On Creating a community or ““My knitting group has broken up,” said mom on the telephone….”
“My knitting group has broken up,” said mom on the telephone, “but I may have found a new group to join. We got a flyer at the condo about a knitting group at the CNIB that’s open to the community.”
“You should go,” I said. “Winter is coming and you’ll need something to do. Besides what are we going to do with all the hats, mittens, and scarves we make every year?”
My mother, Katharina Duhatschek, lives in a condo at the Kilgour Estates, and for the past few years she has been meeting weekly in the condo library with a group of like-minded women to knit and crochet for charity. When I retired three years ago I got in on the fun, not showing up for meetings, but crocheting throughout the winter, making so many hats, scarves, and mittens that all family and friends were well-taken care of. I gave all my extras to mom’s knitting group which sent them to women’s shelters once a year.
I have long understood the therapeutic benefits of knitting and crocheting. Even before I retired I would often come home after a stressful day and crochet for hours into the evening, using the repetition of the stitches and the rhythm of the patterns, to calm me down. Plus I got a big kick out of making something, choosing colours and textures and patterns, and bringing them together into a finished product. It would be hard to get through a winter without knitting and crocheting.
“We’re making Twiddlemuffs” said mom on the phone. “Do you know what that is?”
“Nope. Never heard of them,” I answered. “But let me see the pattern and we’ll figure it out.” Mom had walked over to the CNIB the previous week and met the wonderful women of Mosaic. Mosaic, we learned, is a home care and community resource centre. The knitting and crochet group was making muffs, decorated on the inside and out with buttons, flowers, elastics, and ornaments. The muffs would be distributed to residents of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centres Veteran’s Wing. Not only do the muffs keep fingers warm, but they keep fingers busy.
“They’re doing decoupage,” said mom on the phone a few months later. “Do you know what that is?”
“I think so I said. You stick pictures on wood and then varnish it. You should go.”
The next time I visited, mom proudly showed me her decoupage box. She had painted the exterior of the wooden box in blue and then cut out shapes of cottage scenes, black bears, canoes, and pine trees. “I think I’ll take it to the cottage this summer and put all our cottage photos in it. I’ll leave it on the coffee table so people can look through the pictures.”
Creativity is important to well-being, and while we all encourage creativity in children, sometimes we forget that we still need to be creative as a we get older. Making things, whether it’s boxes, or mittens, or muffs, allows us to design and innovate, to express ourselves through our hands, to produce something and be proud of it. I’m glad mom has found a group like Mosaic, where she can participate in a creative community.
By Monica Duhatschek
Dotsa Bitove Wellness Academy, Free Workshop for Care Partners–9 and 29 May
February – The Month of Love
Beth Eshete and members of our community on Valentine’s Day 14 February 2019 |
Every year, seemingly the day after New Year’s, the advertising starts for Valentine’s Day. Red hearts in store windows, media advertising diamond jewellery to show how much ‘you love a person’, and of course, chocolate. Let me say right now, I LOVE chocolate. Seriously.
In the coldest month of the year, we have the excuse to get cozy with one another and celebrate love. But what does Love mean? If you asked 10 different people, you would get 10 different answers. Of course, there would be some overlap, but each person has their own love story. What is yours?
Would Chapter One be about the pet you had as a young child or about a sibling you looked up to? Maybe Chapter Two would be about your first love when you were only 8 years old? What chapters would your first kiss, your first break-up/make-up and your first ‘I Love you’ fall in to? Weddings, children and family pets. So much love! An entire lifetime could be put in to Chapters for sharing.
We now celebrate Family Day in February. It’s a great way to spend some time together and perhaps watch a movie or read excerpts from a book. So many options to choose from be they classic or modern. Remember these? 101 Dalmatians, The Bridges of Madison County, The Notebook, Titanic, Casablanca, The English Patient, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Happy Feet, and who can forget Romeo & Juliet or Pride and Prejudice? And these are just a few…
If music is more your thing, perhaps update your playlist to include some of the old favourites just to play on Valentine’s Day: Endless Love (Diana Ross); You Can’t Hurry Love (Supremes); Because You Love Me (Celine Dion); I Think I Love You (Partridge Family); Crazy in Love (Beyonce); and I Will Always Love You (Whitney Houston). If you like Country Music, pretty much every song has to do with being in love or falling out of love or breaking up then making up.
Oh, the ups and downs of love.
A mother’s love; a spouse’s love; siblings and furry friends; friends. Love is action. Perhaps you show this by a hug when one is needed (and even when it’s not); listening; supporting even when you may not agree with a situation. Cooking for your friends and family. Showing concern for another being – human or animal. It is affection without expectation and is unconditional. This doesn’t mean it can’t get loud and annoying at times. Because we know it does. But love should always be respectful, even in times of strife.
So, celebrate love. Grab a good love story, a box of chocolates and kleenex and your family or best friend and spend some time together. Talk about your own love story. Or come to Mosaic for our Community Café and share your story with others. Call us for more information or visit our website for program descriptions and dates.
