It was never going to be an easy decision, but it was one that had to be made. And so the Martiniuk family set out with the ultimate care and consideration to find their Mom a long-term care facility. Daughters Andrea, Jan, and Carol found what they were looking for in Misericordia Place – a faith-based facility, private rooms, and close proximity to their family. They found even more than that though – they found their Mom, Doris a home. For seven years, Doris Martiniuk called Misericordia Place her home. On more than a few occasions, when the family showed up to visit with their Mom, she wouldn’t be in her room... more often than not, she was out and about partaking in all of the activities organized by Misericordia Place’s recreation team! Her social calendar was full with painting, exercising, baking, flower-making, and enjoying pet visitors, to name only a few things. The family marveled at the sight of residents, some of whom had tendencies to be withdrawn, coming out of their shells with these activities that were so central to their wellbeing. But it was music – always the music – that drew their Mom out. From fantastic concerts held in the multipurpose room, to Sunday evening jazz hours, to the Christmas parties with all the requisite caroling, it was all right up her alley – Doris was a true songbird. “Any facility can feed the body, can care for the person, can even engage the mind – but what recreation and music programming does is feed their soul. The correlation between music at an organization like Misericordia Place, that leans into its’ faith-based values, and feeding the soul was just so synergistic. We felt it – she felt it,” says Jan. Ironically, one of the family’s most special set of memories was during the COVID-19 pandemic. “While we couldn’t have physical access to our Mom, the staff were so incredible at ensuring we connected virtually as often as possible. We were amazed to see her glowing – and literally singing – during our regular Facetimes! She truly connected with the staff and they took such good care of her. They went out of their way to make everyone comfortable,” Carol reminisced. “When restrictions lifted, we were so happy to see how great our Mom looked – everyone at Misericordia Place looked great!” That time period, and their mother’s wellbeing, was especially important to the family as they sadly lost her in December 2021. In their grief, they turned their attention to her legacy and the Doris Martiniuk Music Endowment Fund was created. This endowment fund – the first of its kind at Misericordia Health Centre – is solely designated to support musical programming through Misericordia’s recreation team, ensuring a sustainable source of revenue for this program in perpetuity. Donations to the Doris Martiniuk Music Endowment Fund can be made online by clicking here.
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