Category: News

As I sit down at my computer to write this update, it is a gorgeous spring day outside – finally! Trees are budding, the grass is turning green, the sun is shining, and winter jackets have been removed and replaced by short sleeves. With the arrival of spring, I am excited to get outside and start playing in my garden. It looks so sad after a long and cold winter, but I get great joy seeing the resilient plants start to poke their heads out of the soil.

Gardening can be a great way to enjoy the outdoors, get physically active, beautify the community and grow nutritious fruits and vegetables. If you are a beginner like me or an expert gardener, health and safety should always be a priority. I thought I would share a few tips to help keep you safe and healthy so that you can enjoy the beauty and bounty that gardening can bring.

• Dress to protect—gear up to protect yourself from lawn and garden pests, harmful chemicals, sharp or motorized equipment, insects, and harmful rays of too much sun.

• Wear safety goggles, sturdy shoes and long pants to prevent injury when using power tools and equipment.

• Protect your hearing when using machinery. If you have to raise your voice to talk to someone who is an arm’s length away, the noise can be potentially harmful to your hearing.

• Wear gloves to lower the risk for skin irritations, cuts and certain contaminants.

• Use insect repellent and protect yourself from diseases caused by mosquitoes and ticks. Wear long-sleeved shirts, and pants tucked in your socks.

• Lower your risk for sunburn and skin cancer. Wear long sleeves, wide-brimmed hats, sun shades, and sunscreen with sun protective factor (SPF) 15 or higher

• Put Safety First—powered and unpowered tools and equipment can cause serious injury. Limit distractions, use chemicals and equipment properly and be aware of hazards to lower your risk for injury.

• Follow instructions and warning labels on chemicals and lawn and garden equipment.

• Make sure the equipment is working properly.

• Sharpen tools carefully.

• Keep harmful chemicals, tools, and equipment out of children’s reach.

I am so excited to see what Mother Nature has in store for my garden this year, and what bulbs can survive the onslaught of our community bunnies. I look forward to my daily garden inspections and admiring the new growth on my plants and the blossoming of colours and fragrances as summer approaches. To all Bethany gardeners, I wish you a fabulous and safe gardening season.

If you have any questions, or would simply like to share your ideas, please contact me directly at lisa.watson@bethanyseniors.com.

Kind regards,

– Lisa

It’s All A Matter of Perspective

In the words of Henry Ford: “If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person’s point of view and see things from that person’s angle as well as from your own”.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have encountered challenges in moving some organizational initiatives forward. I have been met with resistance and even disagreement and I have to say, it has not been entirely clear to me why this has occurred. The conclusion that I have come to is that “it’s all a matter of perspective”.

The above quote encourages us to see things from a different perspective. By doing so, we can raise our own awareness and potentially find better solutions and ways of doing things. As individuals, we filter everything by our personal history, our beliefs, motivations and concepts that we hold true. That said, it is important that we understand that they are not necessarily true for other people. Our individual perspectives influence our behaviour, actions and attitudes. It has been said that the true value of another perspective lies within seeing more of a situation and therefore being able to make a better judgement for ourselves.

I have come to learn that takes courage to see the perspective of others, to acknowledge it and potentially move forward in a different direction. I would also argue it requires discipline to approach situations this way. However, if we do so we may often find a better way to move forward.

I would encourage you to think about this as you encounter challenges in your own lives. Try and understand where the other person is coming from. I would like to close with one of my favourite quotes from Wayne Dyer: “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”.

As always, I welcome any ideas or suggestions you may have. Please send them to me at nancy.hughes@bethanyseniors.com.

Regards,
— Nancy

The Music You Make

I went to a chamber music concert on Friday night. I just learned about this kind of classical music a couple of years ago (what can I say…I’m more of a 70’s/80’s music fan!)

Chamber music is a beautiful and precise musical style, usually played by a quartet playing two violins, a viola and a cello. It began hundreds of years ago – played in grand palaces and ornate homes to entertain the rich aristocrats who lived in them. Now it’s played in concert halls and is affordably priced so that anyone can enjoy it – students, working professionals, retirees and seniors.

In a purpose-built space, the perfection of each instrument’s part in the musical piece can be heard as clearly as if the players were in your own living room. Each musical note layers flawlessly on the last one played. I’m always amazed at how the musicians remember all the notes without sheet music, and I love how they watch each other carefully as they play, to make sure their collective music creates the best possible sound.

On Friday night as I listened (when I wasn’t nudging my husband who kept nodding off, that is), I found myself thinking about the power of music at Bethany and the meaning it brings to our residents. Whether that music comes from a caregiver singing to a resident, a children’s choir visiting one of our care centres or a therapist led sing-along, music has the power to bring people together in a special shared experience.

Our work brings all of us together in a shared experience, too. If you think about it, Bethany is a bit like an orchestra. We all have our instruments and parts to play. And I’m always so grateful that others know their notes so well! Like a chamber music concert, our work is better and more meaningful when we play it together, each knowing our part and making sure our instruments and notes are in tune with the music others are playing.

On that note, thanks for all you do – and have a great week!

— Gail

“Sometimes you can’t see yourself clearly until you see yourself through the eyes of others.” — Ellen DeGeneres

Spring has arrived…and not a moment too soon! After a long cold winter, I welcome the warmth of the sun, the melting snow and tiny bits of green grass peeking through the brown.

At Bethany, spring signals the end of our fiscal year and a time to look back at what has happened. Within all levels of the organization, we are completing our reviews and receiving assessments on our performance for the past year. While some of the comments will be positive and some will be constructive, there is often uneasiness felt on both sides, giving and receiving. One of the keys to success both personally and professionally, is to be receptive to feedback. So how do we receive feedback graciously and what should we do with it?

Here are some suggestions:

• Be approachable. Keep an open mind and emotions in check. We want to continue to receive feedback in order to help achieve one’s full potential. My mom often says that if she has stopped giving me feedback, I should be concerned because she has given up on me.
• Seek understanding. If necessary, ask questions to get clarity on your evaluation. Request for specific examples and tips on how to improve.
• Restate the points made to your supervisor and confirm that you have correctly interpreted their comments.
• Reflect on the feedback. Take an honest look at yourself and consider if changes need to be made. This is often the most difficult and humbling part of the process.
• Take action. Lay out steps to initiate change and follow through.

“The past is to prove that no one is perfect and the future is to prove that everyone can change.” — A. Loan

The new fiscal year signifies an opportunity for new beginnings and the use of feedback for improvement and growth. Thank you for taking the time to read this message and feel free to reach me with your comments or questions at Doreen.Lee@Bethanyseniors.com.

— Doreen