Keeping up with Kensington - October issue

Volume 3 | Issue 10

KEEPING UP WITH

K E N S INGTON

October 2019

WORLD SIGHT DAY: ONBOARD THE FLYING EYE HOSPITAL

October 10 is World Sight Day, a global day of awareness for blindness and vision impairment. This month, Thuong Huynh (left), Manager at Kensington Eye Institute, shares her experience aboard the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital (right).

Orbis is a non-profit organization that has been a pioneer in the prevention and treatment of blindness globally for more than 35 years. The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital is aboard an MD-10 aircraft that serves as a fully-accredited ophthalmic (medicine of the eye) teaching hospital. Orbis and their team of volunteer eye care professionals, including those from the Kensington Eye Institute, travel around the world to provide hands-on training with the hopes of transforming lives by delivering accessible, quality eye care to communities.

Going back home This year, the Flying Eye Hospital visited Hue, a city in central Vietnam. Sixteen volunteers embarked on this trip, including Kensington’s very own, Thuong Huynh, Manager of Kensington Eye Institute. For Thuong, though, the trip was extra special.

Thuong was born in Vietnam and her family left for Canada by boat when she was three. The trip with Orbis marked her first return to Vietnam, 35 years after leaving. It was also her first flight – ever!

“It was nice returning to my home country to experience the culture, the people and the different cities,” said Thuong. “What made my return home particularly special was visiting my grandma in her home city of Saigon. She is someone who’s very special to me, and who I haven’t seen in 20 years.”

Helping those in Vietnam with vision impairment Thuong’s role on the trip was to teach nurses the purposes of surgical instruments, and how to actively listen, adapt and react to a surgeon’s needs during a procedure.

“Walking into the local hospital, all of the children’s faces lit up with excitement and big smiles as soon as they saw us,” said Thuong, remembering the first day her team entered the Vietnamese hospital. “It was a rewarding feeling knowing that we were helping the Vietnamese population with their eye care needs.”

Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/KHWorldSightDay

LETTER

Hi everyone,

CEO

Fall is here and it’s starting to get chilly, but that didn’t stop our hikers at the 2019 Kensington Hike.

Together, we raised more than $81,000 in support of hospice and end-of life care. I would like to thank all those who attended and our fundraising superstars for their contributions and for helping us give a new meaning to community care. A special thank you to all of the Kensington volunteers and employees who made the Kensington Hike the success that it was.

FROM THE

Last week, the W.R.A.P. committee partnered with Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre to celebrate the indigenous community with an information series across Kensington. I would like to thank the W.R.A.P. committee for planning and taking a leadership role in honouring the diverse communities of Kensington.

Be on the lookout! This month, the W.R.A.P. committee is hosting Kensington’s second annual Thanksgiving food drive, collecting non-perishable food items in support of the Fort York food bank.

Remember to bring non-perishable food items to work - your reception areas will have collection boxes!

2019 KENSINGTON HIKE: GIVING NEW MEANING TO COMMUNITY CARE

Hikers depart for the 9th annual Kensington Hike; Kensington Hike volunteers arrive early to begin preparing for the day; Dougie the Hospice Dog got dressed up for the Hike.

You might have wondered why on a sunny Sunday morning the neighbourhood was buzzing with blue shirts, smiling faces, and dogs (some also wearing shirts). What, you may have wondered, are all these people doing together?

Those 214 people walking along College St. on September 8th were taking time out of their busy lives to support palliative and end-of-life care at the Kensington Hike. It was an especially meaningful and memorable day as friends, families and loved-ones had a chance to share their stories while raising awareness and funds in support of Kensington Hospice.

This year the Kensington Hike raised more than $81,000!

Thank you to our participants and donors, sponsors and supporters! We couldn’t have done it without you.

Funds raised allow Kensington to go above and beyond provincial funding allotments and offer programs and holistic supports that give people comfort, dignity and choice at the most difficult time in their lives. Our music and art therapy programs, massage and holistic care, along with spiritual programming and bereavement support are just some of the things that make Kensington special and couldn’t happen without philanthropy.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE The Kensington Hike saw community participation from 214 hikers, 25 volunteers, and over 650 individual donations!

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

OUR TOP

OUR TOP

TEAMS

FUNDRAISERS

1. Team Andrew 2. Busy Bees 3. Humphreys Family 4. Team O’Neill 5. Team H

1. Marianne Kupina 2. Andrea Taylor 3. Sandra Borzush 4. Jessica Verhey 5. Helena Shelton

BUILDING A CULTURE OF QUALITY 2019 has been a particular busy year for Kensington’s Quality Team, which includes Darla Matheson, Director of Quality and Risk, Ana Paula Anjos, Manager of Quality, and Gemerdine (Gem) Maravilla, Quality Coordinator.

