Crossing staff developed room for consumers to build well-being

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Sometimes, people need a quiet space to collect their thoughts and center themselves. Other times, they look for ways to simply breathe and move as a way to feel grounded. And sometimes it’s just nice to work together with friends and associates to create something unique as they build and strengthen relationships and themselves.

A space where all of this can be accomplished? Well, that sounds downright peaceful.

At Bona Vista at the Crossing, the staff created exactly such a space – a Peaceful Place – for their consumers, and the response has been amazing. According to Annie Lightsey, the Crossing’s coordinator of education and enrichment, all it took was a little thought and creativity.

“We had this underutilized space; this nice, big space where we could do things together,” said Lightsey. “I thought, what should we do with this space? What about a place where we can work on whole person growth, on physical aspects of the person, where we could improve their fine motor skills and mobility to help bring positive, emotional well-being?”

Lightsey was in luck. Bona Vista had just accepted Sam Barentine, a psychology major at Indiana University Kokomo, as an intern. She is focused on incorporating fine art and kinetics into the programming at The Crossing and brought to the table just the skillset Lightsey wanted to see.

“I talked to Sam about the space, and I talked to (senior director) Michelle (Kanable),” said Lightsey. “We thought about it and came up with The Peaceful Place.”

Roughly the size of a high school classroom, The Peaceful Place offers a place for various activities -- some cooperative, some individualized – designed to foster social and emotional growth, self-esteem, and all the things the staff identified as positives for the consumers.

In one part of the room, there is a drum circle where consumers can develop rhythms cooperatively and connect through percussive music. There are pieces of exercise equipment and items designed to improve balance and mobility. In one corner of the room, there are mirrors and comfortable seats where consumers can quietly reflect.

The Peaceful Place is designed to work in full lighting, which allows appreciation for artwork created by the consumers and mounted on the walls and ceiling. It also functions with the lights off, as LED light ropes and projected light patterns create sensory experiences conducive to relaxation as well as visual stimulation.

For Barentine, it is a perfect place to get consumers moving constructively.

“We do breathing exercises and movements based on whatever the theme of the week is,” said Barentine. “Once we've done the exercises, we have individual things that people can break off to do whatever they would like to do.

“I always write our expectations on the mirror. So, every week we have an introduction, telling them what we're going to be doing. Then, we do breathing exercises and begin the program. It is important for our consumers to feel like they have their own autonomy and control of their own bodies, to feel grounded. Honestly, they really enjoy it.”

Barentine also uses the Peaceful Place time to work on concepts like patterning, mimicking, teamwork, and fine motor skills such as using the non-dominant hand.

All of the activities are designed with the wide age range that exists within the Bona Vista clientele. The service provider was first established in 1958 and has helped tens of thousands of consumers. With that history comes a population that spans from young adults to the elderly.

“Some of the population that we serve are becoming elderly, so their ability may be decreasing,” explained Kanable. “So, we support them with activities to improve balance and strength and movement. So, while some of our activities might be great for the 20s and 30s. Each group might need to be adjusted a little bit for the elderly population.”

Lightsey proudly exclaimed that The Peaceful Place has been a huge hit with the Crossing consumers.

“I've heard from some of the guardians about how much our consumers like it,” said Lightsey. “I got this really sweet note from one of the guardians for one of our consumers, who basically said he was so excited when he came home, he can't wait to do it again. It's been a really positive addition to our day.”

Even the support staff appreciates the room, and sometimes can be found during their downtime experiencing The Peaceful Place, Lightsey said. It is something that makes her proud to work at Bona Vista

“Every day I just have so much gratitude to be able to this,” said Lightsey. “The job I get to come to and experience all of these things with the group that we serve here; it's something that I feel very joyful about.”

Bona Vista Programs is a partner company of DSI. Bona Vista at the Crossing is located at 1221 S. Plate St. Residents interested in additional information can visit www.bonavista.org or its Facebook page. To schedule a visit or tour of the Crossing, call 765-457-8273.