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The Calgary Stampede has come and gone, but not without celebration at Bethany!

Bethany employees, volunteers, residents, tenants and community partners had the opportunity to enjoy western-themed fun, games, and food beloved by Stampede-goers and Albertans across the province.

Joining to celebrate were Government of Alberta Ministers Jason Nixon and Tanya Fir at Riverview Village and Member of Parliament Blake Richards, Government of Alberta Minister Peter Guthrie and Mayor Jeff Genung in Cochrane. Stampede celebrations at both locations also included our new friends from TaleGate (talegate4joy.com), who are helping us create and share the stories of Bethany.

And Bethany’s celebrations didn’t end with the Stampede. Some of our Bethany CollegeSide residents in Red Deer scored front-row seats to the Westerner Days parade, enjoying the exciting music and floats as they passed by.

Thank you to everyone who joined Bethany to celebrate Stampede, Westerner Days, and the community that makes our work possible.

Bethany Care Society (Bethany) is one of Western Canada’s largest not-for-profit providers of care, housing, and community services for seniors and persons with disabilities.

But Bethany is more than just a landlord. Through an exciting research partnership with a large international organization, we tested the Seniors at Home virtual technology at three of our housing sites in Alberta. This one-year pilot project was the first in Canada to utilize sensors and easy-to-use tablet devices to support remote health and wellness monitoring in study participants’ homes. The technology allowed the participants to communicate regularly with their nursing wellness partners, fostering meaningful relationships and allowing them to successfully identify and achieve important health and wellness goals.

Our tenants saw an improvement in sleep patterns, mobility, weight regulation, and management of chronic medical conditions. These results and the overwhelmingly positive feedback from the study participants highlight the positive impacts of using technologies like this to enhance overall health and well-being. In the future, study participants hope to see widespread program implementation to extend the incredible benefit to other seniors.

To learn more about the Seniors at Home initiative and other Bethany research and innovation initiatives, the full article can be found in our 2023 Annual Report.

Lori Deagnon, 81, is nearly blind, but once a week, when her brush hits the paper, she paints using the most vivid colours and her imagination, with help from a high school support volunteer.

Deagnon is one of eight residents at Bethany Airdrie participating in the Opening Minds through Art Program (OMA). OMA is an intergenerational art program for people with dementia, founded by Dr. Elizabeth Lokon in 2007 at Scripps Gerontology Centre at Miami University. OMA-trained Bethany employees run the program with volunteers from local high schools. The Bethany Care Foundation is grateful to the Telus Friendly Future Foundation for supporting the OMA program.

Art therapy and creative expression are known to significantly benefit the physical and psychological well-being of people with dementia.

Candice Melloy, a Recreation Therapist at Bethany Airdrie, took the program a few years ago through the Alzheimer Society of Calgary. For the next ten weeks, Melloy will help residents build relationships with the students from Bert Church High School in Airdrie as they work together to create art using their imaginations.

While OMA aims to give participants autonomy by empowering them to make decisions in a failure-free environment, students learn compassion and empathy. Bert Church High School teacher Mr.Ryan Jones said some of his students initially hesitated because they knew nothing about dementia. “After a couple of times with the residents at Bethany Aidrie though, they said how much they enjoyed it and couldn’t wait to return.”

And the residents look forward to seeing the students each week. “Their eyes light up,” Melloy says. “While supporting the residents, the students learn how to strategize to help their partners through struggles. It is a win-win.”

In addition to Bethany Airdrie, OMA programs have also been offered at other Bethany sites across Alberta, including Cochrane and Harvest Hills. They wrap up with a public gallery exhibition and silent auction celebrating the artists’ accomplishments. All proceeds go directly back to the program to purchase art supplies for future participants.

As of June 19, 2023, Bethany is rescinding the Continuous Masking policy to align with Alberta Health Services (AHS). This means that all employees, residents, families, volunteers, students, contracted care providers, and visitors will no longer be required to continuously wear masks at any of our Bethany sites.

This decision was made after evaluating multiple factors, including the decline of COVID-19 cases, testing positivity rate, wastewater data, hospital admission rates for respiratory illnesses in Alberta, and consultations with stakeholders, including patients, families, advisory councils, clinicians, and frontline managers.

Moving forward, Bethany respects the choice to wear a mask voluntarily in all areas and supports those who wish to wear a mask to continue to do so.  Staff will continue to use available personal protective equipment as required in accordance with our infection, prevention, and control policies to prevent the spread of infections.

Bethany is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for everyone. We are dedicated to delivering exceptional care and services to our residents, their families, each other, and our community partners.

If you have any questions, please contact your Care Services Manager.

The Bethany Care Society is leading the way in creating caring communities across Southern Alberta.

Learn more about our highlights, accomplishments, and the exciting developments to come in our 2023 Annual Report, Leading the Way.