In September, Kensington Health was one of three finalists for the Workplace of the Year award presented by the Ontario Long Term Care Association. The award is presented to a home member that demonstrates staff engagement, recognition and positive work place culture.

But where do you start when it comes to a positive work place culture?

A culture of quality is when employees feel quality all around them, see others take quality-focused action and hear others talk about quality. Building a culture of quality starts with experiences, your experiences foster your beliefs, your beliefs influence your actions, your actions impact your outcomes and results.

For example, when a new employee sits in a meeting where no one exchanges ideas or suggestions, or even worse, when they witness a leader shutting down or dismissing anyone who brings up an improvement suggestions or idea, their experience shapes their beliefs.

They feel that it’s not safe to make suggestions and that suggestions are not welcomed by leadership. That new view shapes their actions, and ultimately the outcomes.

Kensington Health’s Quality team: Gemerdine Maravilla (left), Quality Coordinator, Ana Paula Anjos (middle), Manager of Quality, and Darla Matheson (right), Director of Quality and Risk.

“You can sense passion in people, you can feel when leaders are receptive and welcoming,” says Ana Paula. “When employees see their leaders take actions with a quality focus, it inspires them to also do better.”

Gem has witnessed some inefficiencies throughout her experiences with the healthcare system, which inspired her to make a difference through her work in quality improvement.

“If there is an opportunity to make something easier, quicker and more enjoyable, why not try?” says Gem.

Quality Engagement Committee The Quality Team formed a Quality Engagement Committee that meets monthly with representatives from all of Kensington Health’s programs.

“Quality is a different way of thinking and therefore we want to ensure knowledge and understanding is common throughout Kensington. We want to cultivate quality champions at Kensington who will serve as ambassadors for quality improvement,” says Darla.

The purpose is to provide opportunities to connect and collaborate on quality improvement initiatives, learn from each other and share in each other’s successes and challenges. Through this committee, the quality team hopes to continue to support and promote a culture of quality.

If you’re interested in joining the Quality Engagement Committee, email Gem at: gmaravilla@kensingtonhealth.org A culture of quality happens when your experiences foster your beliefs, your beliefs influence your actions, and your actions produce outcomes/results.

WELCOME NEW STAFF Tenzin Bhutia PCA, Kensington Gardens

Patty Valeri PCA, Kensington Gardens

Kseniya Batusova RPN, Kensington Gardens

Tenzin Yutso PCA, Kensington Gardens

Kristine Penaflorida RPN, Kensington Gardens

Gernis Desiree La Foucade PCA, Kensington Gardens

Jun Wei Liu RPN, Kensington Gardens

Matthew Fogel Life Enhancement Assistant, Kensington Gardens

Ma Cristina Sumilang PCA, Kensington Gardens

Christopher Pugh Digital Marketing and Social Media Specialist, Kensington Health

Kathleen Doran Human Resources Intern, Kensington Health Arrutran Nanthakumar Clinical Assistant, KVRC

Shana Peiser Nurse Practitioner, Kensington Gardens

Sundus Gul Health and Safety Officer, Kensington Health

Bolade Olatunde Eye Bank Coordinator, Eye Bank of Canada

Sagal Ali Manager of Communications, Kensington Health

INTRODUCING ART THERAPY Earlier this year, Art therapy became the newest, psychotherapy-based, complementary therapy for residents of Kensington Hospice. Art therapy combines art making and psychotherapy to facilitate self-exploration and understanding through the use of colours, images, and the manipulation of art materials.

Art therapy provides opportunities to engage in art making as a way to express challenging thoughts and feelings, without necessarily having to rely on words. In palliative care, art therapy can support residents as they reflect on their present stage of life, to create gifts for loved ones, or formulate legacy work.

Art therapist, Ellen Paonessa, splits her time between Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Kensington Hospice. When at the hospice, Ellen provides art therapy sessions for residents throughout the day. Close friends, family members and immediate caregivers of the resident can also access art therapy as a way to process their own experience of sadness and anticipatory grief.

Ellen Paonessa is commencing research which will look at the effects of art therapy on patients in inpatient settings.

Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/KHArtTherapy

HUMANS OF KENSINGTON Meet Grace, a Kensington Health volunteer who greets people in the lobby of 340 College St. Grace directs patients to their appointments, answers questions, and provides support when needed.

She started volunteering at Kensington two months ago, and comes in at least once a week.

Grace Demirdijan, Volunteer, Kensington Health

Since moving to Canada, Grace has dedicated her time to volunteer at many places supporting seniors – and has enjoyed her time at Kensington because she loves connecting and helping people.

“I’m Armenian, born in Lebanon, where I worked as a teacher and taught French.

I love languages, and in addition to French, I speak Arabic and have been learning English since last October. Next on my list is to learn Italian,” she says.

“I encourage everyone to volunteer at some point in their life because you get to meet so many different people and improve your skills.

I believe in the “boomerang” effect, if you say something nice to people, it will come back to you.”