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News
Welcome to the
Chateau Royal's Newsroom. Here you can browse our
press
releases, view our photos, search the archives and keep
up with breaking news.
October 2011
Fall Colours and
Pumpkins!
Celebrating Fall October is generally a dreary month, but we always
manage to liven things up at Chateau Royal! The outdoor colors are
sensational at this time, so we decorated the entire building with
potted Chrysanthemums and decorative gourds; we then gathered
brightly colored leaves to add to our tropical plants and tables
throughout the building. Suddenly Fall came into our lives adding
cheer and color!
Making Halloween Pumpkins Getting ready for Halloween, we added
witches, ghosts and goblins to our decorative theme throughout the
residence. The residents participated in a pumpkin decorating
contest, in which we spent an entire afternoon coloring and
decorating pumpkins. Imaginations went wild, resulting in some very
frightening looking pumpkins, and other very pretty looking ones.
Some were adorned with hats, others with jewellery. Each one was as
special and unique as the resident who decorated them! We also
prepared little goodie bags for the children who come to trick or
treat us on Halloween night.
September 2011
Lakeshore
Hospital Volunteer Recognition Event
On Thursday Sept 8th,
Chateau Royal hosted with pleasure, a recognition event for the
volunteers of the Lakeshore Hospital Foundation. It was wonderful
to acknowledge their dedication and enthusiasm in participating at
all the fund raising events in view of improving the services of the
hospital or in purchasing better equipment.
A wonderful buffet lunch was prepared
by the chef of Chateau Royal which included croissant sandwiches,
wraps, Mediterranean and pasta salads, home made pizza and numerous
other finger foods.
Executives of the Foundation presented
to each volunteer a certificate of recognition along with a gift
from Chateau Royal of a stunning royal blue stainless steel water
bottle. It was a heartfelt moment to see the smile of thanks from
each volunteer receiving their award, and the staff of Chateau Royal
took great pride in hosting this event for the foundation.
August
2011
Lachine
Canal Outing
On August 17th,
we went for a bus ride along the Lachine Canal. The Lachine Canal
is an historic sight in Montreal and still has an original
lighthouse. It also has one area of rapids which is exciting to
watch the canoes manoeuvre through them. We did some sight seeing,
watched the luxury boats passing by and walked the entire boardwalk
down to the garden and the fountain. No bus trip is complete
without a stop, and due to the warm weather, we all opted for a stop
at the Dairy Queen for ice cream.
July
2011
Summer
Party
On July 7th,
we had a summer party around the pool and outside terrace. This was
the week it was very hot and humid, so the lemonade was especially
refreshing. We had snacks and drinks before Anna decided we should
cut flowers from the garden. Then we decided to enjoy the warm
weather and do some crafts outside. Having all ready cut the
flowers, we decided to make and decorate flower pots which we later
used for the flowers we had cut!
June
2011
Afternoon
at Riviere des Prairies
On June 17th
we went out on the bus, it was a beautiful day and we opted to stop
at a beautiful park along the Riviere des Prairies. Here, we parked
the bus and continued with a walk in the fresh air. Summer is
wonderful to walk about; we always meet moms with their infant
children and people out walking their dogs. We finished up going
for Coffee and donuts at Tim Horton's.
May
2011
Learning
about Keeping Safe on Public Transport
On May 10th
we had the Montreal Transportation Commission come and give
information about secure transportation of seniors using public
transport. This was a very enlightening presentation. Many of us
as we age require more assistance, and we were unaware our local
government could help us meet our transportation needs. They also
talked about group outings and things that are important to look out
for when we go out as a group.
April
2011
Church
Choir Performance
On April 9th
we were entertained by concert given by a volunteer Church choir.
This is a group of 8-10 people of various ages, some of whom sing,
some dance and all encourage resident participation! It was such a
heart warming and joyous occasion to see so many young people take
time from their day to put a smile on our Residents' faces!
Diabetes
Seminar
On May 12th,
the pharmacist Heba Muhey from Pharmaprix came to give to give a
seminar on diabetes. This was a very important discussion due to
the rise of type 2 diabetes in Canadians. It was an information
session regarding healthy food choices and discussion about the
prevention of diabetes. We were given guidelines to follow for day
to day meal and snack choices; we also discussed the importance of
exercise, particularly as we age.
March 27, 2011
Monthly Brunch
Our monthly brunch, held the last Sunday of the Month, was a huge
success this month. We had close to 40 additional guests and a
beautiful, sunny day for it. Once again our Chef and staff really
went to town! Traditional fare included eggs benedict, scrambled
eggs, bacon, ham, sausages and beans. We also had homemade pancakes,
and crepes filled with fruit and topped with Creme Anglais or
Chocolate Sauce-UMM! And if that's not enough, he included a Spinach
and Mandarin Salad that disappeared almost immediately, but offered
as well a Five Bean Salad and Tomato and Red Onion Salad. We always
offer a variety of baked breads, croissants and brioches as well as
fresh seasonal fruits. Truly a lovely way to spend a Sunday with Mom
& Dad!
