Springdale families applauded for helping form councils at other homes

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Pleasant Meadow

Pleasant Meadow Manor LEC attests to the difference a supportive philosophy makes

Monday, March 31, 2014 — Deron Hamel

Pleasant Meadow Manor life enrichment co-ordinator (LEC) Chris Garden is applauding the Springdale Country Manor family council for helping families at her home establish their own council.

The LEC adds that the Springdale Country Manor group has a clear message they pass on to family members at other long-term care homes: family councils should exist to support staff members, not find fault.

By being supportive of staff members, family councils can help enhance a home’s atmosphere, Garden says. It’s a philosophy she says has made a difference at the Norwood long-term care home.

“Staff members are happier; they work together better, they’re there for the residents more, the home just flows better,” Garden says. “This makes a huge difference.”

Garden adds that with a supportive atmosphere, staff members work together better as a team, as opposed to working in individual “silos.”

“Everybody is happier,” says Garden, adding the Springdale families have come to Norwood twice to help her home’s council.

The OMNIway recently spoke with Springdale Country Manor family council chair Carol Delahey about the success the family council — whose members prefer to call a “family circle” — has had spreading its message to other long-term care homes in the Peterborough area.

To help promote a supportive culture in long-term care homes, the Springdale Country Manor families also share the initiatives they undertake, such as the Guardian Angels program, which sees staff members who go above and beyond for residents.

Delahey says the rationale behind creating a supportive atmosphere is simple.

“If we want the residents to be happy, we have to have happy staff members,” she says.

If you have a story you would like to share with the OMNIway, please contact newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or email deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

If you have feedback on this story, please call the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

Addressing care needs key to preventing LTC violence: McCarthy

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Continuing programs like BSO, rather than increased staff levels, a more effective use of funding

Friday, March 28, 2014 — Deron Hamel

OMNI Health Care is supportive of more funding directed at resources that help address and prevent resident violence in long-term care homes, as opposed to increasing staffing levels to allow for more resident monitoring.

Research from the Ontario Long Term Care Association suggests there are increasing numbers of residents living with dementia as well as residents exhibiting aggressive behaviours in the province’s 628 long-term care homes.

While some labour groups and stakeholders in the sector are calling for minimum staffing levels, OMNI president and CEO Patrick McCarthy says that investment in staffing resources is needed, but in a way that better meets the needs of residents and families.  Continued investment in training and resources, such as Behavioural Supports Ontario (BSO), with staff deployment in each home is a more effective use of funding.

McCarthy says he also supports greater recognition of the particular needs of small homes, and better methods of allocating funding resources than currently exists.

BSO is a provincial initiative that’s enhancing quality of life for seniors affected by dementia and other conditions that can cause agitation, and McCarthy says this is an example of a program that’s key to addressing the issue of resident violence.

BSO funding, which is provided to long-term care homes through the province’s 14 Local Health Integration Networks, is largely put towards staff education.

“Our solutions (to preventing resident aggression) are more focused on resident care needs, (such as) investing in BSO, staffing at every home, increased funding resources, better measure care requirements, less administrative burden, and support (for) small homes,” McCarthy tells the OMNIway.

When long-term care home staff members learn about preventing violence and how to better work with residents who have a cognitive impairment the outcome is reduced aggression and a higher quality of life for people, OMNI has found through BSO interventions.

For example, in its first year of involvement with BSO in 2012, Riverview Manor saw a 35.5 per cent decline in responsive agitation, while the rate of PRN(pharmaceuticals given on an as-needed basis) medication administration dropped 34.4 per cent.

Likewise, Streamway Villa has reported a large reduction in incidents of responsive behaviours, such as aggression, wandering, physical resistance and agitation, after team members began applying their BSO learnings.

If you have a story you would like to share with the OMNIway, please contact newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or email deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

If you have feedback on this story, please call the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

Maplewood resident cuts hair to support children’s charity

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Maplewood resident Corina Dempsey poses with the braid of hair she's donating to a children's charity.

Maplewood resident Corina Dempsey poses with the braid of hair she’s donating to a children’s charity.

Residents’ council also chips in with donation

Thursday, March 27, 2014 — Deron Hamel

Maplewood resident Corina Dempsey and the Brighton long-term care home’s residents’ council are helping A Child’s Voice Foundation in Mississauga with two donations.

The first donation was a foot-long hair braid from Dempsey; the second was $50 from residents’ council.

With family members, residents and staff cheering her on, Dempsey cut off a large braid of her long hair to donate to the charity through its Angel Hair for Kids initiative. Angel Hair for Kids provides wigs made from human hair to children undergoing medical treatments that cause hair loss.

