Wellington Terrace in Fergus is connecting communities, one page at a time.
Residents in the Oak Glen Neighbourhood have teamed up to create their very own resident-run newspaper, the Oak Glen Gazette for a monthly dose of all that’s happening at the long term care home.
“It really is a unique program. It’s amazing that we have residents who initiated it and want to support it, and I’m happy to support them in this as well,” said Oak Glen recreation therapist Heather Karrow.
When residents first move in to Wellington Terrace, a recreation assessment takes place to better understand where their interests lie.
With some of the newer residents, Karrow said she noticed a very ‘unique’ skill set.
“One of our gentlemen was a journalist. And one of our ladies was an editor. We started chatting about a couple ideas to maybe get something going. And I thought, maybe we should run a neighbour wide newspaper,” Karrow said.
Soon after, a number of residents were on board.
“When we started off, it was very basic. Since then, it has progressed to be quite the newspaper,” Karrow said.
“It’s so much fun and it’s really inclusive. Although the newspaper originated in the Oak Glen neighbourhood, we do actually open it up to the whole home. So if there are other residents who have certain skill sets to contribute, they are welcome too.”
The first issue of the Oak Glen Gazette hit Wellington Terrace newsstands a year ago.
“There are a core six or seven residents who have an assigned role such as journalist, editor, photographer, distributor, creative content and artist,” Karrow said. “But it fluctuates. We have residents from different neighbourhoods that want to join, sit in and come up with ideas. Sometimes we have as many as 10 residents who want to support the program.”
Residents in the program meet once a month to discuss upcoming content.
“We delegate different roles, and we discuss a due date for all of the written pieces. And then we meet on that date and assemble the newspaper, together,” Karrow said.
“We meet in one of our recreation rooms, we put everything up on the TV, we type up some things together, and then we send it off to our editor who will double check for any spelling mistakes. And then we distribute the newspaper the following week.”
Karrow said feedback from readers has been great, for multiple reasons.
“This gives residents a sense of purpose and it builds community. I think so many of them are looking for that sense of community and this helps support that,” she said.
“It’s also neat for families, because often, they don’t know about all of things we are doing here."
The Oak Glen Gazette reports on items such as current and upcoming programs, news, birthdays, the resident and staff member of the month, as well as special events.
Karrow said the newspaper program is a great way to get information out to staff, families, and most importantly, to residents.
"I love my job. I get to work with such amazing residents and people. Being able to support them in something like this is so heartwarming and it gives me a sense of purpose,” she said.
“For me, It’s all about how I can better support them, meet their needs, and give them a sense of purpose while they are at Wellington Terrace. That’s what it’s all about.”
