Mar 27, 2008 - 11:47 AM

By Chris Hall

PORT PERRY -- At the Port Perry Community Nursing Home, you're never too old to dream.

It's there, at the Simcoe Street facility, where staff and volunteers have taken the old adage 'age is nothing but a number' to heart with their efforts to grant the wishes of some of their residents in 2008 as part of their 'Year of the Dream' program.

The effort got rolling in fine fashion in early February when the facility arranged for Sandra Day to take a romantic horse-drawn sleigh ride through the woods with her husband, Doug. A second dream came true earlier this week, when the nursing home arranged for resident Helen Rundle to pay a visit to the Great Blue Heron Charity Casino on Scugog Island with her family.

It's simple actions like those that make such a big impact on the lives of those in the nursing home, says Karen Sansom.

"The program was born of an idea that we can change the perception of aging one dream at a time," says Ms. Sansom, the facility's activities director.

And now, with two dreams come true under their belts, nursing home staff are hoping to continue raising the spirits through the rest of 2008, hopefully with a little bit of help from the community.

Some of the dreams, she acknowledges, will be rather simple, but need just a touch of assistance from the Scugog community to come to fruition.

One resident, explains Debra Peters, would love to see her sister in Hawaii. Unfortunately, health concerns will not permit either of the sisters to travel. But that hasn't stopped nursing home officials from getting around such barriers as they're hoping to set up a webcam at both locations and allow the siblings to chat while a Hawaiian-themed party is held at the Simcoe Street facility. As well, a proposed alternative is to have someone shoot video of the planned party, with the disc then shipped to the American island.

The only hitch in those plans though, adds Ms. Peters, a nursing home employee involved in the dream planning, is that none of the staff on hand are "computer savvy" enough to figure out such technical elements.

"We started out with something big (such as a trip to Hawaii)... and have come down to something we think we can do," says Ms. Peters. "What she really wants to do is see her sister and that's what we're trying to do. That's what it boils down to."

Another resident just wants to sit down at a dinner table and have a meal with her family. However, that resident's family lives quite a distance away. It's hoped, says Ms. Peters, that perhaps a local bed-and-breakfast could host the family for a night or that a restaurant could find some space for a family get-together in its establishment or cater a meal at the nursing home.

"What we may think as something simple, such as having dinner with your family, is really not that simple," says Ms. Peters.

For another resident, his dream is to simply attend a hockey game while another hopes to travel to Niagara Falls to see family. Granting both dreams would require the use of a bus.

Yet another resident dreams of taking a tour of Allan Gardens in Toronto. The hold-up in granting that wish, says Ms. Peters, is the need for a volunteer or two to accompany the group so that someone can push the resident's wheelchair.

"There's no special skills required for that -- just some free time," she says.

And while staff and volunteers hope to grant the wishes of about 30 of the home's 107 residents, they've also got an eye on carrying out a 'Home Dream' for all who live and work there.

Simply, the plan is to restore the garden that's located on the western side of the facility, facing Simcoe Street. It's there that residents go outside to get some fresh air and bask in the sunshine, but over the years the patio has started to deteriorate. Tree roots have sprouted up through the concrete, heaving the surface and making it a danger for those walking and an impediment for those in wheelchairs.

It's hoped some flower boxes can be installed at wheelchair level so residents can take care of their own gardens. A special wheelchair swing is also in the works. But some of the work is clearly out of the scope of nursing home officials.

"That is the big one, that's the dream we really want to make come true. But it's going to take a lot of labour and money. We're going to do some fundraising for it, but we're going to need some help," says Ms. Peters.

Anyone with questions or who wants to help out can contact the Port Perry Community Nursing Home at 905-985-3205.