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Expanded BSO team helping Trillium Villa residents thrive
One-to-one support leads resident Terry Gibson from unused fabric to handmade bell-bottoms
6/12/2026
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Deron Hamel
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Pictured above, Trillium Villa resident Terry Gibson proudly wears the bell-bottoms she made with encouragement from BSO team member Mason McArthur.
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Trillium Villa resident Terry Gibson had a large piece of fabric she wanted to do something with, and after some encouragement from a member of the Sarnia long-term care community's BSO team, Terry was wearing a funky pair of bell-bottoms she made nine months later.
Terry, who holds a bachelor of arts degree and has mastered many skills over the years, loves to sew but had not used a sewing machine in almost two years.
Enter personal support worker (PSW) and BSO team member Mason McArthur.
Despite having no experience with a sewing machine, Mason provided encouragement and guidance to Terry as she turned the green fabric featuring a pattern of clocks into a pair of bell-bottom trousers.
“Terry showed me this unique green fabric with vintage clocks all over it that she wanted to make something with, and I was on board to help her however I could,” Mason tells S&R Today.
When the pair ran into obstacles, Terry and Mason turned to residents, team members and family members for suggestions and guidance.
Mason says that although mistakes were made along the way, the two had lots of fun making the decorative pants, which Terry now proudly wears.
Alicia Paquette, Trillium Villa's internal BSO champion, says since expanding the BSO program in April 2025 to add four PSWs, including Mason, to the BSO team, there has been a significant uptick in valuable one-to-one time spent with residents – and Terry's story is an example of that.
The BSO program also supports creating one-to-one activities and programming that meet residents' individual needs, Alicia notes.
“These purposeful activities are tailored to the residents' strengths, interests, values and preferences,” Alicia says. “Meaningful, person-centred activities fulfil emotional, social and psychological needs.”
BSO is a provincial initiative to help enhance quality of life for seniors. The funding, which is provided to long-term care homes by the province, is largely put towards staff education.
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If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at deronhamel(at)gmail.com.
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