Thursday the Salem Home thanked those who donated a WhisperGLIDE wheelchair accessible swing.

The WhisperGLIDE was donated by the Salem Home Ladies Auxiliary and D.A. Loewen Electric.

According to a study on "A Glider Swing Intervention for People with Dementia," swinging can help reduce anxiety and agitation in residents.

Salem Foundation Board Chair Arlen Hildebrand (far-left), RBC's Winkler Financial Advisor Sylvia Senjenko (left), RBC's Community Manager for the Pembina Valley Curtis Senjenko (centre), RBC's Winkler Branch Manager Miranda Rowson (right), Salem Home Volunteer Coordinator Alana Thiesen (far-right)

Salem resident, Lena Zacharias, was asked what she thought of the swing. "Zeha shein," she said, or translated from Low German, "very good".

An original concern was whether or not the swing would get any use, but Helen Friesen, a Therapeutic Rec Attendant, says residents have been waiting patiently to get their turn on the swing.

Arlen Hildebrand, Salem Foundation Board Chair, says the swing has been a great welcome to the home.

"You see the residents sitting here enjoying the day. They can sit out and enjoy the beautiful summer weather... It's a great addition to this little courtyard for sure."

A WhisperGLIDE swing can cost upwards of $9,000.

Salem Home staff also took the opportunity to thank RBC staff for recently donating their time at the facility.

Through their Day of Service program, six RBC employees and volunteers spent an evening planting the vegetable and flower gardens around the home and in the courtyard. In addition to their time volunteering, RBC gave Salem Home a financial contribution of $1,000.

RBC’s Community Manager for the Pembina Valley, Curtis Senjenko, says volunteering in the community is something RBC can do with a lot of pride.

"It's one thing to simply say here's a financial contribution... it's another thing to invest the time as employees to come out and actually give back some of the time, in addition to the financial support."

Over the past year, Salem has had over 200 volunteers give over 7,000 hours of their time to help the residents of the home.