Our Meetings

Meeting # 1, July 3

• New executive committee

Meeting # 2 , July 14

Meeting # 3, September 11

• Raising funds through one activity - lottery ticket sales
• Plans for a "Safe walking path" in the front of the home, for residents and family
• Report on "Secure Area"
• What are the benefits of being legally incorporated as a non-profit organization
• Discussion on the parking situation around the building and the need to make it safe of residents
• A website is being built to promote our activities and let people know that we are here as a very ACTIVE Family Council. A member of the Council is a Webmaster and will design our site at cost.

Meeting # 4, October 2

• Report on the completion of the "Secure Area" project
• Report on the "Walking Path"
• The president reports on a regional meeting and brings up a few suggestions for improving our own Family Council

Meeting # 5, October 23

• Community donations are starting to pour in and this Family Council is being discovered by the community
• Project # 1 is finished with the exception of the gates in the "Secure Area".  This is a first contribution by the FC
• The Royal Bank (Eastcourt Mall - Cornwall) donates $500 to our FC
• Brainstorming session for 2009 to find projects to improve the lives of our residents

Meeting # 6, January 29

• Plans to supply furniture for the "Secure Area"
• We are starting to look at the parking areas at Woodland Villa and how it needs to be safer and better for residents
• A skating party is planned for a Sunday afternoon.  We are going to make it a community affair.  In the front area of Woodland Villa is a low area and we will be inviting the fire department to flood this area and prepare the rink
• We are starting a new "Friends of Woodland Villa" project that will be inviting the community to assist residents by: reading to residents; push wheelchairs; visiting and chatting
• Establishing an “Adopt a grand-parent” project where a community member may register with Woodland Villa and adopt a resident in need of company on a regular basis
• We establish a calendar of events for the year 2009
• We are now incorporated as a non-profit organization (Ontario corporation # 1785236)

Meeting # 7, March 26

• Our vice-president has drawn up a great plan for the layout of the "Secure area" with flowers and trees, park benches and a statue
• Plans are being made to hold workshops and invite speakers to the home
• After having attended provincial meetings regarding Family Councils, the president makes a presentation on the provincial status of Family Councils
• Family Council funds will cover the cost of tuning the piano in the home
• This Family Council will represent Woodland Villa at the area Trade Show in April
• Ideas are being tossed around on how to improve our website

Meeting # 8, May 21

• This FC will be helping Woodland Villa with their yearly Garage Sale this year
• Some members have done the legwork and purchased park benches for the "Secure Area"
• We are looking at the possibility of a Newsletter from the Family Council.  This letter would be printed twice a year and distributed through the regular Woodland Villa courrier to residents and their families

Meeting # 9, July 16

• The "Secure Area" project is completed and all that is left to do now is to continue to maintain and decorate
• The president of this Council talks to the members and describes how delicate a FC is, especially maintaining membership.  This is a problem all over the province and we are to find ways to attract a continuous flow of new members to stay alive and continue our support of this home
• The president talks about Project # 2 - a rest area in front of the home.  There is a large wooded area in front of the home and there is a need for a place where residents and family members can sit comfortably on park benches and under the many trees.  This is a major project and will require community action and the help of government resources.  several of our members is good at obtaining funds from local companies and charitable organizations
• The FC is looking at improving the availability of supplying better spiritual needs of our residents
• Since one of our FC members is a professional musician, we are inviting the "Seaway Winds Concert Band" (www.seawaywinds.ca) to come and perform an outdoor concert on a Sunday afternoon
• We are helping out with the Garage Sale at Woodland Villa in August
• The FC will be printing more flyers about the FC and make them available to the public

Meeting # 10, September 17

• Printing our flyers in color is now a great improvement and this is being made easy by the fact that one of our members has a large color photocopier
• Plans are being made to past a framed notice in 3 area of the home to tell people that "This home has an ACTIVE FAMILY COUNCIL".  On this poster will be our website address.  Next to these frames announcements will be a dispenser with our color flyers available to all
• Our president has been invited to become "Facilitator" for the area Long Term Care Homes.  He has accepted and, after proper training will be promoting Family Councils for the 11 area homes
• The FC is making a financial donation to the Activities committee of Woodland Villa
• We are looking at the possibility of highlighting several of our residents on the website and telling a short life history of that person along with a typical day at the Villa
• There is a need for a ramp leading to the "Secure Area" for wheelchairs to have better and safer access.  The Woodland Villa caretaking staff will be taking care of this at our request
• A member of the FC has brought a piggy bank full of pennies for us to count and deposit in our account.  This piggy bank was being slowly filled up by family members in her home

Meeting # 11, November 19

• Members of the FC are invited to sign a permission form for us to be sending their photos for the provincial newsletter and along with that, giving us permission to have their photos on our website
• One of our FC members is in the home from morning to night to be with her husband.  She is taking this opportunity to sell our annual lottery tickets to family members visiting.  This is the only major source of fundraising that the FC has
• This meeting is centered on how to promote this family council and attract many new members
• A new idea is being brought up and we have decided to join Woodland Villa and develop a better "Welcoming Package" for new residents.  This involves giving one to all present residents who will benefit from such a package.  Included in this "Welcoming Pack" will be a cloth bag (2 zippered pockets), a pad, a pen, a letter of welcome to this home.  All these items will be labeled "Woodland Villa Family Council" and have our website address on them. Woodland Villa will be adding their regular welcome documents in our bags

Meeting # 12, January 19

Guest speaker from the Alzheimer Society

Approximately 30 people were present

http://alzheimer.ca/

After the meeting, many remained to help to assemble the "Welcome Pack" for new residents. This pack includes:

