Card-making program maintaining residents’ cognitive, motor skills
Friday October 5, 2007 -- Deron Hamel
The life enrichment department at a Sarnia long-term care home has developed a program which is proving to be a valuable tool for strengthening residents’ cognitive and motor skills, says Vicki Di Giovanni.

Di Giovanni, the manager of the life enrichment department at Afton Park Place, says a program launched in July where residents create homemade greeting cards has been a favourite activity with residents.

“If they (the residents) don’t see the program on the board, they ask, ‘When are we going to make cards again?’” says Di Giovanni.

The small-group program has about six residents who primarily make birthday cards for other residents and for family members. With the holiday season just around the corner, the program will be busy with residents making Christmas cards, notes Di Giovanni.

Di Giovanni explains the benefits she sees residents getting from the program.

“For motor skills, it’s maintaining or improving their fine motor skills, as well as some of their growth motor skills by using scissors, the different hole-punches (and) working with small materials,” she says. “For cognitive (skills), it sparks creativity.”

It’s the cognitive benefits to residents which have been most noticeable to Di Giovanni. When the program began, residents would make cards based on designs life enrichment workers provided for them to follow.

Three months later, residents are creating their own designs.

Di Giovanni has also seen increased self-esteem in residents who participate in the program.

“They might come in saying, ‘Oh, I can’t make cards,’ but the cards are simple and creative and they’re just doing a wonderful job,” she says. “Their taking them to show their family members what they can do. It’s an amazing self-esteem booster.”

Resident Margi Richards is a regular at the twice-per-month program.

“It’s very interesting,” she says, adding her fellow residents also enjoy the program. “I didn’t think I’d be able to do it very well, but it’s working out OK.”

The program has been so successful that Di Giovanni has recommended it to life enrichment managers at other Steeves & Rozema long-term care homes.

“They were quite interested in the project,” she says.