Sandy Bassett New Diabetic Initiative Executive Director ... · PDF fileDr. Afshan Zahedi,...
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SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2014 THE WEXFORD RESIDENCE is adopt- ing a new progressive program that will optimize the safety of our diabetes management practises through staff education, implementation of proto- cols and coordinated care with a multidisciplinary team. This new initiative recommended by our Medical Director, Dr. Larry Bacher is being introduced in several Long-Term Care facilities in Ontario and across Canada. The Wexford is among the first to announce its participation. Dr. Afshan Zahedi, BASc, MD, the Program Lead has been working with the Canadian Diabetes Association on this program and it is acknowledged as the “newest thing” in diabetes treat- ment by the medical community. Drs. Larry and Tom Bacher approached Dr. Zahedi at a medical conference after hearing her speak and asked her to come to our home. She has worked with many homes across Canada as more specialists in senior medicine recognize that seniors need treatment for diabetes that is different from younger patients. Also assisting with the program is Freda Leung, a graduate from the Fac- ulty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto. After serving the hospital community for many years, she became a Certified Diabetes Educator, a Certified Geriatric Pharmacist and graduate of the Teacher of Adults program at Centennial College. An initial meeting was held at The Wexford with Dr. Zahedi and Freda Leung for the purpose of accessing cur- rent policies and all relevant documents related to diabetes management. They identified residents with diabetes, ana- lyzing their current treatment programs and developing a program that fits the specific needs of each senior in order to give them the best quality of life. Attending were the Wexford Physicians, the Nurse Practitioner, the Pharmacist, and the Evening Nurse Manager. Another meeting for this group will take place in October. The ultimate goal of this initiative is that by investing in education of staff, they will be better equipped to manage the residents who suffer from diabetes. At the Wexford, a third of our residents have a diagnosis of diabetes and this number is expected to increase over the years. Program participants will acquire evidence- based approaches to important topics in caring for elderly patients with this disease. This goal was implemented with an education workshop presented by Freda Leung and included the Wexford physicians and both regis- tered and front-line staff. Three all-day workshops focused on data collection and the analysis of current processes and protocols as well as a review of the current challenges faced in the treatment of residents with diabetes. Among these chal- lenges were blood sugar control, man- agement of hypoglycemia, capillary Sandy Bassett Executive Director & CEO, The Wexford Residence New Diabetic Initiative FOR THE WEXFORD “At the Wexford, a third of our residents have a diagnosis of diabetes and this number is expected to increase over the years.” CONTINUED on page 2
Transcript of Sandy Bassett New Diabetic Initiative Executive Director ... · PDF fileDr. Afshan Zahedi,...
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2014
THE WEXFORD RESIDENCE is adopt- ing a new progressive program thatwill optimize the safety of our diabetesmanagement practises through staffeducation, implementation of proto-cols and coordinated care with a multidisciplinary team.
This new initiative recommended byour Medical Director, Dr. Larry Bacher isbeing introduced in several Long-TermCare facilities in Ontario and acrossCanada. The Wexford is among the firstto announce its participation.
Dr. Afshan Zahedi, BASc, MD, theProgram Lead has been working withthe Canadian Diabetes Association onthis program and it is acknowledged asthe “newest thing” in diabetes treat-ment by the medical community. Drs.Larry and Tom Bacher approached Dr.Zahedi at a medical conference afterhearing her speak and asked her tocome to our home. She has worked withmany homes across Canada as morespecialists in senior medicine recognizethat seniors need treatment for diabetesthat is different from younger patients.
Also assisting with the program isFreda Leung, a graduate from the Fac-
ulty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto.After serving the hospital community formany years, she became a Certified Diabetes Educator, a Certified GeriatricPharmacist and graduate of the Teacherof Adults program at Centennial College.
An initial meeting was held at TheWexford with Dr. Zahedi and FredaLeung for the purpose of accessing cur-rent policies and all relevant documents
related to diabetes manage ment. Theyidentified residents with diabetes, ana-lyzing their current treatment programsand developing a program that fits thespecific needs of each senior in orderto give them the best quality of life. Attending were the Wexford Physicians, the Nurse Practitioner, thePharmacist, and the Evening Nurse
Manager. Another meeting for thisgroup will take place in October.
