Visiting

Our facilities have open visiting hours and we encourage family and friends to visit often and to become part of the IOOF Homes’ community. Most Residents love to see children visiting — but we ask that all children be supervised by an adult, for the safety of Residents, the children and others. Family pets are always welcome to visit on a leash. Please ask the Home's staff about any restrictions.

The LTC Home offers a variety of places to have a visit. There are common lounges on the individual Resident home areas —and seating areas on the main floor in the lobby or green house both pleasant spots to have a visit. There are also wonderful outdoor areas in the better weather to enjoy a visit, including a gazebo area, gardens and courtyards so feel free to check them out to see what appeals to you the most. There are also paved paths for outside walking.

Residents are also encouraged to go on visits with family or friends for overnight or longer. In this case, please check with the Charge Nurse about care requirements and Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) policies that define the length of time a Resident may be away from the home, to guide your decision-making.

You are welcome to bring in those "home cooked goodies" for your family member when you come to visit — but please check with the Charge Nurse if you are unsure about dietary restrictions and abide by any. Also, not all food and/or treats may be shared with all Residents, due to health conditions. Although we appreciate your desire to include others, please check with our staff before offering food or beverages to other Residents.

Limited visitor parking is available free of charge. Please do not park in the fire routes or reserved areas — we cannot guarantee that your car will not be ticketed by Barrie Parking Enforcement.

Pet Visitor Immunization Policy 

We welcome our furry friends to visit our Home, and it is important for our residents’ well-being to receive four legged visitors. We do require that prior to any pet visiting our Home, they must be up-to-date on their immunizations and a copy of their records sent to Cara Chimienti at cchimienti@ioof.com. Pets that are not immunized or have not provided the necessary paperwork will not be allowed to enter the facility.

The LTC Home is completely smoke-free, with smoking permitted only outside, in one location being the island in the centre of the visitor parking lot which is more than nine metres away from any access doors/ windows/ & vents.

Alcohol

Due to the potential health risk involved with mixing alcohol and medications, a moderate amount of alcohol may be consumed with the approval of the attending physician. For the safety of all Residents, we ask that no alcohol be kept in Residents' rooms. Please check with the Charge Nurse about the control measures.

Scent Free

In keeping with Resident and staff rights and environmental sensitivities, we ask visitors to restrict the use of scented products when visiting. Please keep this in mind when purchasing gifts for Residents.

Visiting Residents with Dementia

Tips for visiting

Communicating with a person with a dementia illness can be a difficult and emotionally overwhelming activity. Often, the "person behind the dementia" is the person you love and remember and it is hard to understand or accept the behaviours that you are seeing now. However, some simple "tips and tools" will help you have more successful visits with your loved one and will ease their anxiety.

Often, in the early stages of dementia, people have a hard time finding the right words to express their thoughts – or may be unable to remember the meaning of simple words or phrases. The later stages may be much more difficult – language skills may be quite impaired, resulting in nonsensical or garbled statement that are hard for you to understand. When your loved one cannot comprehend what is being said or cannot find the words to express their own thoughts, it can be painful, frustrating and embarrassing for everyone. Try these approaches to set the tone and improve communication:

Try smiling! People with dementia are often extremely aware of non-verbal signals such as facial expression, body tension and mood. If you are tense or a bit "bossy", your loved one is likely to become resistive, anxious or annoyed. Are you prone to frowning? Make a concerted effort to smile before you start your visit.

Try a calm, gentle approach. You set the mood for the interaction – your warm smile and relaxed manner will put your loved one at ease and will help achieve a positive visit. Often, it is contagious and your loved one will be happier too.

Go at their pace. People with dementia often need more time than us to respond. Use slow, gentle motions. Approach your loved one from the front before speaking. Make sure that you have their attention — use gentle touch. Give as much time to respond as needed.

Begin conversations socially. Winning your loved one's trust can make a task much simpler. When approaching, spend a few minutes chatting about the weather, a familiar family member - or find a way to acknowledge your loved one, e.g. "that's a lovely purse you are holding" or give a sincere compliment: e.g. "Your dress is a very nice colour." Then invite your loved one to come with you or engage in whatever task you need to get done...and remember to use a quiet voice and lots of smiles.

Give instructions one at a time. Rather than saying "come and have lunch – what do you want – are you hungry?" which is too much information for your loved one to absorb, try saying: "it's time for lunch!" (with enthusiasm); bring your loved one to the table; pat the chair to provide a physical cue to sit down.

Use hugs and a gentle touch. Sometimes a hug or a gentle touch can show that you care, even when words are not being understood.

Use loving words. Say thank you and offer praise sincerely. We all like to know that we are appreciated.

Use pampering. We all like to be pampered – try a hand, shoulder or temple massage. Look through a picture book with your loved one, talking about memories. Explore a "treasure box" together. Give a manicure – put on make-up - comb her hair – do all of the things that you like for yourself!

Remember – they are responding to you. When your loved one behaves in a way that you are unaccustomed to, remember that they are simply responding to things in the environment that they do not recognize or understand. The more "familiar" you can make the visit and the environment, the more relaxed your family member will be.

If you are having trouble... Ask for help – do not hesitate to ask the staff for ideas. We are all learning about your loved one together. Staff may be able to tell you about an approach that worked last evening that might help today.