The team, composed of a psychiatrist, psycho-geriatric nurse and social worker, visit the home monthly, assisting staff in providing care for residents with dementia.

The team provides education, medication assessment, counseling and, says Ferguson, generously supports the nursing and PSW staff wherever necessary.

“This is a program we embrace fully,” says Ferguson, “it’s a marvelous addition to the care we give our residents.”

The home is visited by the team’s doctor, Anne Hennessy, about once a month. She assesses and re-assesses residents and adjusts medication. Mary-Ann Davis, the psycho-geriatric nurse, is a bi-weekly visitor, almost “a part of our own team,” says Ferguson.

Davis’s role is to provide resources and education for the nurses, and has in recent years offered P.I.E.C.E.S. dementia training to staff. This dementia training, says Ferguson, has been a complement to the home’s own gentle dementia intervention approach known as “Supportive Measures.”

Davis is joined by Carmelina Ciamgila, a social worker who provides counseling and trains the staff on elder abuse issues.

Providing care for residents who have challenging behaviour issues related to dementia can be exhausting on an emotional level, says Ferguson, and Ciamgila has acted as a supportive ear and resource for the staff in developing coping mechanisms to deal with recurring stresses in long term care. Ciamgila has also helped staff dialogue with family members during difficult times.

The team has been visiting the home for more than four years. The Kanata-based home was lucky, says Ferguson, as it was one of the last new build homes in the area to receive the service.

Because of the relationship with the team, residents at Forest Hill who require a transfer to the hospital’s more intensive psychiatric services (at the Lady Grey Building) are moved through the system more efficiently.

This partnership, says Ferguson, is an example of LHIN integration, and she sees “endless opportunities” for other similar arrangements.

One local care need for seniors, which has been brought to the attention of the Champlain LHIN, is the need for improved services for LTC residents who need specialized dialysis treatment.

Ferguson would like to see, in particular, peritoneal dialysis treatment available in area LTC homes. A partnership with an agency such as the Kidney Foundation, who would provide training, would be ideal in this case, she adds.