Country Terrace team pulls together ensuring weather doesn’t stop BBQ

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A scene from Country Terrace’s July 19 family barbecue.

A scene from Country Terrace’s July 19 family barbecue.


Home’s flagship summer event carries on despite pouring rain

Monday, July 28, 2014 — Deron Hamel

The weather outside may have been dull and grey, but inside Country Terrace the atmosphere was bright, cheerful and full of fun and laughter as the Komoka long-term care home celebrated its annual family barbecue.

Despite the change of plans to move the barbecue indoors, the July 19 event was a “huge success,” says life enrichment co-ordinator Christie Patterson, adding that nutritional carer manager Alex Achillini soldiered through the inclement weather by working the grill.

Staff members and volunteers quickly transformed the home’s chapel into an activity area. Each year the event has a different theme. This year had a carnival theme, with ring, balloon, ball tosses, musical entertainment and a pie-in-the-face fundraiser that rcollected more than $300 (more on that in an upcoming story).

Although the events had to be downscaled to accommodate an indoor event, the staff’s ingenuity ensured everyone had fun, Patterson says.

“We made it work — it was a little hairy, but we made it work and the families that came had an awesome time,” she says. “We made sure the kids, the residents and everyone else had a great time.”

Patterson says the event is an important part of the home’s culture because it allows residents to bring in as many of their family members and friends as they want, and the event is always “laidback and fun and has a family reunion atmosphere.”

“And it’s open to all generations — residents, their children and grandchildren,” she says. “(Before the event) I had not met a lot of the families, but they all showed up.”

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

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

Garden Terrace cook has scored a winner with unique take on Salisbury steak

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GTfood copy

Residents are loving Isioma Okolie’s new version of an old classic

Friday, July 4, 2014 — Deron Hamel

When most people think of Salisbury steak, a plain ground-beef patty topped with gravy likely comes to mind. But if you think you’ll find something like this on Garden Terrace’s dinner menu, think again.

Isioma Okolie, the Kanata long-term care home’s head cook, has used his culinary ingenuity to create a version of this old-time favourite that resembles a dish found in a high-end restaurant. His version of Salisbury steak is a serving of quality ground beef topped with a few roasted potatoes and steamed cauliflower resting in au jus.

His idea behind the dish is simple: present residents with the type of food they enjoy and present it in a way that maximizes appearance. Most long-term care home residents, he notes, have a different palate than younger generations. Chinese food or curries are not what they’re used to; meat-and-potatoes fare is usually their preference.

But a meat-and-potatoes dish doesn’t have to mean boring, as Okolie is proving. The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care provides homes with dietary criteria for residents. Nutritional care managers will create menus, but those working in the kitchens are encouraged to use their creativity to try to make the food taste its best, Okolie notes.

He says presentation is of utmost importance when serving food to long-term care residents. Not only does it need to look appetizing, the portion size needs to be right.

“One thing the residents tell me is that they get very intimidated by seeing large portions of food, but if you make it a more reasonably sized portion people know they can finish it and enjoy it,” he says. “I try to make it the best of both worlds; I follow the guidelines but also make the food so they can enjoy it.”

Okolie’s version of Salisbury steak has been a favourite with residents; a bit of a surprise, he says, because many residents aren’t fans of ground beef. What’s made a difference is the way the food is presented, he adds.

“You eat with your eyes first.”

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, 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.

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

More NPs in LTC will build upon individualized care: administrator

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SpringdaleCountryManor

Maureen King commends province for announcement

March 17, 2014 — Deron Hamel

The 75 new, in-house long-term care nurse practitioners (NPs) the province has promised to fund over the next three years will play an important part in strengthening individualized, person-centred care in the sector, says Maureen King.

Nurse practitioners, says Springdale Country Manor’s administrator, “are phenomenal” for the long-term care sector because they can address many unique resident-care issues that need immediate attention. Residents are used to having this type of person-centred care, King adds.

Having accessed NPs through the Central East Local Health Integration Network’s Nurse Practitioners Supporting Teams Averting Transfers (NPSTAT) program, King says she has seen first-hand the difference timely, in-house care makes to the Peterborough-area long-term care home’s residents.

Through NPSTAT, NPs visit long-term care homes in the LHIN’s catchment area 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.

“Physicians have full practices and we’re looking for an answer in a timely manner — as in right now — and (without access to an NP)  we’re mostly told that we have to wait until the end of the physician’s work day which could be hours and hours,” King explains.

“It is nice to have someone in the situations that we deal with to come now because that is their role. It’s also good that we are not sending people to emergency rooms. It’s very upsetting for our residents if we have to send them to hospital.”