Dempsey told staff members last week of her intentions to make a donation to the charity, and when word got around to the council, residents unanimously agreed to donate $50 to the charity.

One hair prosthesis requires 10 to 12 ponytails and the charity spends about $800 to $1,000 on manufacturing and other costs.

Minutes after Dempsey cut her hair, life enrichment co-ordinator (LEC) Rachel Corkery contacted the OMNIway via e-mail to share the story.

Even with the approximately one-foot braid chopped off, Dempsey still has lots of “long, beautiful hair,” says Corkery.

“Corina did something really good today, and her hair still looks fantastic,” the LEC says. “She’s our celebrity here today.”

If you have a story you would like to share with the OMNIway, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

If you have feedback on this story, please call the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

Guardian Angels program honouring outstanding staff

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Initiative aimed at keeping morale high

Wednesday, March 26, 2014 — Deron Hamel

The Guardian Angels initiative is one example of a successful program the Springdale Country Manor family council is sharing with other long-term care homes.

The program sees families at the Peterborough County long-term care home vote on staff members who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to enhance residents’ quality of life. All staff members are eligible for a nomination as are contract workers, such as physiotherapists and hairdressers.

Families and staff members vote for people working at the home who catch their eye, and the names of those staff members are written on a piece of paper and placed in the “guardian angel box” at the front desk.

The names are then taken out at family council meetings and counted. The staff members who receive the most nominations will become the monthly “guardian angel.”

“And we try to recognize staff from (different departments) so that each month it’s not just one area that’s being covered,” explains family council chair Carol Delahey.

After staff members have been selected by the home’s family council, Delahey interviews them and then does a write-up about the person.

“I try to find out lots of things about them — why they work at the home, what they like best, etc., and then I do an interview and take a photo of them,” Delahey says.

Staff members who are named a guardian angel will receive a recognition pin that has been designed by the family council, which features angel wings on each side. The staff members’ photos are attached to the biography Delahey writes for them and this is displayed in common areas of the home. At the end of the month the photo is placed on the home’s “wall of honour.”

The Springdale Country Manor family council members share the idea for the Guardian Angels initiative with other long-term care homes they visit as part of their mission to help create strong councils at area homes.

The Guardian Angels program is one of the things homes can do to build staff morale and draw attention to the good work they do, Delahey says.

“If we want the residents to be happy, we have to have happy staff members,” she says.

If you have a story you would like to share with the OMNIway, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

If you have feedback on this story, please call the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

Springdale’s family circle forms ring of support and positivity

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SpringdaleCountryManor

Successes and ideas shared with other long-term care homes

Tuesday, March 25, 2014 — Deron Hamel

In the world of family councils, the group at Springdale Country Manor is nothing short of a team of superstars.

In fact, they don’t even call themselves a family council, opting instead to use the term “family circle.” This term is much more friendly, welcoming and, indeed, more reflective of what the group of family members stands for, says chair Carol Delahey.

One of their missions is to highlight the great work that goes on in long-term care homes and to give kudos to staff members whenever possible.

Family councils, Delahey emphasizes, should not be bodies that exist to lay blame or find fault in a long-term care home’s staff. Instead, these groups should be supportive of staff members and highlight the good work they do every day.

This, she says, encourages a positive atmosphere for staff members, which helps people enjoy their jobs more. The trickle-down effect can lead to a happier environment for residents, Delahey says.

This is the message that Springdale Country Manor families bring to the other long-term care homes in the region they visit. Yes, this family council visits other OMNI Health Care long-term care homes as well as other homes in the Peterborough area, sharing their successes and encouraging family councils that support long-term care home staff members.

“We visit other homes and we take these ideas to these homes,” Delahey tells the OMNIway.

Springdale families have even consulted with other long-term care homes to help them establish councils when they had challenges forming them, Delahey notes.

For example, when OMNI’s Pleasant Meadow Manor experienced challenges forming a family council, the Springdale group met with life enrichment co-ordinator Chris Garden to help form one, Delahey says.

The Springdale Country Manor families also share with other councils the programs they have to promote staff confidence.

One of these programs is Guardian Angels, with families voting for staff members they see go above and beyond the call of duty to create a happy environment for residents. (The OMNIway will be featuring a story on this program later this week.)

So, how does Springdale Country Manor’s family council get families from other homes interested taking the first step forward to form their own council? Often, it’s as simple as asking them to meet for coffee, Delahey says.

“Everyone likes to go to Tim Hortons,” she chuckles.

