No place like home

A pilot project at Edmonton’s Misericordia Community Hospital is attempting to reduce the number of seniors admitted to hospital and to link them to Home Care services.

“We all prefer to be in our homes and we find that people have a better quality of life when they are able to remain in the community,” says Carleen Brenneis, the director of Transition Services, Seniors’ Health, Edmonton Zone.

“With this initiative, we are trying to determine whether a person really needs to be admitted and, if not, what equipment, supplies or connections with home care will enable them to function at home.”

In the past year, more than 9,000 seniors visited Misericordia’s Emergency Department.

Provincially, seniors account for up to 20 per cent of all emergency department visits. They come in for various reasons – falls, digestive problems, circulatory issues, heart problems and diabetes are among the top complaints.

Complications from conditions like these can affect their ability to live at home and often result in hospital admissions.

Since Dec. 10, a care co-ordinator has been working in the Misericordia’s Emergency Department to liaise with elderly patients. This nurse works with Emergency and Home Care staff to safely discharge patients and support them at home.

“Sometimes a simple adjustment to a senior’s routines, care or medications will allow them to stay where they are most comfortable,” Brenneis explains.

Jean Lupul, 89, was one of the first patients helped by Misericordia’s new program. Her daughter, Violet Sorochan, appreciated the support.

“The co-ordinator had all the information from Home Care and was able to assist us with some extra help for my mom at home. I don’t know what people would do without this service. It’s an excellent program,” Sorochan says.

The approach is new to the Edmonton area, but has proven effective in Calgary and Red Deer. Prior to the Edmonton project, only one per cent of seniors visiting Misericordia left with referral for home care; in the Calgary program, referrals are 18 per cent.

“Having Home Care coordinators in both the Emergency Department and the community, allows us to paint a better picture of why a patient might be having repeat visits,” says Leanne Rudrum, a Continuing Care manager for the Red Deer program, which has operated for nearly two years.

Gail Blanchard, an Edmonton Zone Home Care manager, says the care co-ordinator is an advocate for seniors who may not be able to understand or communicate their needs very well.

“This can have a significant impact on their quality of life,” she says.

Blanchard says Misericordia’s pilot project will run until March 31 and could continue beyond that date. Plans are underway for a similar program at the Sturgeon Community Hospital in St. Albert, to begin this month.

Misericordia is operated by Covenant Health, the Catholic provider of health services in Alberta’s integrated provincial system.