The ultimate goal of this initiativeis that by investing in education ofstaff, they will be better equipped tomanage the residents who suffer fromdiabetes. At the Wexford, a third of ourresidents have a diagnosis of diabetesand this number is expected to increase over the years. Program participants will acquire evidence-based approaches to important topicsin caring for elderly patients with thisdisease. This goal was implementedwith an education workshop presentedby Freda Leung and included the Wexford physicians and both regis-tered and front-line staff.
Three all-day workshops focused ondata collection and the analysis of current processes and protocols as wellas a review of the current challengesfaced in the treatment of residentswith diabetes. Among these chal-lenges were blood sugar control, man-agement of hypoglycemia, capillary
Sandy BassettExecutive Director & CEO, The WexfordResidence
New Diabetic InitiativeFOR THE WEXFORD
“At the Wexford, a third of our residents have a
diagnosis of diabetes andthis number is expected to
increase over the years.”
CONTINUED on page 2
THE WEXFORD COMMUNICATOR • PAGE 2
Diabetes Initiatives –CONTINUED from page 1
blood glucose monitoring and man-agement of “sick days”.
After an analysis of this data, education was provided specifically tothese issues and new policies and procedures were implemented to helpdeal with these challenges in the mosteffective manner.
With the program being multidisci-plinary, the Personal Support Workers(PSW’s) had a half-day program whichcovered basic pathophysiology of diabetes, signs and symptoms of lowblood sugar, causes and steps to reduce blood sugar, signs and symp-toms of high blood pressure and thedo’s and don’ts of foot care in diabet-ics. As well they learned about the basics of healthy living and foodchoices for diabetics. The nurses wereeducated on medications specific tomanagement of diabetics residentsand how to apply pattern managementand when to perform glucose testing.
Participants were given pre and posttests to measure the learning achievedas well as to measure potential follow-up training that might be needed.
The benefits of this training will besignificant as the quality of life for res-idents with diabetes will improve – theywill be subjected to fewer blood samples to monitor blood sugar levelsand hopefully have fewer hospitaltransfers due to high blood sugar levels.
Funding for this new diabetes initiative is being provided by The Wexford Residence Foundation anda pharmaceutical company.
IT HAS BEEN a busy few monthswith a number of fun activities having taken place. The new gazebofinally opened and we had a won-derful celebration on Sunday August10th. Shortly after we had the Au-tumn Fall Harvest dinner and enter-tainment in the activity roomincluding a dinner of pulled pork andcorn on the cob and last Saturday thetenants and the Active Senior’s Cen-tre held their annual bazaar whichraised over $1500 in just over fourhours! Thanks to everyone who or-ganized all these wonderful events. Ittakes a lot of work to organize themand it was great to see so much par-ticipation by the community whichmakes up The Wexford Residence!
After an unexpected delay of 3weeks, the construction of the 5thand 6th floor dining rooms is set tobegin on Monday September 29thand if all goes according to plan, itshould be completed by early November. This will be a majorchange for the home but is one thatwill improve the quality of life for theresidents and enhance the safety andsecurity of both staff and residents.Our elevators will also require much
less maintenance as many of youhave noticed that often one elevatoris out of service, due to their age andthe constant use.
Some of you may also have no-ticed that we have a large temporarygenerator located in the back parkinglot. It will be there for about a year aswe begin to plan for the replacementof our emergency generator which isnow over 36 years old and passed itsuseful life. In the event of a power out-age, the temporary generator will beour source of power as our old gener-ator is now off line. The new tempo-rary generator will provide the samelevel of emergency services as the current one. This is another major proj-ect which will begin once the 5th and6th floor dining rooms are complete.
A few months ago, our BoardChair, Jared Bettridge, introduced youto our new mission, vision, values andstrategic plan. The new plaques arenow up around the building and by allthe elevators. Our new tag line is “Enriching Lives Every Day” and ourvalues spell EXCEL. Please take a lookat the new plaques and join us in living our mission, vision and valueseveryday!
More from Sandy BassettEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CEO
THE WEXFORD COMMUNICATOR • PAGE 3
I HAVE BEEN CONNECTEDto the Wexford Residence formany years. David Johnston,my stepfather, was a Chair ofthe Wexford Residence Boardof Directors for several years in the1990’s. Jean Johnston, my mother,currently lives at the Wexford in Long-Term Care. She has been a Wexfordresident since October 2003! Many ofmy parents’ friends and neighbourshave enjoyed living at the Wexfordwhere they were able to continuetheir close community relationshipswell into their later years.
