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A QEII FOUNDATION PUBLICATION IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE CHRONICLE HERALD
The QEII’s Geriatric Ambulatory Care and Memory Disability Clinic launched a community outreach pilot program in February 2019, Halifax’s first geriatric outreach nurse position, with the aim to better serve certain patients. The team includes Jody Wells (left), RN geriatric outreach nurse; Theresa Kroeger (second from left), booking clerk; Sandra Hiscott (second from right), clinic charge nurse; Kate Newton (right), clinic nurse, RN; and Terri Buckland (missing from photo), RN geriatric outreach nurse. Sara Ericsson
There’s no place like home New QEII outreach program providing in-home care for memory clinic patients
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By Sara Ericsson
Note to readers: A pseudonym has been used in this article to protect the patient’s identity.
It was after the death of her husband that Mary Jones and her family noticed her difficulty with daily tasks at home.
After Mary was assessed at the QEII Health Sciences Centre’s Geriatric Ambulatory Care and Memory Disability Clinic and diagnosed with dementia, her family realized within six months that she would no longer be able to live at home unless they could find a support system for her.
Mary then became one of the first people referred to the clinic’s newly launched community outreach pilot project, which brings the clinic to seniors like her at home, while ensuring their health is regularly assessed.
“The notion of in-home care is an essential one and better for the patient, who gets to stay where they are comfortable. The project is helping make the best of a difficult situation — we’d be in a much different place without it,” says Mary’s family member.
The QEII’s Geriatric Ambulatory Care and Memory Disability Clinic is where seniors aged 65 and older are referred to receive a geriatric assessment. Clinic charge nurse Sandra Hiscott says the comprehensive assessment examines areas including memory testing, the patient’s physical health, social and living situation, alongside input from family, to determine whether they have a form of dementia.
The clinic’s pilot program began in February 2019 after registered nurses Terri Buckland and Jody Wells wondered whether home visits would better serve certain patients, while also increasing access for seniors not able to reach the clinic. “We ended up not only increasing access and reaching people who’d never been seen by geriatrics but also serving current clinic patients even better with follow ups at home that fall within the scope of nursing,” says Terri.
“We also heard from families who lived away and those who could no longer transport loved ones to the clinic,” says Terri. “It became clear that reaching people at home would help on many levels.” Following Jody’s first visit to see Mary, she identified the need for an occupational therapist and connected her with the clinic’s geriatric OT specialist, Catherine-Anne Murray. Mary’s family was also connected with continuing care and respite services, as well as an ambulance call system.
Terri says connecting patients to the right services is a vital part of the program, as families or caregivers are often not aware of the care options available to them. “A lot of people don’t know about these services, or need help navigating the system,” she says.
Mary’s family credits the diligent work of the outreach clinic for enabling her to remain at home. The family’s stress was also relieved, as they received education from Jody on how to approach daily interactions with someone who has dementia.
Mary’s family continues to feel comfortable calling Jody or Terri with any questions and Mary, herself, feels comfortable asking questions when care providers visit her home.
“It helps her peace of mind to talk to the people helping her to understand why she is monitored,” says Mary’s family.
Terri says the project’s biggest outcome has been helping patients with dementia live at home longer by helping them access interventions.
“It’s a matter of putting in the right interventions at the right time to help people stay home longer,” she says.
Jody and Terri are now collecting and analyzing data from the pilot project to present once the pilot has ended. Jody says family feedback has been positive, and feels the number of visits completed in the community will be reflected in a positive impact on the clinic waitlist. Mary’s family says the pilot project moved their situation from one that was not feasible to one that now is, and Mary’s life would not be the same without it.
“It’s very difficult for a family to go through the changes of dementia, where your loved one essentially becomes someone else. The team has helped us understand and cope with what’s happening and that’s really meant everything to us.”
YOUR DONATION, TRIPLED.
With your help, patients will access the best cancer imaging technology available today. Advanced technology means detecting smaller traces of cancer than ever before.
Dr. James Clarke is a radiologist in the Department of Diagnostic Imaging at the QEII. His team is tripling all donations to PET-CT to a total of $50,000 until March 31, 2020.
COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS
These community healthcare champions are leading the charge and inspiring others to make a difference with causes close to their hearts. They continue to find creative ways to make a significant difference for Atlantic Canadians receiving care at the QEII Health Sciences Centre, and they’re just getting started!
Brian George Walk & Roll
After making a cross-country move from Comox, B.C. to Halifax, Brian George found his voice as an advocate for accessibility in his new home city. Inspired to bring awareness to those who may not be in a position to advocate for themselves, Brian rallied his community together for a special fundraising event.
In 2019, the inaugural Walk & Roll took participants up Citadel Hill to raise funds for the Nova Scotia Rehabilitation & Arthritis Centre at the QEII. The Rehabilitation Centre is particularly important to him, as it offers daily support for those in his community, and those who may be recently navigating a new world of accessibility challenges.
The second annual Walk & Roll takes place June 20, with a new route that takes the participants across the Macdonald Bridge from Halifax to Dartmouth.
Jane Chen Chinatown Restaurant
Jane Chen, the owner of the new Chinatown Restaurant location on the Bedford Highway, was moved to make an impact after attending the Blue Butterfly Evening, an annual community-led fundraiser in support of thyroid cancer care at the QEII.
Upon opening her new restaurant in summer 2019, the new Chinatown served up generosity – one meal at a time. For every order placed at the new Chinatown Restaurant, one dollar was donated to support patients facing thyroid cancer at the QEII.
Through Jane’s community leadership, Chinatown has raised over $2,050 for the cause.