If you have a story you would like to share with the OMNIway, please contact newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

Nurse-practitioner funding a win-win for LTC, hospitals

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Lakeridge Health lead nurse practitioner Michelle Acorn discusses the changing roles of NPs at a March 6 conference.

Lakeridge Health lead nurse practitioner Michelle Acorn discusses the changing roles of NPs at a March 6 conference.

Province’s move will enhance quality care for residents while reducing strain on hospitals

Monday, March 24, 2014 — Deron Hamel

TORONTO – The province’s decision to fund 75 new, in-house nurse practitioners (NPs) in Ontario’s 630 long-term care homes will benefit both the senior-care and hospital sectors, say stakeholders.

The Ontario government announced March 3 it will be funding the NPs over the next three years to add to the staffing mix in the province’s long-term care sector. The first 15 NPs will be funded this year.

By having on-site NPs, more long-term-care home residents will be able to have their care needs met in their home, avoiding hospital transfers which can have a detrimental impact on their quality of life, says Michelle Acorn, NP lead at Lakeridge Health in Oshawa.

Acorn says NPs are well-suited to work in long-term care homes. NPs, as part of their training, learn about disease processes, disease prevention, how medications work and how to adjust to patients’ unique situations, such as heart, kidney and liver disease, she explains.

Treating people in homes also mitigates the risk of residents getting hospital-acquired infections, Acorn told the OMNIway, during a recent Ontario Hospital Association conference in Toronto.

“(NPs) are experienced registered nurses with additional education and they are a solution for many things,” Acorn says. “They know how to look after all ages and stages of health; they know how to look after seniors as well.”

Since 2010, NPs have been regularly visiting OMNI Health Care homes in the Central East Local Health Integration Network’s (LHIN’s) catchment area as part of the LHIN’s Nurse Practitioners Supporting Teams Averting Transfers (NPSTAT) program.

These homes include Pleasant Meadow Manor, Frost Manor, Springdale Country Manor, Streamway Villa and Burnbrae Gardens.

Pleasant Meadow Manor clinical care/RAI co-ordinator Susan Towns says many of the Norwood long-term care home’s residents have been able to avoid hospital transfers, thanks to having access to an NP.

Like Acorn, Towns says the province’s decision to fund NPs in long-term care homes spells good news for both the long-term care and acute-care sectors.

“I think it’s absolutely wonderful that they’re going to increase the number of nurse practitioners available to (long-term care homes),” she says. “(Nurse practitioners) have been an absolute asset to our home.”

Burnbrae Gardens administrator April Faux adds: “The main thing is (that more) residents will not have to go to hospital; they can stay in their own home for simple procedures.”

As part of the funding, long-term care homes that successfully apply for NP funding but are unable to recruit one will be able to access the province’s new Grow Your Own Nurse Practitioner in Long-Term Care program.

Once launched in 2015-16, this initiative will support homes in providing registered nurses with the education and training to become nurse practitioners.

If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

More nurse practitioners equal stronger LTC sector, says administrator

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NPs also positioned to train front-line staff

The Ontario government’s plan to provide funding for 75 new, in-house nurse practitioners (NPs) in long-term care homes over the next three years is another step towards enhancing quality in long-term care homes, says Village Green administrator Linda Pierce.

Pierce notes how the Greater Napanee long-term care home already has an NP who visits when residents have care needs that are beyond front-line staff members’ scope of practice but do not warrant a transfer to hospital. The NP is accessed by the home through the South East Local Health Integration Network (LHIN).

Although there is a physician who regularly visits Village Green, Pierce says there are those times when he cannot tend to a resident at a moment’s notice. This is where the NP steps in.

NPs visit long-term care homes to provide on-site care for medical issues that front-line staff members are unable to treat. Some of their work includes writing prescriptions for antibiotics, administering IV therapies, doing post-fall assessments and performing G-tube reinsertions.

Based on the value the NP is bringing to residents and staff members, Pierce says more NPs in the sector would enhance quality exponentially.

Additionally, Pierce notes that NPs are positioned to help train front-line staff members to enhance their skills.

“That will be a value to all long-term care homes,” Pierce says. “I think (more NPs) will be supportive to the homes because it will mean an additional player on the team. . . . It’s going to support the residents and lead right back to enhancing their quality of life.”

As part of the funding, long-term care homes that successfully apply for NP funding but are unable to recruit one will be able to access Ontario’s new Grow Your Own Nurse Practitioner in Long-Term Care program.

Once launched in 2015-16, this initiative will support homes in providing registered nurses with the education and training to become nurse practitioners.