Written by: Dina Campeis; Community Relations Manager, Mosaic Home Care & Community Resource Centres. (416.322.7002 or 905.597.7000. www.mosaichomecare.com
The Magic of Opera…the magic of rich, diverse community space…
At Mosaic Home Care and Community Resource Centres we provide community space and host events that are open to the wider community. We aim to facilitate connection, meaning, fun, education, interaction and to emphasise the value of “human being” across the full spectrum of being.
One of our more popular events, the Magic of the Opera, presented by Marcel Deurvorst (Life Institute at Ryerson), was back again last Thursday (17th January) at our Markham community resource centre. This event explored the Opera Don Pasquale (Donizetti) and our next Magic of Opera event (special focus on Luciano Pavarotti) is this Thursday at our mid-town CNIB community resource centre.
We asked our Community Resource and Social Engagement Coordinator, Beth Eshete, to provide her perspective of the Thursday event:
Magic of The Opera Blog – Anna Netrebko January 17, 2019
I used to be one of those people who was annoyed at even the thought of Opera. Who wants to hear people sing at such a high-pitch for hours on end? But that all changed….
Excuse my ignorance but it’s necessary for me to set an honest tone for this life altering musical experience I had at Mosaic’s Magic of the Opera Event on January 17th, 2019.
I obviously don’t know a single thing about Opera, so imagine my surprise when I found myself completely mesmerized by the angelic voice of Anna Netrebko, a beautiful Russian operatic soprano. Introduced to us by Marcel Deuvorst, an opera aficionado, Anna’s work really was a delightful “first” to ease my way into the world of opera. Marcel did a great job of explaining her life, her musical background and even her personality.
Mosaic community members watched clips from the opera in complete silence, not wanting to interrupt the disposition in the room. At the end they asked Marcel questions freely about the singer, and Marcel was happy to answer.
Overall the event was fabulously successful with people asking me to register them for the second presentation by Marcel featuring Luciano Pavarotti on Thursday January 24, 2019.
It’s always wonderful when our community members are captivated by the programs offered and of course, we are excited to have Marcel present for us again this week!
Registration is still open for this presentation, if you are interested please feel free to give me a call at 905-597-7000 ext. 242 or info@mosaichomecare.com!
Best,Beth Eshete
Community Resource & Social Engagement Coordinator
Beth’s own experience supports the relevance of opening up community space and filling it with rich diverse experience.
Join Mosaic at the IG Wealth Management Walk For Memories on February 2, 2019!
Join Mosaic at the IG Wealth Management Walk For Memories on February 2, 2019!
This is a huge fundraising event that happens every year for Alzheimer’s disease. Mosaic is one of the many sponsors for this event and we are encouraging everyone to come out and support a great cause and also represent our company. If you’re worried about walking in the cold, don’t! The 2 km walk in indoors through the underground PATH of Toronto.
Mosaic is honoured to be involved in this event as we are all aware of the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on the individual, the family and even, you, the caregivers. Mosaic’s Meaning on Me and Person Centered Care Model actively promotes the importance of social inclusion, participation and community involvement, this is why participation in events like the IG Wealth Management Walk 2019 are important for all Mosaic staff and members.
Event Details:
When: Saturday, February 2, 2019
Where we start: Royal Bank Plaza @ Union Station
200 Bay Street, Toronto, ON
Where we finish: Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel
123 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON
If you are interested in taking part in this walk with us, please sign up by clicking the link.
Where to Meet:
Once you register under our team name, you are able to send out recruiting and solicitation emails to your contacts for support.
Our team will be meeting at The Royal Bank Plaza at Union Station, 200 Bay Street Toronto, ON at 8:30AM
The walk starts at 9:15AM so please arrive before that so we have time to organize with our team! And the first 10 people that sign up will be receiving a free Mosaic Team Shirt that we will all wear during this event!
Any Questions?
If you have any question regarding this event, please contact Beth Eshete at 905-597-7000 ext. 242. We’re hoping to see you and your families come out and support a great cause and have some fun while doing it!
Forget making New Year’s Resolutions. Try a Vision Board Instead!
Grab a coffee, a note pad and give yourself an afternoon of dreaming and then planning for the next year (or more).
To get yourself started, you need to be able to articulate what you want in life. This is a really big question. Break it down by asking what excites you and makes you happy? What does a good life look like? What activities or hobbies do you want to learn or improve upon? Do you want to go on a travel vacation? Or become more involved in your community. Whatever you come up with, make sure it is something that will bring you joy.
Now for the fun part! Start writing words and inspiring phrases, gather some pictures from your photo albums, magazines, online or even Pinterest!
For example, if you enjoy cooking, meeting with friends and losing the dreaded 10 lbs., while not spending a ton of money, what would your Vision Board look like? Think out of the box for the steps you could take to accomplish these goals. Maybe it would be to get a group of friends together for a monthly potluck where you bring a healthy dessert from a newly learned recipe. Perhaps getting together to volunteer at a community soup kitchen is more doable.
