Agnes Vincent and her granddaughter Shona attend the National Dog Show in Toronto.
College program encourages residents to dream
Second Wind Dreams program grants wishes
Wednesday April 23, 2008 -- Camille Jensen
“Dreams are as individual as the person dreaming them, whether they are small and intimate or on a large scale, the resident receiving the dream is able to experience the thrill, satisfaction and pleasure of having a wish come true,” says  Lois Blais, co-ordinator of volunteer services at Leacock Care Centre.

A partnership between Georgian College and Leacock Care Centre is inspiring residents to dream, granting their wishes through the school’s Second Wind Dream program.

In its third year running, college students participating in the program visit with residents at the Orillia long-term care home, talking and planning to best determine what their ideal dream would be.

Once determined, the student works with the resident, their family and the community to make the dream a reality.

Blais says residents in long-term care often dream of the past and the program is a great way to remind them to look forward.

“A lot of times residents don’t know what they would like because it’s a new concept for them,” explains Blais who says residents often choose dreams involving family or a favourite past event.

Through the years, residents at the Jarlette Health Services-owned long-term care home have had square dancing parties, reunited with old friends and attended favourite shows in Toronto.

One gentleman’s wish was to attend a Radio City Rockettes show in Toronto with his daughter. The man had watched the Rockettes years earlier with his wife in New York City and felt the opportunity to share a similar event with his daughter was a dream come true.

The happiness of the event lived on with the man for years to come, says Blais who adds the gentleman saved the pamphlet from the show.

Understanding the lingering effects and satisfaction of completing a dream is what gives everyone involved a “second wind,” says the Second Wind Dreams website.

Beginning in 1997, the non-profit organization based in the United States has become involved with more than 235 organizations throughout Canada, the U.S., and India lending resources and information on how to help residents live their dreams.

Believing that a lack of dreams has physical and mental consequences, the organization’s website states that they are able to improve quality of life for residents, by fulfilling their wishes.

Getting to know residents and providing them with meaningful opportunities is what makes the program appealing for students, says Christine Wilkinson, co-ordinator of the therapeutic recreation program at Georgian College.

The college also runs a separate project that gives students experience planning and co-ordinating fundraising events, which pay for the dreams. A recent Charity Masquerade Ball raised more than $2,000 for the program.

Wilkinson says the Second Wind Dreams program has been the most important new program for the therapeutic recreation department and encourages other schools to adopt a similar model.

“Many of the students have said to me that this is the best project that they’ve done in their academic career,” says Wilkinson. “To see the impact that an individual can have on another individual is really tremendous.”

For more information about the Second Winds Dream program, visit their website at www.secondwind.org.

Do you know of other successful program ideas for residents in long-term care? Stories are often generated from the feedback we receive. Please share your thoughts by calling the newsroom at (800) 294-0051 ext.24 or e-mail camille(at)axiomnews.ca.