Latest news with #longTermCare
CBC
7 days ago
- Health
- CBC
'Hallway of sadness' transformed by patients' art at Ottawa hospital
Social Sharing Tucked between patient rooms on the 5 North unit at Ottawa's Bruyère Health Saint-Vincent Hospital, a quiet hallway serves as a daily passage for staff and visitors alike. But the corridor once referred to as "the hallway of sadness" is about to take on a new identity. With Hallways of Hope, a new initiative led by Bruyère chaplain Roshene Lawson, residents of the long-term care unit have been invited to turn the once "gloomy" corridor into a vibrant gallery of their own making. After several months of work, a temporary exhibit held at the hospital last week offered a preview. Each piece is different, shaped by its own inspiration and technique. Some are deeply personal: a dog named Casey, a memory of Spain and even a forest rendered in thumbprints and coffee grounds. Created with the help of Ottawa artist Christopher Griffin, the works reflect each patient's ability — and willingness — to try. Some held pencils in their mouths. Others used their hands. Most had never painted before. A comment that sparked a movement The idea began with a moment of honesty. "Back in November, we were dealing with a realization of how dark things can be on our unit," said Dr. Chris Kirby, a physician on 5 North. "The burden of illness that our patients were shouldering … affects everybody — them, but also their caregivers." During rounds, Kirby made a passing remark about the atmosphere on the unit. "I kind of made this backhanded comment about how it was the hallway of sadness," he recalled. Lawson, the chaplain, heard the comment and invited Kirby to discuss it. "I was kind of like a teacher after class saying, 'You need to stay after and talk to me,'" she recalled. "I could tell he was struggling with the burden of what his patients were carrying." Many patients on the unit live with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, or other degenerative neuromuscular conditions. Some have lost speech, others mobility. Most face slow, progressive decline — and a hospital setting that can feel "very grey," as Kirby put it. "You're here for a long time. These are days that blend into each other," he said. For Lawson, the unit's role isn't just clinical — it's about human relationships. "Five North is not necessarily about a cure," she said. "It's about accompaniment — how we accompany our patients and families and each other on this unit. The journeys can be dark and a burden, but there can also be joy in darkness." Inspired, Kirby reframed his thoughts of the corridor. "You can't be focused on the negative," he said. "So I spun it and said, 'OK — hallway of hope.'" Lawson picked up the phone and called local muralist Griffin with a pitch: "There's no money in it," she warned him. "But there's great joy and purpose in it — and great meaning." Griffin immediately said yes. Where memories meet the canvas Each painting on display in the 5 North exhibit carries more than colour and texture — it carries a story. For Badrudduza Kazi, whose ALS has left him unable to hold a brush, the medium became as important as the message. Using coffee grounds and his thumb, he created Golden Quiet, a warm, pastoral landscape dotted with trees and sunlight. "It's a hope of life," he said softly, looking over the canvas. Kazi, who's unable to move his hands or fingers, credits Griffin with helping him believe he could still create. And he did. Griffin helped adapt each technique to the abilities of each patient. "I would dip their fingers into coffee grounds, and we'd basically finger paint," he said. "We had to rotate the canvas as we worked, because of their mobility — they could only reach so far. So we ended up painting landscapes sideways and even upside down." Kim Otte, another patient and contributor, was inspired by the memory of southern Spain. His painting, Malaga Sun, channels the warmth and calm he remembers from his time living in Europe. "I was asked to pick a place that was perhaps the most positive experience," he said. "This is the part of Malaga in southern Spain … it's a very serene place, beautiful climate. I have many, many happy memories from that place." Otte also appreciated the fact that the paintings will be on permanent display. "Because obviously at some point I'm not going to be here … you put a little fingerprint on the place," he said. Another participant, Martin Meech, painted a scene based on his childhood memories at a lake near Lac Long in Quebec. His work, Where the Trees Remember, is rich with coffee-textured trees and orange foliage. "At the end, I couldn't believe it," Meech said. "It was just wonderful." The painting helps him return to a time he still holds dear. "It reminds me of everything — especially our cottage," he said. "The trails, the nature — everything." Meech said he hopes others take away the same sense of optimism that the project brought him. "If people stay positive, they do a lot better," he said. "And hope brings them positivity." The exhibit has drawn praise from families, staff and even patients who once said they'd never hold a brush. But for those involved, the real transformation happened well before the first canvas was hung — in the quiet moments of creation, conversation and care.