On a personal level, I have been amember of the Wexford ResidenceFoundation since 2004 and have beenpart of the Wexford Ethics Committeesince its inception in 2008. I have vol-unteered my time at meetings, events,strategic planning retreats and at eldercare in-services. Participating inthe life of the Wexford on this level is
both an important and re-warding endeavour for me.
I am also proud to supportthe Wexford Residencethrough financial donations.
The Wexford is a truly special place! Be-yond the management of the medicaland basic needs of the residents in LongTerm Care, there is a consistent focus toprovide a superior “quality of life.” TheWexford Foundation is essential to thisgoal. Funds raised through generous fi-nancial donations contribute to theoverall quality of life experienced byboth residents and tenants.
Over the years, my financial contributions have helped to providerenovations to the dining room, athera peutic garden, wheelchair acces -sible washrooms on the main floor,bedspreads and chairs for resident’srooms, and most recently, the Gazeboin the back garden. I am happy toknow that my contributions have had
a direct impact on the quality of lifefor my mother as well as for all resi-dents/tenants of the Wexford Family.
The Wexford Residence Founda-tion conducts two major fundraisersa year, the Golf Tournament and theChristmas Campaign, as well as man-aging memorial and legacy gifts.Please join me in making a generouscharitable contribution to the WexfordResidence Foundation. Together, wecan make a difference to the qualityof life of our loved ones!
WHY I SUPPORT The Wexford
I would like to support the Seniors of The Wexford Residence
Thank you for your support!For 36 years community support has made
a difference in the lives of our Seniors!
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(Make cheque payable to The Wexford Residence Foundation)
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THE WEXFORD RESIDENCE FOUNDATION1860 LAWRENCE AVE. E., TORONTO, ON M1R 5B1
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By Kathy Frame-Adshead
Jean Johnston with her daughterKathy Frame-Adshead.
THE WEXFORD COMMUNICATOR • PAGE 4
OUR NEW Gazebo
IS OFFICIALLY OPEN!
The Official Opening of the new Gazebotook place on Sunday August 10th. It was abeautiful summer day, the sun was shiningand there was a warm breeze. Residents,Tenants, Family Members, Guests and Staffenjoyed the music of Marty & Mony whilebeing treated to various flavours of ice-cream with sprinkles and other fancy top-pings, watermelon and cold beverages.
Great News!
From the new Gazebo, entertainers Marty& Mony dazzled the audience with musicfrom yesteryear. (TINA’S TALENT AGENCY)
Family Member Souhaila Libbiswas given the honour of Cuttingthe Ribbon to officially declarethe new Gazebo open.
Out on the pathway, Robert Footand Elizabeth Hornyak dance tothe rhythm of the music.
A plaque was unveiled thankingdonors to theGazebo Campaign.
Sandy Bassett, CEO of The Wexford Residence welcomes everyone andthanks all those who donated to the GazeboCampaign.
THE WEXFORD COMMUNICATOR • PAGE 5
A GREAT DAYfor Shades!
Edith (left) andher daughter Lisafinishing their icecream and enjoy-ing the warmbreeze.
Samina and her Dad, Dr. Ali,chose the ice cream withsprinkles while enjoying thefestivities.
Foundation Board Member Janis Rowanand her Mom Annajoined the festivities and found a place awayfrom the hot sun.
Mary-Ruth Flood, Director of Development for the Foundationstops to chat with Jack Tanaka(left) Peggy Beaver and Eugene Scott.
The wonderful beat of themusic drew an impromptugroup dance (left to right)Elizabeth, Souhaila, Barbara,Lesley and Frank.
Behind the shades is JaredBettridge, Board Chair of theWexford Residence enjoyingthe sounds of music comingfrom the Gazebo.
Wayne Connelly, Director of Programsand Services at TheWexford shows off his shades while over-seeing the festivitieswith his son, Brayden.
Clement Lo of theWexford’s AccountingDepartment alsosporting shades wason hand helping outwhere needed.
WE HAD A GREAT TURNOUT – ALL THE TABLES WERE FULL!
