Elphin residents tour care centre

'Look what's on your doorstep'

Noting that many Elphin Lodge residents had never  before set foot in Ron Smith Care Centre  and thinking they might be interested in seeing the wings and learning more about the care centre that shares Elphin’s grounds,  Ron Smith Care Centre resident Peter Barker put forward the suggestion that he could lead tours of the centre.

He gave his first tour for three people (John and Moira Newman and Hilda Taylor) on May 20, 2016, and the second one, also for three people (Mr and Mrs Backhouse and Marty Robinson), on May 23. 

Debbie Christen, Rand Aid’s Manager: Recreational Programmes, joined these tours to give him support and also to talk about the OT Activity Centre.

The tour began at the Main Notice Board which he encouraged everyone to read regularly to keep updated on schedules, menus, activities and events. 

The group then proceeded to the main dining room, OT Activity Centre, Gratitude Wall (photo display) and five of the wings, including Recuperative Care. The group also visited Peter’s own room on the Lakeside wing. The tour ended at Elphino’s Coffee Shop which provided a nice social opportunity for all.

As a former resident of the village himself, Peter did very well as a tour guide and used his ‘inside’ experience with Elphin Lodge and RSCC to good advantage, sharing knowledge and information that he had gleaned over his many years as a resident at Rand Aid. 

Sharing personal stories and experiences, to which the Elphin residents could relate, made the tours meaningful and effective. Peter was also quite good at explaining the Eden Alternative philosophy at various times during the tour, which made him quite an effective spokesperson for Eden, relating the positive changes that he has witnessed since Rand Aid began the Eden journey.

He commented afterwards that leading these tours made him feel useful, one of the Eden domains of Well-being (Meaning –significance, heart, import, value, purpose).

Moira Newman, John Newman, Hilda Taylor and Peter Barker.