Health Line
07-07-2025
- Health
- Health Line
Medicare Nursing Home Ratings: What to Know
Medicare's nursing home rating system is designed to help consumers compare nursing homes, identify quality differences, and spot areas of concern. While Medicare usually doesn't cover long-term nursing home care, it may cover short-term stays in a nursing home under Part A. To help beneficiaries make informed decisions about care, Medicare created a rating system that you can use to evaluate and compare nursing homes. The rating system can offer a useful starting point for your research. But it should not replace an in-person visit to a prospective facility and conversations with staff, residents, and their family members. Learn how to use Medicare's nursing home rating system to make informed care decisions. How the rating system works Medicare rates nursing homes on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, where 1 star is the lowest and 5 stars is the highest. A rating of 3 stars means a facility is average. Ratings reflect a facility's performance in three key areas: health inspections staffing quality measures Medicare rates each facility on these three metrics and then aggregates scores into an overall rating. Health inspections The health inspection rating is based on yearly surveys performed by independent agencies over the past 3 years. There are three types of inspections that make up the health inspection star rating. These include: Health inspections: State inspectors evaluate whether a facility complies with Medicare and Medicaid regulations. Complaint inspections: State Survey Agencies follow up on complaints from residents or their family members and evaluate the quality of care at the facility in question. Infection control inspections: Inspectors evaluate a facility's infection control measures. Any reports resulting from these inspections are made available on the nursing home's Medicare page (see the 'How to use the ratings' section). Staffing The staffing rating reflects the daily hours worked by different types of staff members and staff turnover. The ratings include a breakdown of how much time each type of staff member can spend with each resident each day. Types of staff include: registered nurses licensed practical nurses and licensed vocational nurses nurse aides physical therapists These measures are designed to give you a sense of how much face time residents have with staff members based on the ratio of staff to residents. The turnover numbers convey how long a nursing home retains its staff. Low turnover indicates that employees stay longer, which reflects better on the facility. Quality measures The quality measures rating is based on data that Medicare collects regarding the care residents receive in nursing homes. It includes short-stay and long-stay resident outcomes on factors like falls, infections, pressure ulcers, and antipsychotic use. How to use the ratings has a Care Compare search tool that allows users to view a list of nursing homes in their area. To use the tool, enter your ZIP code and click 'Search.' It will return a list and a map of nearby facilities with their corresponding star rating. The 'Compare' feature allows you to compare three facilities side-by-side. This is a useful feature, as it presents key information in an easily digestible format. When you select an individual nursing home from the list, you can see a detailed breakdown of its star rating across the three metrics of health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. This breakdown includes reports from recent health inspections and comprehensive staffing information and quality information, which you can compare against national and state averages. Further, the facility profile page includes additional information such as COVID-19 vaccination rates, emergency preparedness, and penalty records. Warning icons If you see a circular red icon with a hand in its center beside a facility's name in the list of results, it indicates that the facility has been cited for abuse. If you see a triangular yellow icon with an exclamation mark in its center, it indicates that the facility has a history of significant quality issues. The information on this website may assist you in making personal decisions about insurance, but it is not intended to provide advice regarding the purchase or use of any insurance or insurance products. Healthline Media does not transact the business of insurance in any manner and is not licensed as an insurance company or producer in any U.S. jurisdiction. Healthline Media does not recommend or endorse any third parties that may transact the business of insurance.
CBC
29-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
Guelph long-term care home gets "Butterfly Home" accreditation
The Elliott Community, a long-term care home in Guelph, has received accreditation as a "Butterfly Home." This accreditation is given to long-term care homes that effectively implement the butterfly approach, which is a model of care developed in the U.K. for people with dementia. Lindsay Marinovic, resident experience lead at The Elliott Community, spoke to CBC K-W's John Dalusong about the butterfly approach.