March 2011
Sugar Shack
An event that all the resident's look forward to in the Spring is
the trip for lunch to a Cabane a Sucre, or Sugar Shack. The bus
takes about 15 residents to the Laurentians to a traditional
Quebecois farmhouse, where you can actually see the maple syrup
dripping into buckets attached to the maple trees. The syrup is then
emptied from the cans and poured onto shaved ice to form toffee.
This is always a spectacle to behold. Residents then go inside to
the restaurant where they have a traditional Cabane a Sucre lunch.
The entire meal is 'doctored' with Quebec maple syrup. Ham, bacon,
eggs, hash browned potatoes, beans are all made using the syrup as
flavouring or as a sauce. The bus was full, and definitely the ride
back to Chateau Royal was quiet!
February 2011
Valentine's Day Luncheon
We celebrated Valentine's Day at our Monthly Resident's Lunch in
February. Gerry, our ever popular guitar musician entertained
everyone with his usual fun and this month, some romantic tunes.
Tables looked lovely and were appropriately decorated with red
hearts in honour of the occasion. Our chef once again outdid himself
with a wonderful menu that started with Clam Chowder and was
followed by a special Baked Spicy Pork Chop Dish and Sausages. A
Valentine cake with ice cream was a hit for all for desert!
January 2011
Line Dancing
Line Dancing got us off to a fast start in January, with a
professional instructor through Volunteer West Island. Thankfully
the classes went for 6 weeks, because when the resident's first
started the classes, it looked like everyone had 2 left feet! Music
was provided by the teacher as well and the turn out continued to
grow with each class! Definitely an in demand class that we will be
repeating.
Our musical concert
was held on January 15th in the afternoon; so nice to have things to
do in the middle of cold winter days! This vocals only concert was a
local church choir of about 15 people, that came to sings songs of
various eras. The participation with the resident's is so wonderful;
everyone sang along, then we all convened for light refreshments and
cake after.
December 2010
Christmas Party
The Chateau Royal hosted "THE" party of all parties with our 2010
Residents' Christmas Party. The entire residence was ablaze in the
magic of the season thanks to Anna, our Activity Coordinator, with
lots of help from her 'elves'- the resident's themselves!
We had a
Singing Santa at the front door and a rocking reindeer in front of
the dining room--not a nook or cranny was missing some touch of the
Christmas spirit. The dining room was aglow; white tablecloths and
napkins and soft candlelight on each table. Family members and
residents were dressed up in their finest holiday outfits and sat
back to enjoy the music of Greg Innes and his electric keyboard, who
played a melody of traditional Christmas music before and during
dinner.
After dinner, the music was stepped up and the residents
got out of their chairs to dance up a storm, ending the evening with
a 'Congo Line'! We were also able to celebrate a 65th wedding
anniversary of residents, Mr & Mrs Vitagliano! The family was there
and a beautiful bouquet of flowers was presented to them.
Our Chef
and staff really outdid themselves with a spectacular menu. We
started with shrimp cocktail and mandarin salad followed by a choice
of traditional turkey dinner, salmon in a dill sauce or an herb
crusted roast pork. Dessert was a traditional Christmas log and ice
cream.
Throughout the evening, we held a raffle and gave away
numerous door prizes to the delight of our guests! When the evening
finally came to an end, family members were quick to thank the staff
for the biggest and best Christmas party ever!
October 2010
Relive the 20's
Chateau Royal hosted an evening to "Relive the 20's" with a 4 member
Barbershop Quartet providing live entertainment throughout the
evening. Residents donned their straw hats and 1920's attire to get
into the "swing" of the evening. The group sang a melody of
nostalgic favourites before taking special requests from the
audience. Tears of joy and appreciation were evident on many of the
resident's faces! The evening adjourned with refreshments and
cookies and promises of a return performance in the Spring!
October 2010
Blood Donor Clinic
Chateau Royal hosted our first Blood Donor Clinic, inviting the
community to donate to this very worthwhile cause. Local business
got involved by contributing donuts and sweets and tours of the
building were offered to donors and volunteers! Residents were eager
to assist in the registration and serving of refreshments. It was
our opportunity to give back to the community by donating our time
and services. Resident's and staff felt so good for having the
opportunity to "pay back" by being a volunteer. Red Cross was
grateful for our help and support, and we all agreed to do it again
next year!
September 2010
Guest Speaker Georgia
Remond
We were honoured to have Georgia Remond, a certified Whole Brain
Practitioner, come to the Chateau Royal to give a presentation and
seminar one evening. Ms Remond has her Masters degree in Leadership
& Training, teaches at McGill University and it the Executive
Director of a local non profit Senior's Organization. In the comfort
of our theatre, Mrs Remond gave a power point presentation, entitled
"Flexing the Mental Muscle", which focused on tricks and exercises
to improve our memory function in day to day living. She wrapped up
her presentation with some games and stimulating brain exercises
that we all participated in and definitely all benefited from! The
evening was complete when we adjourned to the lounge for light
refreshments and treats and a promise by Ms Remond to return in the
Spring!
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