Nursing Assistant Rhoda Menba with residents Gale and Janis.
The personalities of the people who occupy Dungarvin’s group homes, and how they blend with other residents and the staff who support them, make each home a unique and special place to be.
The residents of a Dungarvin home in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, are an upbeat group who enjoy participating in activities, either together at home or with others in the day programs they attend.
Resident Tina smiles while Operational Manager Alex Trenary helps Jeanne on a laptop computer.
“The atmosphere in the house is usually very calm,” said Residential Program Coordinator Jacinta Jalloh. During one recent afternoon, Jacinta was in the kitchen with Nursing Assistant Rhoda Menba helping three of the four residents prepare frozen cookie dough for baking.
Sitting around the kitchen table were Janis, Jeanne and Tina, all excited for warm cookies on a winter day. In the adjacent living room the fourth resident, Gale, sat working on a puzzle book — one of his favorite activities.
The home is one of six in three duplexes situated next to each other on a short street that ends in a cul-de-sac. The staff who support the residents in these homes all work together to ensure everybody’s needs are met.
Residential Program Coordinator Jacinta Jalloh (left) and Nursing Assistant Rhoda Menba help residents prepare cookie dough for baking.
“It’s nice that we’re all very close in proximity,” said Operational Manager Alex Trenary. “So, let’s say one of the supervisors is sick, she can contact her two colleagues and say, ‘Hey, can you take calls for me, can you check in,’ and they can just walk across the street.”
Alex stops in periodically to check on things and assist staff and residents with questions or issues. He said one of the things that makes this home special is its level of activity.
“It’s this right here,” he said, pointing to the group interacting in the kitchen.
“We are community-based residential services, and one of the main things that we want to do is be engaged and have our individuals actively participating. Whenever I walk through the door at this house, there’s always some form of engagement going on.”
In addition to chatting in the kitchen during snack times and meals, the residents like to watch videos and TV game shows, listen to music and sing to Karaoke.
“I like it here because I feel safe. The staff help me with whatever I need,” said Jeanne.
Tina agreed, “Everybody’s nice, and I just like hanging out with them.”
“I like the other residents and doing stuff,” said Janis, the most talkative of the bunch. She especially enjoys mealtimes. “I like when they make hot dishes with cheese and stuff like that. And I don’t like veggies so they hide the veggies in the hot dishes.”
That last comment elicited laughs from others in the room.
From left, Operational Director Nicole Worman, Rhoda Menba and resident Jeanne.
Since all of the residents use wheelchairs, the home is staffed with two professionals. Both Jacinta and Rhoda are Nursing Assistants who support the residents with bathing and personal cares, meals, transferring from wheelchairs, as well as other needs.
In addition to the daily support, Jacinta likes to do special things for residents, including painting the women’s nails and cooking meals for the group on holidays. “I make these meals from scratch, instead of going to buy it at the store,” she said. “I want them to enjoy the aroma while it’s cooking.”
The Eden Prairie homes’ staff all work together to get residents out in the community. For example, they just attended “White Christmas” at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre.
Dungarvin Operational Director Nicole Worman, who oversees all of the Eden Prairie homes’ staff, said she loves visiting this home because there’s usually something fun going on. “Last time I was here, two people were watching videos and Janis was at the table singing her heart out to Christmas music — it was the cutest thing,” she said with a smile.
If you are interested in Dungarvin services in Minnesota, visit our new website at www.dungarvin.com to find out more.