Long term care team

• Assist residents with personal hygiene needs such as washing, bathing, dressing and grooming.
• Accompany residents to the dining room and to various activities.
• Assist with feeding residents at meal times.
• Record information about a resident’s well-being and status during the day and report any changes to Registered Nurse or Registered Practical Nurse.

Dietary aides perform all food service and preparation duties. They help to maintain the kitchen, dining rooms and serveries in a clean and orderly manner.

Cooks prepare meals for our residents following the posted menus and Canada Food Guide.

Our activation therapists develop and organize engaging, stimulating and meaningful programs for our residents throughout the day, evenings and weekends.

Programs include a variety of physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and social activities. A calendar of activities is posted in advance and shared with families, who are always welcome to join in.

A social worker is available to support residents in the following ways:

• Work with residents and their families or caregivers to support our residents’ social and emotional well-being and enhance their care.
• Provide support at time of admission.
• Provide ongoing support and follow-up with adjustment and coping issues.
• Provide counselling, support and advocacy during times of transition relating to admission, internal transfer, discharge planning, palliative care and bereavement.
• Assist with Family Council.
• Facilitate support groups and provide external referrals where needed.

Physiotherapists assess our residents’ abilities and design exercise programs to help increase and maintain their strength and co-ordination.

Each centre has a designated physiotherapy room with a variety of rehabilitation and exercise equipment. Physiotherapy can also take place in a resident’s room.

All our homes have rehabilitation professionals who are part of our care team.

Our Medical Directors, Attending Physicians and Nurse Practitioners work with staff to ensure that residents receive appropriate medical care and services. They maintain current knowledge in the practice of medicine and the management of chronic diseases in the geriatric population.

The Director of Care oversees the nursing department and is responsible for all aspects of nursing care. The Director of Care is supported and assisted by the Supervisors of Care.

Supervisors of Care are responsible for leading the RN and RPN in coordinating, implementing, and evaluating the nursing care delivered to residents daily. The Supervisors of Care will share information on how each resident home area functions and can meet with residents or family/substitute decisionmakers to discuss or review specific inquiries or concerns. Open two-way communication is essential to ensure that resident needs are met.

Our Registered Nurses (RN) and Registered Practical Nurses (RPN) play an important leadership role in the care of our residents. They help deliver the highest standard of care to every person every day. They are the assigned leads for a resident home area and provide supervision to the Personal Support Workers. As the leader, the RN and RPN assesses, plans, implements, monitors, and evaluates the delivery of care and service to residents to ensure it is according to the residents’ needs, choices, and preferences.

The RN and RPN work closely with attending physicians and the Medical Director, updating them regularly on changes in each resident’s health.

Our business office team is always available to help residents, families and visitors by answering questions or redirecting to the appropriate team member.

Our facility services staff includes housekeeping, laundry and maintenance. Housekeeping supports keeping the environment clean and organized from resident rooms to common areas. Laundry supports cleaning and labelling resident clothing. Maintenance supports interior and exterior environments to ensure residents are comfortable, secure and safe.

These professionals provide enhanced care based on referrals to better meet our residents complex care needs.

Neuro-behavioural nurse practitioner team

The Neuro-behavioural Team provides a mobile specialty resource working in the Central West Region with existing behaviour champions to address escalating responsive behaviours related to behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia.

In collaboration with Dr. Saha and Neuro-behavioural Nurse Practitioners, the team provides increased access to a specialized on-site service. In addition, they assist and facilitate comprehensive assessments of the residents and implement management strategies in liaison with staff.

Using a person-centered approach, they develop an individualized plan of care for managing behaviours, use pharmacological interventions, and provide non-pharmacological approaches for behaviour de-escalation with regular follow-up visits.

Residents, health care professionals, staff, and families are provided with information on the diagnosis, treatment options, and modalities of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia.

As part of the Behaviour Supports Ontario network, the Neuro-behavioral Team collaborates with Behavioural Support staff in LTC homes to support residents with complex behavioral needs. They work in collaboration with other resources, such as the Psychogeriatric Resources Consultant and Therapeutic Recreation Consultant, to develop personalized treatment plans that cater to the individual needs and preferences of each resident. By working together, they build the capacity of nursing staff to effectively manage challenging behaviors and enhance the quality of life for residents in long-term care.

The goal is to improve the resident’s quality of life and decrease responsive behaviours, critical incidents, polypharmacy, and emergency department visits while advancing the knowledge and awareness of behavioural neurology related to dementia.

Residents are referred to the neuro-behavioural program by their Attending Physician in the centre, and the referral is facilitated by the Behavioural Support Nurse.

Therapeutic Recreation Consultants

Recreation Therapists, registered with Therapeutic Recreation Ontario with training in dementia care in LTC, offer an alternative approach to care for long term care residents with responsive behaviours.

Working with other healthcare partners, they use a personalized approach based on each resident’s abilities, needs, and behaviours to assess, implement, educate and share knowledge.

In partnership with residents, families, caregivers, and healthcare providers, Therapeutic Recreation Consultations will complete a standardized assessment and use that information to make therapeutic recommendations aimed at decreasing the frequency and intensity of identified responsive behaviours.