Bryce Dart Multiple Myeloma Patient Support
Like many before him, Bryce Dart had never heard of the disease multiple myeloma until he was facing his diagnosis in June 2014. While most people are aware of the emotional and physical toll a cancer diagnosis imposes, few may be aware of the financial burdens many cancer patients face.
Bryce is now working to support others facing this journey with a fundraiser of his own, helping to alleviate financial burdens for patients and families who are struggling with things such as accommodation costs, travel expenses, bills, patient comforts and more.
Along with his fundraiser, Bryce helps others living with multiple myeloma through peer support groups and has seen first-hand the strength they give to those navigating a new diagnosis.
Kevin Hurst Pink Patch Project
Nova Scotia’s Deputy Sheriffs donned customdesigned pink badges throughout the month of October as part of an initiative to raise funds for breast cancer research at the QEII and bring awareness to the fight against breast cancer.
Led by Kevin Hurst, the project began as a way to honour colleagues who are affected by breast cancer. The project evolved into a cause that now connects agencies across Canada, inspiring them to get involved with the movement.
The Pink Patch Project started in the U.S. in 2013 by the Seal Beach Police Department, and now has over 390 agencies involved globally. Nova Scotia Sheriff Services is the first agency in Canada to register and participate in the Pink Patch Project.
Their efforts helped to raise over $1,700 for the QEII Foundation’s Breast Cancer Research Fund and have paved the way for more agencies to get involved in the future.
Lori Duggan Brain Tumour Research Fund
Lori Duggan is rallying her community around a cause close to her heart and in honour of her late husband, Garry Beattie. Garry and Lori are the catalysts behind the QEII Foundation’s Brain Tumour Research Fund, which they started during Garry’s brave battle against glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumour.
After Garry’s diagnosis, he and Lori, alongside his neurosurgeon Dr. Adrienne Weeks, made it their mission to make a significant impact on brain cancer research in Nova Scotia and beyond, by supporting research happening at the QEII.
Lori is dedicated to keeping Garry’s legacy thriving through her annual event and fundraiser, Brain Cancer Bash, and many other activities throughout the year.
Dr. Brendan Carr, the new president and CEO of Nova Scotia Health Authority, is excited about his new role, advancing care today and creating new opportunities for health care in the future. QEII Foundation
‘What we achieve, we achieve through people’ A conversation with Dr. Brendan Carr
He’s no stranger to this province, the QEII Health Sciences Centre or to health care, but Dr. Brendan Carr is new in his role as president and CEO of the Nova Scotia Health Authority. The QEII Foundation recently sat down with Dr. Carr and got his thoughts on the road ahead. Q: You are entering this new role at a time where health care is a hot topic in Nova Scotia. In your opinion, what are some of the biggest challenges? A: I think there are a couple of big challenges and priorities for us. One is peoples’ ability to access services, in terms of primary care and emergency services in rural communities. Related to access is fl ow and how the system is organized. It seems that a lot of people are going to emergency departments because we haven’t designed a system that has multiple access points for different things.
Access is not about just having more human resources; it’s also about the way we construct the system so that people can get what they need, maybe without having to line up. These are big challenges but represent huge opportunities for us to re-think the way we organize the system and the way we deliver care. It is pretty clear through engagement surveys and the media that the tone of communication is negative. Some of that is understandable. We are a big organization that has gone through a tremendous amount of change in a relatively short period of time. We are at a natural point where people are feeling a bit disconnected, having been through a lot of change and disruption with changes in leadership.
As a leader coming into the organization, it is something that I will put a lot of energy into because, at the end of the day, our mission is about supporting people in health, being here when they are not well. Everything that we do, we do through the people that come to work here every day. Personally, for me it’s about people being connected to their own sense of purpose. And that is truly the greatest asset we have as a province and a system. We can’t deliver excellent health care and create an excellent experience for people if the people who come to work every day aren’t feeling that connection. Q: What do you see as some of the good news in health care?
A: I think the good news is that we have amazing, extremely well-trained people. We have put significant investment in collaborative teams and that is critically important to where we need to go as a system. There is significant commitment to modernizing the system and putting in place the critical infrastructure to make that happen. There is a commitment to adopt technology in a way that will signifi cantly advance health care in the province.
QEII New Generation, to me, has special signifi cance. Not only are we building state-of-the-art infrastructure, we are connecting innovation and discovery around the province and really accelerating it. I think it will create a hub, an anchor point.
I am particularly excited about the opportunity to intentionally create, in that hub, a connection for unusual partnerships. Bringing different people into the healthcare machine in a way that allows us to create new approaches. If we bring other partners to the table, from other industries with other perspectives, they may be able to help us see sooner where real opportunities are. This is what I get most excited about.
A lot of my focus will be on getting out into the various communities, meeting with providers and other people in the communities who have an interest and perspective on health care.
– Dr. Brendan Carr
Q: What have you learned as a family and emergency care physician — and as a senior healthcare leader in Canada — that will infl uence you most in your new role?
A: Number one, both as a frontline provider and as a leader, I am fi rmly rooted in the philosophy of what we achieve, we achieve through people. It is fi ne to have great vision, strategies and plans, but at the end of the day, we have to be able to connect that to people. If we can connect that to peoples’ own internal sense of purpose, that’s where the real magic happens.
The great news is that most people who come to work in health care do it because there is a great sense of purpose in it. It is the great privilege in what we get to do.
As a senior leader in a big system like this, we absolutely need to have clarity on our priorities and what we are trying to advance. We all need to be rowing in the same direction. And the leaders can’t fi gure out what we need to do without engaging people at the front line.
I have learned that my job is not to come up with the answer. My job is to create an organization
DR. BRENDAN CARR – Page 8
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