11/12/2024
We had some pretty fun days here at Trillium Villa! Everyone looked amazing for the costume parade. :-)
Trillium Villa celebrates Halloween with 'spooktacular week' of festivities.
Halloween is always a big deal at Trillium Villa, and the Sarnia long-term care community's life enrichment team put a full-tilt effort into creating a week of fun, engaging activities for residents and their families at the end of October.
Kicking off what volunteer co-ordinator and life enrichment team member Candice Vrskovy describes as “a spooktacular week” of Halloween fun was the Beware of the Witches social where the entire life enrichment team dressed as witches and served “spooky treats.”
Many residents and family members dressed up as well, she notes, adding Anika, Trillium Villa's music therapist, sang Halloween-themed tunes for the event.
This was followed by a family fun Halloween bingo that engaged residents, families and friends.
“Our residents got to see their grandchildren in costumes and play bingo with them,” Candice tells S&R Today, adding there were “some really great Halloween-themed prizes” given out and lots of favourite Halloween memories were shared among participants.
No Halloween would be complete without pumpkin painting and jack-o'-lantern carving, and residents got to work making creative designs, Candice says, adding Trillium Villa's official flower was included in one design.
“One of the residents helped to carve a trillium flower into a pumpkin which sat proudly on display at the entrance to the home,” she says.
The residents also got to do some “ghost-busting” by shooting Nerf darts at life enrichment team members dressed as ghosts in the “haunted hallways” that were decorated with witch hats, floating candles and spiderwebs.
Rounding off the week was Trillium Villa's annual “reverse trick-or-treating.” This involves life enrichment team members dressing in costumes and going to each resident's room to trick-or-treat. The residents are provided with a choice of treats team members hand out.
This was followed by a home-wide costume contest and parade. Residents voted on their favourite costumes with the morning staff winner being registered practical nurse (RPN) Tiffany as Minnie Mouse, and the afternoon staff winner being RPN Charlene, who dressed as a spooky interpretation of a nurse – with eyes in the back of her head and her coffee in an IV drip.
Other highlights include home administrator Naomi Stevens dressing as Bert the chimney sweep from Mary Poppins, and manager of resident care Caroline Brant who had a matching Mary Poppins costume.
“A good majority of the staff dressed up for the day (and) it's always a good time,” Candice says. “Everyone was so creative with their costumes.”
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