Home Care Assistance – Toronto/York Region Weighs in on Bundle Care Pilot Program in Hamilton

Toronto, Canada, February 25, 2016 – Home Care Assistance – Toronto/York Region (HomeCareAssistance-Toronto.com), the leading provider of non-medical, in-home senior care in the Greater Toronto Area, is reacting to the bundle care pilot program in Hamilton, which links the hospital to home-care workers.

As Ontario—and all of Canada essentially—continues to look for ways in which to improve the overall healthcare system, one hospital has taken a proactive approach. St. Joseph Hospital in Hamilton has been running a pilot program—called bundle care—that better connects doctors and medical staff from the hospital to patients once they have been released to home care. When patients are first discharged, they are given a 1-800 number that operates 24/7. Nurses and personal support workers are given access to patient files (with safeguards), and make regular home visits to these patients, armed with an action plan for home care and are able to report back to the doctors should any additional support be needed. (Source: Church, E., “Program linking hospital staff to homecare workers pays off,” The Globe and Mail web site, February 14, 2016;http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/program-linking-hospital-staff-to-home-care-workers-pays-off/article28757453/.)

“How can we not support any improvement to the healthcare system,” asks Brian Shevel, president of Home Care Assistance – Toronto/York Region. “We all know the country’s urgency to reform its overall delivery of healthcare services.”

This model allows doctors to stay informed with the progress of each of the patients they discharge. Early results from the program have shown a reduction in patients being readmitted to the hospital. And when they are readmitted, the duration of the stay has been reduced.

“Adopting a program that keeps doctors and patients connected through the services of home care workers seems like such a simple plan. Hopefully we see this or similar programs extended throughout Ontario and eventually all of Canada,” Shevel adds.

The Ontario government is already showing support for the bundle care program. It has funded similar programs across the region, but Shevel says this is still a good start and that all sides should be open to working together.

“At the end of the day, we all have the same goal and that’s to help people get better. If we all work together, it will only do more to help us achieve this goal,” concludes Shevel.

Home Care Assistance – Toronto/York Region region provides caregivers who are specially trained to handle those suffering from dementia. Caregivers are trained to act practically and with sensitivity to ensure seniors are as comfortable as possible before they pass. More information can be found at www.HomeCareAssistance-Toronto.com.