January 7, 2020
Rosalind Moffat, 69, is one of a team of painters who has taken on a big mural project at Westlock Healthcare Centre. She and other continuing care residents have been joined by local homeschoolers, ages 7 to 14, as part of an intergenerational program.
Story by Amy Crofts
WESTLOCK — Rosalind Moffat sits in the middle of a farmer’s field, with a red barn and tractor to her left, and a stone fence to her right. Her hand sweeps across the wall, and with a single brush stroke she completes one of two deer, its head bent low to drink from a small pond.
“It was only when I moved in here that I tried my hand at painting,” says Moffat, who’s been living at the Westlock Continuing Care Centre for a year-and-a-half. “I’ve gotten much better, and this has been the easiest yet.”
Moffat, 69, is one of several painters who have taken on the mural project at the Continuing Care Centre.
Long Term Care (LTC) residents have teamed up with students from the Westlock Homeschool Group to transform the hallway between the Westlock Healthcare Centre and Continuing Care into a panoramic prairie homestead scene with a paint-by-numbers mural.
Since September, homeschoolers ages 7 to 14 have joined them to paint side-by-side on many Wednesday afternoons.
“It’s fun, I like painting,” says Grade 5 student Aubrey Nadeau, who shares how homeschoolers and a few of their parents traced the scene using an image projected onto the hallway walls. For subsequent visits, the kids and residents painted together, matching the corresponding paint colour to the number on the wall.
“We’re almost done the bottom part. It’s a good height for the seniors and some of the really little kids,” adds Aubrey.
The mural has brightened up a busy corridor, says Continuing Care Care Manager Kim Kramer — but it’s been so much more than a fresh coat of paint.
“It’s been a wonderful experience to bring young people into the lives of our residents. They love the chatter, and some of them just like to sit and watch,” she says.
With an aging population of baby boomers, there’s growing pressure to provide more healthcare, says Kramer, but there’s also a need to increase awareness and participation from the greater community.
“Our hope is that by having students engage with our residents — who are older and may have disabilities and/or limitations — we’re helping to foster open-mindedness and empathy,” she says.
Westlock Continuing Care received a $500 donation from the Westlock & District Community of Networking Excellence (CONEX) group to cover the cost of paint and supplies.
The funds were made available through a provincial grant from the Alberta Health Services Addiction and Mental Health department, in support of their mission to build capacity in families and communities to prevent misuse of drugs and alcohol.
“Intergenerational projects like this give youth an opportunity to support adults that aren’t their parents,” says Debbie McCoy, Public Health Nurse, Health Promotion, as well as co-chair of CONEX.
“It gives kids a sense of empowerment, and shows them the community values their input and service to others. Ultimately, we hope this helps them grow into stronger individuals.”
Leila Nadeau has already witnessed the mural project’s impact on her kids, Aubrey, 10, and Kaleb, 13.
“Aubrey can be a bit shy, but she’s really coming out of her shell. She was talking with one of the residents about what it’s like to live on a farm,” says Nadeau.
“It has also been neat to see the residents get involved. Some of them will go out of their way on their usual walks, just to see our progress.”
The project has proven a great opportunity to build connections, adds Nadeau, who hopes to involve the homeschoolers in more activities in continuing care, including reading and crafting.
