A new geriatric and adult rehab day hospital opened in September by Sudbury Regional Hospital is part of the effort to reduce the number of alternate level of care (ALC) patients at the institution.
ALC patients are those who no longer need acute care, but are unable to leave the hospital because they are unable to find community services such as placement in a long-term care facility.
Andrea Lee, administrative director of medicine and rehabilitation programs at the hospital, said the program will have an impact on the hospital’s burgeoning population of ALC patients because it allows them to receive treatment for various conditions while still living at home.
“Already, we’ve started seeing the benefits of helping these patients stay independent in their homes,” she said. “We’re hoping that we’ll be able to change that trajectory of them going into a nursing home, making it later rather than sooner.”
We’re hoping that we’ll be able to change that trajectory of them going into a nursing home, making it later rather than sooner.
Andrea Lee,
administrative director of medicine and rehabilitation programs, Sudbury Regional Hospital
The program, located on the first level of the hospital’s north tower, focuses on the needs of seniors, but is also open to all those over the age of 18.
It provides a number of services, such as physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, home safety, swallowing assessments, medication monitoring, nutrition and weight loss counselling and referrals to other community programs which may be helpful.
Since the program is so new, it is currently only accepting referrals from certain parts of the hospital, including the geriatric emergency medicine nurse (who assesses seniors in the emergency department) and the North East Specialized Geriatric Services program.
Suzanne Francisco is a physiotherapist at Sudbury Regional Hospital's new geriatric and adult rehab day hospital. She works with patients to aid with mobility, balance and strength. Supplied photo.
Once the program has been fully ramped up, it will take referrals from all parts of the hospital, along with the North East Community Care Access Centre, the St. Joseph’s Complex Continuing Care Centre and local family doctors. “At that point, I think our challenge is going to be how to see everyone that’s referred,” Lee said.
The geriatric day hospital employs two occupational therapists, two physiotherapists, a speech language pathologist, a registered nurse, a geriatric nurse specialist, a dietitian and a part-time pharmacist.
Laura Hill, the program’s geriatric nurse specialist, said her work with the new program has been “pretty rewarding.”
She gave the example of a man who was directed to their program from the emergency room. Because of the services provided at the rehab day hospital, he didn’t have to be admitted to the hospital.
The patient was seen by a speech language pathologist, who helped him with his swallowing issues, along with a dietitian, who talked to him about how to prepare healthy foods.
A pharmacist spoke to him about an easier way to take pills, Hill said.