If you have a story you would like to share with the OMNIway, please contact newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

Village Green raises $1,700 for Operation Warm Toes

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Village Green administrator Linda Pierce recently shaved her head in support of Operation Warm Toes.

Village Green administrator Linda Pierce recently shaved her head in support of Operation Warm Toes.

Administrator Linda Pierce makes good on fundraising promise and shaves her head

Thursday, March 20, 2014 — Deron Hamel

Linda Pierce knew her shaved head would not be conducive to this bitterly cold winter, however, she says cutting off her hair was a small price to pay to contribute to the greater good.

Pierce, the administrator at Village Green, had her head shaved in January as part of her promise to staff members at the Selby, Ont. long-term care home for raising $1,700 for Operation Warm Toes, a yearly fundraising initiative in Greater Napanee to buy snow boots for children from low-income families.

Village Green’s participation in the fundraiser helped contribute to the 330 pairs of boots bought for children in the community. All told, the project raised about $8,000 this year.

Pierce was approached in December by staff members who wanted the home to participate in a fundraiser that would make a difference in the community. Pierce chose Operation Warm Toes and told staff members that if they raised $1,000 in two weeks she would shave off her hair in front of her co-workers, residents and their families.

The team found creative ways to raise money, even going to local media outlets to announce the fundraiser, in addition to having family and friends donate. The team sent e-mails to OMNI Health Care’s other 17 long-term care homes to garner donations, and many of Village Green’s suppliers also gave money, Pierce notes. “I was really impressed with how (staff members) engaged the different resources in order to make this happen.”

Aside from raising money for a worthy cause, Pierce says the fundraiser proved to be an excellent team-building exercise.

“The team members were really empowered and worked together well,” she says.

If you have a story you would like to share with the OMNIway, please contact newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

NPs are a valuable educational resource for LTC staff

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Burnbrae Gardens team members discuss how NPs are sharing knowledge

The value nurse practitioners (NPs) bring to long-term care homes has been discussed extensively by the OMNIway recently, but as Burnbrae Gardens team members point out these health-care professionals also bring valuable educational resources to homes. Read more

Rights and safety top of mind when residents pursue relationships

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Safety and Sexuality Lead Image Mar 18 2014

Team members discuss how they support residents

Tuesday, March 18, 2014 — Deron Hamel

A recent OMNIway series explored the issue of resident relationships in long-term care homes. While different situations arise in different homes, OMNI Health Care homes uphold a common focus on people’s rights and ensuring safety.

Long-term care residents have every right to pursue relationships in their homes. But while finding love in a long-term care home is a right, ethical arise at times. When this happens, staff members are prepared to work with the situation.

For instance, questions arise when a resident with dementia is approached by another resident and it’s unclear whether the first resident would welcome those advances.

“It’s hard because you want to give people as much freedom as consenting people but you still have to protect the people who may not be able to say no,” Rosebridge Manor life enrichment co-ordinator Kathy Barr says.

“Every case is so very individualized and all the team members have to sit together and bring in an outside body to help if it’s something where there’s an ethical dilemma.”

When the questionable cases arise, Rosebridge involves its ethics committee and solicits the help of Debora Steele. Steele is a Kingston-based psychogeriatric resource consultant for Lanark, Leeds and Grenville.

Then there’s the potential issue of residents making unwanted advances towards other residents. This can happen as a result of a resident having cognitive impairment. Although this hasn’t been an issue at Pleasant Meadow Manor, administrator and director of care Sandra Tucker says that if this did happen the home’s staff members are prepared.

Firstly, she says, the team would look to OMNI’s Supportive Measures program, which is focused on providing people with individualized care.

For example, if a staff member saw a resident making unwanted advances towards someone else they might approach the resident and talk about a subject of interest to change their focus. Or a staff member might suggest the resident join them for a walk, Tucker says.

Like Barr, Tucker says residents’ rights must always be protected and, in the case of consenting residents, there would be no intervention.

“We work at the residents’ home; they don’t live at our work,” Tucker says. “If there are two consenting adults wishing to have a relationship, who are we to interfere with that?”

However, grey areas can sometimes arise.

There have been occasions in long-term care homes where both residents consent to a relationship but their families object.

Woodland Villa administrator Mike Rasenberg says if this situation arises the home will side with the residents. In one case, Rasenberg says residents approached staff to say, “our rights aren’t being respected here.”

“They (were) right,” Rasenberg says, adding the situation was corrected. “We talked about their rights and set some parameters from a safety aspect and it’s worked out well.”

If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.