Finding hope and resilience
While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect our mental health, perhaps no one in our province has shown more inspiration through their inner-strength and unwavering hope than the Northwood community.
Despite unimaginable loss over the past year, the long-term care community continues to show incredible courage in the face of this pandemic.
“Residents and tenants, their loved ones and our team who lived or worked through the outbreak at our long-term care facilities have experienced the most challenging year in Northwood’s history,” says Janet Simm, Northwood’s president and CEO.
“Our staff who continued to show up for work were amazing and showed incredible commitment to the care and support for our residents and our tenants. But it has taken a toll. The encouragement and support our staff has received from our community helped us through a challenging time and is helping us begin to heal.”
Over the past year, Northwood staff and residents have focused on building resiliency. Adjustments have been made to programming, including Northwood’s mental health and wellness program, Seeds of Success, to ensure the health and safety of all residents.
The program promotes good mental health and healthy living to help participants enjoy life and cope with its challenges — skills that have proved invaluable during the pandemic.
“Working through grief, fear, isolation and the many other challenges presented by this pandemic requires good coping skills and resilience,” says Starr Cunningham, the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia’s president and CEO. “Thanks to Seeds of Success, Northwood residents have the skills they need to persevere through this incredibly challenging time.”
At Seeds of Success, staff have been providing additional therapeutic support in response to the mental health challenges associated with COVID-19. Participants work with Nelson, Seeds of Success occupational therapist, to set meaningful goals and tailor treatment plans that promote practising self-care and mindfulness strategies.
Weekly programming has shifted during these uncertain times to include weekly, on-unit wellness checks, horticultural therapy and creative expression activities to build resilience and instil hope.
“We created a newsletter over Christmas,” says Joy Pennick, program facilitator. “It included a couple of stories and poems written by our participants.”
Participants have also been enhancing their mental health using sensory exercises. By reflecting on positive memories and things they’ve seen, heard, smelled, felt and tasted, they’re able to relieve anxiety and boost their overall mood. Creative writing has also helped them cope when times are tough.
A poem by a Seeds of Success member reads, “Loneliness is blue. It tastes sour at times and it smells like overcooked fish. Loneliness looks like a mist that you can’t see through. It sounds like a hollow echo and it feels depressing. Loneliness makes my body feel suppressed and confined. It makes me want to go out. Be around people instead of being alone.”
The Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia is proud to fund Seeds of Success to enhance the mental health and well-being of the Northwood community, while providing hope and eradicating the stigma surrounding mental illness and addiction.
In January, residents received another huge boost of hope in the form of their long-awaited COVID19 vaccinations. You can instil even more hope and resilience by donating to Seeds of Success at mentalhealthns.ca/northwoodseeds-of-success-donations.
Jill Chappell is the marketing and communications lead of the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia. She’s an award-winning broadcaster, entrepreneur, community volunteer and twin mom to two adventurous preschoolers.