Medscape
23-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Infections Affect Over Half of EU Long-Term Care Residents
TOPLINE: In a 12-month longitudinal analysis of long-term care facility residents across European countries, 57% experienced at least one healthcare-associated infection (HAI), with respiratory tract and urinary tract infections being the most common and leading to significant hospitalisations and deaths. METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a longitudinal cohort study across nine European countries to examine the incidence of HAIs and their associated hospitalisations and mortality in residents of long-term care facilities. They analysed 3029 residents (mean age, 80.9 years; 68% women) who stayed in their facilities, including general nursing homes, residential homes, and mixed facilities, throughout the 12-month study period. Data were collected via standardised questionnaires covering facility characteristics, resident demographics, and details about HAIs; infections acquired within the facility or during temporary discharge were included. The primary outcome was the incidence of HAIs; secondary outcomes included HAI-related hospitalisations (occurring between the onset and resolution) and HAI-associated deaths. TAKEAWAY: Overall, 57% of the residents experienced at least one HAI during follow-up, with an incidence rate of 1.8 (95% CI, 0.9-3.3) per 1000 resident days. Respiratory tract infections were the most common HAIs (28.9%; 95% CI, 27.3-30.5), followed by urinary tract infections (18.7%; 95% CI, 17.2-20.3) and COVID-19 (17.6%; 95% CI, 16.5-18.8). The incidence of HAI-related hospitalisations was 0.09 (95% CI, 0.05-0.21) per 1000 resident days; the highest incidence was observed for respiratory tract infections, followed by urinary tract infections and COVID-19. Overall, 4.5% of HAIs were fatal, and respiratory tract infections were the most common cause, accounting for 2.3% of deaths. IN PRACTICE: "Nevertheless, these data shed important light on a highly relevant topic within a health-care setting that is often neglected," the authors of a commentary wrote. "There is a need for ongoing surveillance of infections, work to validate surveillance definitions, and more epidemiological data (eg, pathogen-specific burden, contribution of outbreak vs sporadic infections, and added burden of antimicrobial resistance)," they added. SOURCE: This study was led by Enrico Ricchizzi, PhD, Settore Innovazione nei Servizi Sanitari e Sociali, Regione Emilia-Romagna, Bologna, Italy. It was published online on June 16, 2025, in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. LIMITATIONS: This study was limited by variability in implementation of the survey across participating facilities and the biased selection of long-term care facilities. The diverse types of facilities included introduced heterogeneity. Moreover, this study did not assess the effect of infection prevention measures or available local resources at each facility. DISCLOSURES: This study was supported by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The authors declared having no competing interests. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
CBC
03-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Yellowknife long-term care home seeking gov't reimbursement for 2023 evacuation costs
Social Sharing A Yellowknife seniors' care home is still in debt from the 2023 wildfire evacuation and says the N.W.T. government should help pay it off. AVENS, a not-for-profit organization that provides independent living and long-term care for seniors, moved 57 residents from its facility during the evacuation, racking up a bill of more than $1.3 million. Around $900,000 of those costs have been reimbursed by the federal government, and in a news release last week AVENS said it wants the territory to pay the rest. AVENS CEO Daryl Dolynny says the debt has forced the organization to take out a second mortgage on one of its properties in order to keep some cashflow. "This has been gravely overlooked for far too long," said Dolynny. Dolynny said that the organization was severely short-staffed during the evacuation. About a quarter of the staff was on hand to find space for its clients — plus the extra clients the territory put in its care — in Edmonton, without guidance from the territory. He said the territory placed evacuees from Hay River and Fort Smith in AVENS' care days before Yellowknife's evacuation, and up until the day of. "To be in a position where we actually acquired other seniors and elders with severe cases of dementia… We did the right thing and we would do it again. All we're asking is, pay for the fair and reasonable cost that it took us to manage this," Dolynny said. Being short-staffed meant the organization developed an incentive program to pay staff members extra during the evacuation, according to Dolynny. AVENS's news release also notes that it provides care under contracts with Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA), and that those contracts are only for providing services at the AVENS facility in Yellowknife. It says the lack of guidance during the evacuation made an already complicated situation even more so. NTHSSA says costs can't be covered In an email, NTHSSA spokesperson Krystal Pidborochynski said the costs AVENS is trying to claim doesn't meet the standard for reimbursement under the territorial disaster assistance policy. "While incremental staffing costs such as overtime or hiring additional staff may qualify as disaster-related expenses, incentive payments are ineligible as a disaster-related expense," Pidborochynski said. after-action review of the 2023 wildfire emergency is disappointing. NTHSSA said that ensuring claims align with territorial disaster assistance policy is "essential for maximizing federal cost-sharing and ensuring compliance with eligibility requirements."
