The Integrated Long Term Care Committee, made up of representatives of long term care homes, retirement homes, Sudbury Regional Hospital, Sudbury-Manitoulin Community Care Access Centre and ambulance services, has been meeting regularly with some positive results, Foreman says.

The committee sparked an initiative to close some gaps in the flow of information among health care providers, he says. Communication has improved between providers such as hospitals and long term care homes for residents in transition.

Administrators from the six long-term care homes in the Sudbury area also hold regular meetings to discuss issues, challenges and innovations, Foreman points out. The co-operative dialogue among homes has been expanded, with directors of care at the homes forming a committee to discuss clinical issues.

“These meetings have proved beneficial for everyone,” Foreman says.

In another example of partnership in health care, the Northeast Mental Health Centre in North Bay invited long term care homes to a community needs assessment planning session in Sudbury.

“It is great to see mental health reaching out to the long-term care sector,” Foreman says.

While there are mental health services for people in long-term care homes, there is a gap in the system for the increasing number of people in the 60-to-70-age bracket, he says.

“They are becoming part of the catchment group that will need mental health services and the system is not yet prepared for this large group,” he says.

Long-term care homes have been actively engaged with the Northeast LHIN in planning the transformation of health care services. All administrators in the LHIN have met to discuss areas of concern and draw up their top three issues; need for additional health human resources, improvements in information technology and the inclusion of seniors in health promotion and prevention programs.

Administrators submitted these issues to the LHIN and those three topics are mentioned in the LHIN plan sent to George Smitherman, Minister of Health and Long Term Care.

Recruitment and retention of staff, including RNs, RPNs and dieticians is a concern among long-term care providers throughout the LHIN, Foreman says. E health technology should includes a common health record that travels with a resident through the continuum of care, from home, to physician, pharmacist, hospital and long term care home, Foreman says.