William A. George Extended Care Facility welcomes new Resident Companion

The William A. George Extended Care Facility (ECU) welcomed its newest member to the family, a resident companion.

Millie, a 14-week-old torbie cat, was introduced to ECU residents four weeks ago as their companion. The ongoing effort to enhance the quality of care for our residents gave rise to this unique opportunity.

“I think we’ve seen an increase in complex care and behaviours in our home, and it was an idea that’s come forward multiple times over the years… We spent a lot of time prioritizing this to support and minimize some of the behaviours in our facility. We thought that this would enhance the health care services with our older adults,” says Nicole Robertson, Patient Care Manager at ECU.

In what has been a collaborative effort between residents and staff, the idea of a resident companion took shape and gradually culminated in having Millie at ECU.

“The residents have been a part of this process every single step of the way. They brought it forward at resident council; it was a proposed idea. They all voted in favor, were all able to vote to name the kitten, and all of their families are aware,” says Robertson.

Millie’s immediate impact on the residents, in the short time she has been there, has been a very positive one.

“I think that some of our older residents with complex and responsive behaviours, especially ones associated with dementia, mental health, sometimes substance use and neurological conditions, those are the residents that benefit the most from Millie because she’s so calm and she’s very snugly. The residents get to engage and interact with her. It also sort of triggers some of those core memories from a time prior to some of their chronic health conditions and maybe reminds them of home. I think it feels more like a home setting having a pet in our long-term care facility,” says Robertson.

Millie seems to be integrating very well with residents and staff, even at these early stages in the relationship building process.

“Interacting with Millie minimizes some of the escalated behaviours, especially in the moment. She has a very calming presence about her. And I think as an adult, the majority of us have had pets in our lifetime, or have been around pets, so it feels like family. It brings back those core values of having like a companion and a friend, and I can see it in our residents,” says Robertson.

ECU staff prioritized a safe, careful introduction of Millie with the residents. This has since grown into a positive integration for both Millie and the residents.

“With the gentle entry, she was coming to work with one of our staff members for business hours every day. She’s recently spent some nights overnight, and she’s integrated very well with our residents,” says Robertson.

As we look ahead, the hope is to have Millie in the ECU family long-term as part of the ongoing improvements we offer in our care experience.

“In the past we’ve had fish, and even had birds at Extended Care. I think having a cat or kitten, it’s going to grow with the home. Millie’s going to grow with our residents, and she’s going to transition with our residents. I ultimately would like to see a complete integration where the residents feel like it’s their pet, with Millie going into their rooms. She can visit them, comfort them in a time of need, visit them when they need consoling or they’re upset, or they’re just not having a good day,” says Robertson.

Both residents and staff are soaking in Millie’s positive presence every day. So far, she’s been a paw-some addition to the ECU family.

“It’s going good so far. Her presence is amazing. She just adds some light to the residents’ day, for sure,” says Robertson.