With its steadfast focus on the strengths and successes within long-term care, the Ontario Long Term Care Association’s Morning Report news program is a poignant reminder and counterpoint to some current media coverage on some reported incidents of abuse and quality of care issues.

Pine Villa Nursing Home and New Village Retirement Home manager of recreation and volunteers Karen Cerantola shares this view, while discussing the exhilaration felt by residents Nov. 18 from the same-day online Morning Report post on their recent participation charity fundraising.

“I just read it to the residents and they were so proud, they said, wow now we are famous!” Karen wrote in an e-mail to Axiom News, which tells every Morning Report news brief and story with an appreciative, strengths-based approach.

The recent article, and others on the Thomas Health Care home, are printed out, filed in the main office for tours and visitors, and posted on the lobby bulletin board, Karen says. They are also read aloud to the residents involved or raised at residents’ council.

A big display board called “In The News” featuring all of the stories is being created and installed for all staff members, residents, families and visitors to see.

Karen, who shares the stories with other homes as well, says the acknowledgement and awareness they generate is particularly valuable now.

“I think that with the negative stories (out) right now about homes, it’s a very positive thing to see the fun side and the meaningful things that we do in homes,” she says.

“Most people have a bad stereotype of (long-term care) homes but unless you work in one, they’re very different from how people perceive them, especially with the stories that are in the paper right now,” she says.

“It’s just nice to show all of the hard work that the recreation staff put into the programs that we do, that people are happy here and they get to do things, and that it’s not so sad and what people think it is.”

Karen says Morning Report coverage helps to debunk widely-held perceptions by showing that living in a long-term care home “can be a positive change for someone.”

She notes that it takes time to change perceptions and the Morning Report coverage doesn’t negate the mainstream media coverage, “but it’s nice to show that not all places are bad and it’s not all sad in homes.”

At Pine Villa, she says residents appreciate the recognition of the things they do, such as participating in recent dress down in pink Fridays for breast cancer awareness and funds.

Documenting their efforts bolsters their sense of belonging and community, and self-worth.

“I find they share more ideas when we read the stories out loud. They think, that was good, we should do this,” Karen says.

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