While a hospital visit can negatively impact the quality of life for anyone, it can be especially traumatic for a person living with a cognitive impairment — and a significant portion of the long-term care resident population consists of people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, King notes.

In addition to being added to long-term care homes’ staffing mixes, NPs can soon expect to see their scope of practice expanded. Through Bill 179, the federal government has approved NPs to prescribe more medications and order most lab tests. The next step is for the provinces to approve the legislation.

Click here to read more about the Ontario government’s announcement.

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.

More LTC NPs will pave way for enhanced seniors care

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Burnbrae Gardens’ participation in NPSTAT one example of reduced hospital transfers

Having access to a nurse practitioner (NP) is enhancing quality of life for residents living at Burnbrae Gardens, and by adding 75 new NPs to Ontario long-term care homes, the province is paving the way for better seniors’ health care while reducing burden on emergency rooms, says April Faux. Read more

NP announcement ‘exciting,’ says Frost Manor nurse

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FrostManor

Nancy Lafete commends province for funding 75 in-house NPs over three years

March 12, 2014 — Deron Hamel

When long-term care residents need medical attention that cannot be provided by in-house nursing staff, they often need to be transferred to hospital. But when homes have access to a nurse practitioner (NP) this transfer is usually avoided — and the more transfers can be avoided the better, says Nancy Lafete.

Lafete, a charge nurse at Frost Manor, says the province’s March 3 announcement that 75 in-house NPs will be funded over the next three years is “exciting” news for Ontario long-term care homes. More NPs, she says, will help enhance quality of life for residents.

She has seen the strong value NPs bring to residents through Frost Manor’s involvement with the Central East Local Health Integration Network’s (LHIN’s) Nurse Practitioners Supporting Teams Averting Transfers (NPSTAT) program.

For about four years, the Lindsay long-term care home’s residents requiring medical treatment normally provided in hospital have had access to NP Sarah Reynolds through the initiative.

The result, says Lafete, has been that residents get to remain in their home for treatment.

“It’s really nice to have that support,” Lafete says. “The residents . . . stay comfortable here in their own surroundings; (the program) is working very well.”

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.

Michelle Acorn, the NP lead at Lakeridge Health in Oshawa, says the province’s announcement is good news for long-term care homes across Ontario.

She adds that NPs are a good fit for the long-term care sector.

“They know how to look after all ages and stages of health; they know how to look after seniors as well,” she says.

NPs are also focused on preventative care. When residents experience urinary tract infections, falls or wounds, NP’s will examine the causes and suggest measures that can be taken to prevent future occurrences, Acorn notes.

As part of the funding, long-term care homes that successfully apply but are unable to recruit an NP 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 NPs.

If you have a story you would like to share with the OMNIway, please contact newsroom at 800-294-0051800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

Increased LHIN engagement would strengthen communication lines

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OLTCA encourages homes to play leading role in LHIN engagement

November 27, 2013 — Deron Hamel 

OMNI Health Care president and CEO Patrick McCarthy says he hopes to see increased engagement between the organization’s 17 long-term care homes and the five Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) they’re within.

Members of a panel discussion discuss the role the long-term care sector can play engaging with the 14 LHINs.

Members of a panel discussion discuss the role the long-term care sector can play engaging with the 14 LHINs.

This, he says, would create stronger communication lines as well as build upon successes already being seen by OMNI homes that are strongly engaged with their LHINs.

For instance, Rosebridge Manor in Jasper is involved with many of the South East LHIN’s mental health initiatives. Through its engagement with the LHIN, the home can listen to the mental health issues that come forward. Some of these issues have even made their way to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

McCarthy’s comments were made Nov. 25 in an interview during the Ontario Long Term Care Association’s (OLTCA’s) Fall Symposium, an annual educational event that features keynote speakers, panel discussions and networking.

“It’s a two-way communication,” he said of home-LHIN engagement, following a panel discussion on the issue. “We can help (the LHINs) with resources at the home level (and) they can help us by informing us as to what the issues are on the ground that have a system-wide impact.”

When it comes to long-term care homes engaging with LHINs, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, given the breadth of different needs and resources homes have, McCarthy notes.

For example, OMNI has several homes in the Champlain LHIN. But the two OMNI homes in Ottawa, Forest Hill and Garden Terrace, have different needs and available resources than Woodland Villa, which is located in Long Sault, just outside of Cornwall.

Even the physical structure of homes comes into play. For example, if an OMNI home wants to participate in a program that deals with mental health, does it have the capacity and staffing levels to do it?

OLTCA CEO Candace Chartier also emphasizes the importance of an individual approach to LHIN engagement.

“(The homes) know the residents they’re looking after and they know the community they’re in and they know the issues that they’re facing,” she said.

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.