• a heavy cloth bag with 2 wippered compartments
• a pad of 50 pages to write messages to loved ones
• a pen with the Woodlans Villa Family Council logo
• a bookmark

Meeting # 13, February 16

1. All members attending find that the 6 p.m. meetings are an improvement and we will keep this time for now.
2. The area facilitator for Family Councils for 11 Homes, talked about his presentation at different homes and building FCs in others. It is an exciting project and is of great help to Family Councils all over the province.
3. No FC will be able to do exactly what another is doing because of the area, the number of residents, the type of people who reside in the particular home. This is what makes FCs so interesting and helpful to the Home.
4. We thought that it would be a great idea to have 3 guest speakers during the year due to the huge success of this past experience.
5. We have added the possibility of having Girl Guides come into the home and become Friends of a Resident or simply help out. Amember if this FC and administration will take care of this project.
6. “Welcome pack for new residents” - The package is being handed out to new residents or a family member. There is ONE package per resident or a family member of that resident.
7. Asking everyone to remove their footwear as they enter OUR HOME. “This is our home and we invite you to take your footwear off as you come in. We do it in your home, please do it in ours. If needed the Family Council will find a book case to store the footwear and supply some type for temporary footwear while these people are in the home.
8. Website - Special Residents and their life story in brief. We are going to develop a special form to have families sign, giving us permission to have this information on the website. We must also take into consideration that it is a family member giving us all of the information and photos that are being up up.
9. Other items: Easter Monday - Tea Party from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. for residents and family members.
10. Again: part of our responsibility as Family Council members is to invite other family members and friends to our meetings. Please work hard on this.

Meeting # 14, March 16

The Family Council has reserved a table at the coming Trade Show for the Township on April 31 and May first.  There, we will be representing Woodland Villa and promoting the Council activities.

Website - Special Residents and their life story in brief. We aim is to find up to 10 residents to be on our website with their life story. All information and photos is to be received from family members and proper forms are to be signed for permission for all materials to go up on the website www.wvfamilycouncil.org

Easter Monday - Tea Party from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. for residents and family members. Lyn is taking care of this with the Girl Guides. (This activity has been cancelled due to other activities involving the Girl Guides)

Seaway Winds Concert Band to be invited to play in July.

Meeting # 15, April 20

Topic

Wills, Power of Attorney and Pre-arranged funerals
Presented by Lahaie & Sullivan Cornwall Funeral Homes Ltd
Lori Hollingsworth
Beverages and light snacks were served
The experience was super informative and well appreciated by all.

Thank you Lori for being with us and having so much information to share with us.

Meeting # 16, May 18

At the end of this meeting, Lyn Fisher takes over as President of the Woodland Villa Family Council. Raymond will remain as Secretary-Treasurer and will be concentrating his efforts on his position as area Family Council Facilitator .

Lyn is working on 2 new residents to record a short life history and a few photos for our website. We are extending invitations to all to send us a short resume of a loved one at Woodland.

Trade Show in Long Sault - Lyn described the experience as a very positive one and comments that all who know of Woodland Villa only had very positive comments about our Home. Raymond expresses the fact that it was difficult to stand all day Saturday on cold cement. It is recommended that we have a carpet for us to stand on for next year. We also need to have 2 tables even if it takes 2 booths next year.

What can we do when a resident deceases? Quite a few things are already being done, especially the special blanket covering the body as it leaves the main doors of our Home. It is mentioned that our residents enter by the front door and will be leaving by this same door. We will also be arranging for a member of the Family Council to be present when a deceased is being taken out of the Home. It is also possible to have a memorial poster on a stand, built specially to commemorate the deceased and possibly have a photo and a prayer on this board.

Special “Thank You” banquet for volunteers once a year. We will be looking at a time and place in September or October.

Increasing the volunteer base at Woodland Villa. Mike (administration) and Raymond will be looking at the possibility of a letter to local churches and another for schools. If we can attract some people to come in and accompany a resident only once a week or help feed residents at mealtime it would be a great help.

To date, a new parking lot on the south side of the building would be a great advantage for the residents.

We will be ready for the Family Council Day on Saturday, June 12. We will ve at the Cornwall Square, largest mall in the area, and information will be handed out about our Family Council.

Closed circuit TV will soon be installed in our Home, making it possible for residents to tune in on the latest news in the Home. This project will be in cooperation with Cogeco Cable TV.

Woodland Villa Family Council – Meeting # 17 on Tuesday, May 18, 2010.
Time : 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Place: Woodland Villa South Salon

Present: 10 family members and one administrator

Word of welcome from Lyn Fisher - Our new president was really pleased with the number of members present.

Comments on the “Memorial Board” with a request that we find someone who can build one for Woodland Villa instead of purchasing one. We have found one carpenter who might do the job for us.

We will be sending a letter to all churches in the area, trying to attract volunteers at Woodland Villa. The letter was read to the members and was found to be perfect.

Report on the new parking area situation. The Family Council will pay 50% of the total cost of this project due to a specific lage donation to the Family Council. The Family Council will also be concentrating on a front rest area for residents and family.

Website - Special Residents and their life story in brief. The subject was brought up again and we are encouraging family members to submit resumes of their loved ones along with photos. Proper permission forms will need to be completed.

The installation of Closed circuit TV in our Home will make it possible for residents to tune in on the latest news in the Home. This project will be in cooperation with Cogeco Cable TV. Work is still being made on this.

Next meeting: TUESDAY, July 20. 6 P.M.