Kerri Robins
The Drumheller Mail

    A good movie can positively stimulate the senses. It’s entertainment that can be therapy, too.
    “A movie brings people together and I wanted to create that family-type atmosphere for the residents,” says Barb Gallagher, whose 86-year-old mother, Mildred Morse, and her 83-year-old aunt, Mable Hathaway (Morse’s sister), reside at the Drumheller Health Centre on the continuing care unit.
    So Gallagher went to work raising funds through the Drumheller Area Health Foundation to purchase the MovieMate, a portable projector DVD and music player for the health centre’s sensory stimulation program in the recreation therapy department.
    “The MovieMate is a great way to arouse audio and visual senses and it’s easy to use,” says Lisa Orton, recreation therapist at the health centre.
    “We show movies like nature documentary Planet Earth to our lower-functioning residents, for example, those suffering from dementia, Alzheimer’s or stroke, to encourage communication in various ways.”
    Morse has dementia and it’s been saddening over the years for Gallagher to watch her mother’s health decline.
    “Mom was a busy lady, so watching her slowly deteriorate is hard,” says Gallagher.
    Gallagher received donations from the Rosedale Fire Hall and the local Co-op, and about $1,100 later, the hospital had a MovieMate projector courtesy of the foundation.
    The goal of the sensory stimulation program is to promote better quality of life for residents. For example, triggers like an arm reaching out, tapping feet, eye contact or simply a smile are communications signalling that residents are stimulated and aware of certain surroundings.
    “The MovieMate gives residents another way to communicate and helps family members see the person they knew is still in there somewhere,” says Jennifer Lahey, recreation therapist at Foothills Hospital. Until recently, Lahey was part of recreation therapy at the Drumheller centre.
    The Drumheller Area Health Foundation is an advocate of the program and Chair Boris Nahornick is pleased with community support.
    “It really is the circle of life,” says Nahornick. “Community members donate to the foundation for hospital equipment and, in some cases, those same members end up benefiting from the equipment they contributed to buying.”

For information visit Drumheller Area Health Foundation at www.drumhellerhealthfoundation.com.

    The Hanna Roundhouse is getting a new lease on life as it enters the next phase of its history.
    The Hanna Roundhouse Society has been working on finding a way to keep the landmark intact for future generations to enjoy. The biggest stumbling block it had however was the ownership of the icon.
    This September all of that changed.
    “We purchased the property on September 20,” said Sandra Beaudoin who has been working on the project for years.
    She explained that a few years ago, she heard the round house was purchased from CN by an individual who wanted to salvage the bricks from the building. This was about 2009, and this was her awakening. That is when she began to get involved.
    “I could either sit back and say ’somebody should…’ or see what I could do,” said Beaudoin.
    A dedicated group began working on a number of initiatives and by January of 2010 The Hanna Roundhouse Society was formed, and were involved in looking after the safekeeping of the historical building and structures.
    They were successful on some fronts, but without ownership of the property, they weren’t able to do much.
    The group recently came into some funds and was able to make it their own. They purchased the building and  area to the east which  includes the turntable and a foundation for a historic water tower.  The parcel is about nine acres.
     The next step for the non-profit society is to have the site achieve a historical designation. They have completed the application, and this week they met with Fraser Shaw, heritage consultant to assess and evaluate the site.
    “This is the start of getting it designated a historical site,” said Beaudoin.
    The Hanna Roundhouse Society has a vision of restoring the icon so it could be used for events or as a rental space, while at the same time preserving its historical value.