Some Vision Boards are more theme related. An African Safari perhaps? Pictures of the animals, who you will travel with, the food you will enjoy while there and so on. If you dream of this kind of vacation, and you need to save money towards it, you might find yourself preparing more home cooked meals than going to restaurants or buying that morning coffee on the way to work every day (no one said that reaching your goals would be easy).
Don’t overthink this. Don’t worry if there is no rhyme or reason to what makes you happy. This is a personal exercise that when you look at your board, it will make you smile and dream of what’s to come. What a positive way to start the day!
Put it all together by using a magnetic, cork or chalk board, a journal, or even your fridge! It could also be in an electronic format. Whatever works best for you.
Some tips for success:
– Commit to looking at the board at least weekly, daily is better
– Don’t just dream about the end goal – actively participate in the process of getting to the end goal. So even if the Africa Safari doesn’t pan out this year, you will have achieved some of the smaller goals to get you there: achieve financial success by eating out less and thereby losing weight. And that’s still a win!
Excerpt from a January 2019 Snap article and written by Dina Campeis.
European Society for Person Centered Health Care, 5th Annual Global Conference, 6th to 7th December 2018
Nathalie Anderson and Jane Teasdale attended the European Society for Person Centered Healthcare conference in London (UK) where Jane was a Keynote speaker. Jane presented on community integrated models of care and addressed the barriers, tools and opportunities for meeting the social and emotional needs of persons with complex care needs living within our communities.
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Mosaic is recognized internationally as a leader in the development of person centered care that addresses the social and emotional needs of the person and the importance of their many relationships with their community.
Person centered care has many layers and is much more than just “treating the person nicely”, or personalizing care needs, although these are indeed aspects of person centeredness. The importance of addressing social needs and providing accessible opportunities for engagement in interests and activities within our communities is being increasingly acknowledged as important to health. Research shows that health, well-being and life expectancy can be significantly impacted if we limit our focus to the clinical and personal supports while ignoring the person and their social and emotional needs.
Traditions – New and Old
December seems to be the month many traditions are carried out, not only because of religious beliefs, but also because the kids are out of school and there are statutory holidays so most everyone has a few days off work to gather with friends and family. And, of course, the retailers remind us daily starting in November, that the gift giving season is upon us.
So, what is a tradition anyway? By definition, it includes customs, stories or beliefs that are handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth or actions.
Traditions that young and old have enjoyed over the years: the unveiling of The Bay downtown windows (and prior to that Eaton’s and Simpsons). The Santa Claus Parade. Work and personal holiday parties. Boxing day shopping! A quick survey of the staff at Mosaic Home Care revealed many traditions during the holidays, but mostly being with family and friends and eating food. LOTS of food. The phrase ‘food coma’ was mentioned several times.
A French tradition celebrated in Quebec and New Brunswick (and Belgium, France and Brazil) is Revellion. Every year, occurring the night before either Christmas and after attending Midnight Mass there is a feast that lasts long in to the night. The dinner is based on the word Reveil (waking) because participation requires staying awake long into the night.
It is not unusual to hear of families sharing stories about cooking and baking with grandparents and treasuring the ‘secret family recipes’ that have been passed down. It is wonderful to have hand-written recipes from relatives in the lovely script for those that were taught cursive handwriting. What will happen to future generations with technology? Printed recipes, while still meaningful, just aren’t quite the same.
More recent traditions for families and individuals may be to volunteer to help those less fortunate. It could be helping with serving a meal at a community shelter or agency, perhaps helping to wrap gifts at a senior’s residence, or for those who are creative, making a gift and donating it to those in need.
At Mosaic, we are working on our Twiddlemuff project. We are hoping to have enough knitted or crocheted twiddlemuffs to provide to seniors living with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia a gift to open. We want them to rip off the colourful wrapping paper just like they did when they were young. Maybe scrunch the paper in to a ball and listen to the sound and feel the texture of the paper. And then to put their hands in to a warm muff. And, surprise, there are objects to twiddle inside the muff! This keeps busy hands engaged and helps calm an otherwise agitated person.
Traditions build relationships and help people feel included. And, they can happen at any time throughout the year. What are your family traditions? Will you make new ones in the coming year to reflect the changes in your life? Perhaps mailing a handwritten card is a tradition to start or return to. And, of course, calling those whom we have not spoken to all year for a few good laughs and catch-up.
At Mosaic tradition is our Annual Holiday Celebration! Join us and our entertainer ‘One Man Big Band’ on December 20th from 10:00 am to 12noon at The Shops on Steeles & 404. RSVP requested.
Traditions. Such a wonderful thing!
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Written by: Dina Campeis, Community Relations Manager, Mosaic Home Care Services & Community Resource Centres
For more information about Mosaic Home Care, our Twiddlemuff project or our Annual Holiday Celebration, please call 905.597.7000 or email at info@mosaichomecare.com