THE WEXFORD COMMUNICATOR • PAGE 6
MY NAME is Betty Gilmour and Ihave been a tenant at the Wexford for16 years. The first year I was here Ididn’t think I would last another – theadjustment of coming into an apart-ment was tremendous and I am surethis was a feeling experienced byeveryone living here.
Fortunately, I was asked to volun-teer my spare time and decided to doso at the gift shop and with helpingorganize BBQs and other tenant activities. At the present time I amPresident of the Volunteers Associa-tion, Vice-President of the Tenants Association, the ever-popular PubNight Social Evening, the ChristmasParty and other social events through-out the year. The pub night is put ononce a week where we have Pizza &Wings, and is open to all Active Seniors Centre members. With specialthanks to Margaret Strachan and Sam
Pollock, whose help and assistance Icould not do without, the Pub Nightis a very successful and well-attendedfunction. Much to our appreciation,the Executive gives us their full sup-port in all endeavours.
The Wexford offers The Tea RoomKiosk to residents and tenants each
day where you can purchase milk,bread, sandwiches, tea and coffee. TheGift Shop offers a wide variety of giftitems, snacks, greeting cards and beverages. These are run by volunteerswhose help on these and many moreareas is invaluable to the Wexford.
The Wexford Residence is kept immaculately clean and the apart-ments are comfortable and in mostcases, requests for repairs are donewithin a reasonable time. This year aGazebo was installed where residentsand tenants can go to relax outside. It is truly a beautiful addition to theback garden.
Like all Seniors Homes there aremany issues but all in all The Wexfordis the best place to live. I have mademany friends over the years for whichI am very thankful and this has helpedmake The Wexford a place I’m happyto call my home.
Living at the Wexford
BettyGilmour
MANY THANKS
NEW HIRES
FELICITAS migrated from the Philippines in 2006 where she worked as a Nutrition Science Research Specialist, a nutrition trainer and as a college professor. Since coming to Canada she has completed her post-graduate certificate in Food and Nutrition Management from George Brown College andjoined the Wexford in July as Food Service Supervisor part-time. She also works foranother long-term care facility part-time as Asst. Food Nutrition Manager.
KRIS has been in the health industry for over 20 years, working in both retirement homes and Long-Term Care facilities. He began his career as a main-tenance person and through his hard work in both the classroom and in a widerange of facilities he moved up to the management level.
Kris joined the Wexford in July as a Director of Environmental Services andwith his extensive experience aims to make The Wexford the best environmentpossible for our residents and staff. He can be reached at extension 257 with anysuggestions or concerns.
FelicitasBacos
KrisCiesielski
THE WEXFORD COMMUNICATOR • PAGE 7
Plenty of books for MatthewTan, Tenant and Elsa Lord,Staff to choose from.
The Annual Active Seniors Centre/Tenant Bazaar
was held on September 20th and was a great success.
THANK YOU ALL for your spirit,time, energy, donations and hard workthat made The Wexford Active SeniorsCentre Bazaar a big success. We had 35volunteers made up of tenants, their family members and friends, along withpeople from the community. From operating the tea room, to managing thestalls, running the 50/50 draw/raffle andshopping around, it was a great day andwe raised $1,560. Thanks again for joining hands together.
Bijaya SinghCoordinator of Tenant Services & ASC
A variety of itemsmade shopping fun.
Something for everyone, as Henrietta Green Showsoff her huge Teddy Bearwhile her grand-niece, RoseGreen smiles her approval.
Taking time out to enjoy lunchduring the Bazaar was KenPhelps, the Wexford’s longeststaying resident (22 years) andRose Harrison, longest stayingtenant (27 years).
Margaret Strachan and Sam Pollock talk to a customer (Eman Ikhmais) from the Dietary Department at the 50/50 Draw and Raffle table as Eileen Albento from House-keeping looks on.
THE WEXFORD COMMUNICATOR • PAGE 8
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The views expressed in thispublication are the views of The Wexford Residenceand do not necessarily reflect those of the LHIN orthe Government of Ontario.
THANK YOU for taking time to complete this survey. Your participa-tion will help us understand how wecan improve The Communicator.
PLEASE MAIL your completed survey to:The Wexford Residence Foundation1860 Lawrence Ave. East, Toronto, ON M1R 5B1
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• Long-Term Care• Independent Seniors Apartments
• Active Seniors Centre
