themselves, these kinds of activities were more prevalent. Oral storytelling isn’t the same as it used to be. They pipe in, share their stories, laugh along with them and just engage with them. They really love it,” she says.
Throughout the program, Schultz feels that everyone involved really had time to connect and it had an impact on everyone.
“I really enjoyed seeing how happy the seniors were when they saw the babies. It was so cute. The first couple of weeks, Heidi wasn’t walking, but later on in the program, she had started to. It was great to see them notice that and be a part of it,” Schultz says.
While the program has wrapped up its first session, there are plans to offer it again in the future. Schultz is glad to know that the program will continue, as it offered her and her daughter something unique.
“Heidi doesn’t have any grandparents of that age in Fort McMurray, they’re all in Newfoundland, so it is great for her to get to see and interact with the seniors too. I liked that experience and it’s not something you can do just anywhere in Fort McMurray.”
