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Orangeville seniors’ centre adopts new approach to residents’ quality of life

July 14, 2022   ·   0 Comments

By James Matthews

Avalon Care Centre launched its first Butterfly Home Project July 6.

The Orangeville long-term care facility, which operates under the umbrella of Jarlette Health Services, introduced its residents to The Butterfly Approach.

The new approach to caring for dementia patients is in partnership with the United Kingdom-based Meaningful Care Matters organization.

The program offers a transformational culture change from a focus on institutional- and clinical-care to creating a real sense of home where people living with dementia can thrive as opposed to merely existing.

Dawn Roy, the Orangeville facility’s administrator, said Avalon Care Centre has always been committed to delivering person-centred care, an approach which is an integral part of the culture at Jarlette long-term care centres.

This commitment has led to the embracing of the Butterfly Approach to help create a more natural home and community setting, she said. This includes fostering stronger interpersonal relationships between residents and staff, building daily routines around residents’ needs and interests, and creating a living environment that resembles a private dwelling.

The care model has a proven record of positive outcomes for residents, including improved physical and emotional health and well-being, reduced use of medication, and greater engagement by residents in daily life, said Roy.

“We have always been focused on improving the quality of life of our residents,” said Roy. “The COVID-19 pandemic introduced many challenges, even when we were working to keep everyone safe from the virus.

“It is because of this focus that we are so excited to work with our residents, their family members, and our team members to undertake this transformation to the Butterfly Approach.”

The need for love and feeling of family were heightened in the world during the midst of pandemic isolation. As such, there is much talk about the need for more emotion-based models of care.

“From my experience in implementing the Butterfly Approach in other care settings over the last five years, I am confident it is the way to increase the love, care and feeling of family that already exists in Jarlette Homes,” said Mary Connell, regional manager of special projects at Jarlette.

Many care environments are looking for ways to make the changes needed, and the Butterfly Approach is a tried and tested methodology in Canada, the UK, Ireland, and Australia over many years of development, said Peter Bewert, CEO at Meaningful Care Matters.

The changes include bringing much more vibrant colour to the environment and how the staff team look. But, more importantly, he said, it is how everyone behaves: Learning how to “be with” rather than “do for” the residents that really makes the difference.

There is also growing evidence of other tangible benefits for people such as increased weight gain and reduced use of psychotropic medication. For care staff there is improved wellbeing and morale, and lower turnover.

“Those who visit Butterfly Homes often become very emotional because, to put it simply, they feel the love,” Bewert said. “When you enter the door, you should feel uplifted by the sense of people living and working in the home, sharing the day like a family.”

That change will be evident in how visitors and patients won’t witness staff rushing around, focused on tasks or circles of chairs around a television with people sleeping, perhaps merely out of boredom.

He said the change that the Butterfly Approach can bring is both simple and miraculous.

“You will instantly feel that this is a place where you would want to spend time or would trust it as a home for your own loved one,” he said.

Those in attendance at the Orangeville launch included members of the Jarlette family, community partners, residents and their families.

The team at Avalon Care Centre are excited to embrace the Butterfly Approach and the Jarlette leadership team hope to see it ultimately become more of the norm in its other care settings in the years ahead, said Connell.

“The focus of the event was to celebrate the families and those who live at Avalon,” she said. “We wanted to thank them for their courage and trust in us over the last two years. It’s time to look to the future and what is possible.”

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