The Emma’s neighbourhood at The Village of Riverside Glen is a buzzing hub of activity on a Wednesday morning in mid-January, Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. One might assume that visiting in that period between breakfast and lunch would be a little quiet, for Emma’s is home to people who are require a lot of support and many will rest often, but things are hopping today.
There are PSW students mingling with residents and team members, and family members float in and out with their loved ones. Emma’s is a neighbourhood designed to support people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia that affect cognitive abilities in many ways, and we’re looking today at what supports under the umbrella of the Schlegel Villages Living in My Today (LIMT) signature program can look like.
Specifically, here at Riverside Glen the team has come far in understanding the LIMT emphasis on developing relationships and creating space for meaningful and active engagement, one of the five main pillars of the program.
One of the key concepts is the idea that meaningful engagement can be many different things to different people and in a neighbourhood like Emma’s, team members, volunteers and visitors should be able to pivot in their interactions with residents. While there is certainly a time and space for structured activities, having the right tools or prompts available within the neighbourhood to help spark interest and conversation with residents allows for engagement to happen spontaneously.
Recreation team member Bridget Nankivell has been a driving force behind the establishment of this concept, and as she looks around the neighbourhood to see the different levels of interaction on this busy morning, she smiles with a bit of pride. She describes the various “cues” that are spread out within the neighbourhood, which she and other team members rotate and refresh day to day. These cues might be books with pictures of the outdoors that inspire conversation about camping or gardening, or they might be simple games that can stimulate the mind with a bit of support.
All the resources have been thoughtfully developed and procured as part of the Living in My Today program, and they have proven to enhance engagement at the neighbourhood level.
Kelly Campbell is a Personal Care Aide (PCA) who spends much of the early hours of her morning shift transitioning the cues and prompts in the neighbourhood, and she says doing so gives her more opportunity to connect with all residents and get to know them on a deeper level. Glancing over to another table, we see Lucy Okun-Douglas, another PCA who is connecting with a resident over a game that resembles a large Tic-Tac-Toe board with colours. Time for such engagement opportunity is actually factored into Lucy’s shift, for engagement is as important as any other “task” she might have on any given day.
The fact that team members are encouraged to connect with residents and meet them where they are in the moment is what Bridget says she is drawn to in her role.
“Emma’s is just a really special place,” Bridget says, and she’s excited to see Living in My Today’s central pillars unfolding, as is neighbourhood coordinator Madalyn MacIntyre. Madalyn points out that early in 2025, they aim to expand on the success they’re seeing with more dedicated education sessions for team members focused on meaningful and active engagement. This, in fact, has been an identified priority throughout all 18 Schlegel Villages in 2025.
With that education comes scheduled time for all team members, regardless of role, to spend time one-on-one with residents where most residents are living with the changing perceptions dementia can bring. “The team is quite good with engaging and we really want to encourage everyone to participate and understand . . . the pivot towards more Living in My Today,” Bridget says.
