It’s important to celebrate love not only today, but every day. Valentines Day can be celebrated by anyone with simply expressing your love for your friends and family.

Wellness at Elim is a broad term. It encompasses the multitude of ways Elim can effect and impact the quality of life for each of our residents and Therapeutic Recreation is one of the many pieces to this large puzzle. In celebrating this month, we acknowledge the role of leisure, recreation and play as essential components to ensure quality of life. Therapeutic Recreation service is provided to individuals who have physical, mental, social or emotional limitations which impact their ability to engage in meaningful leisure experiences.

What is it Therapeutic Recreation Professionals do?

 Assess: Conduct an assessment of the resident’s functional abilities, leisure interests, needs and wishes.                                                                                                                   Plan: Develop an intervention plan with the residents. Set short term and long term goals. Gather necessary information and tools needed in the program to help the resident achieve these goals.                                                                                                             Implement:  Facilitate and assist residents in participation. Monitor their progress.     Evaluate: Review the residents intervention plan and goals. Revise plan accordingly.

Here at Elim Village our staff interact with our residents on a daily basis and they play a crucial role in their daily lives. We want to uplift residents from not only by creating interactive activities, having meaningful conversations and interactions.

“Sometimes, it’s something as simple as a smile to make someone’s day. What would life be like without smiles? Can you imagine what it would be like if you never experienced others joy. Without uplifting interactions, life for many would seem lose its purpose.”                   – Michelle Hebert, Wellness Manager

Each edition on the Elim Connection features one (or more) of our residents. The summer edition featured Independent living residents Bill and Diana.

Although Bill and Diana moved into Elim Village just over a year ago they are familiar faces to many. Today, they love their new home the people they interact with, the Bistro the community events and especially the concerts. They continue to enjoy longstanding ties with the Salvation Army church where their grandchildren are sixth generation attenders! For now, they enjoy their own church, however, they appreciate the options that are available to them when travel may no longer be convenient.

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If you’d like to see Bill and Diana’s featured cover or read more great stories about our residents, head over to our Facebook page.