Supportive measures specialists work on patterning at Forest Hill
Monday January 27, 2003
Natalie Miller and Roderick Benns
KANATA When a resident is used to working the night shift, he's probably not ready for the smell of bacon and eggs at dawn.

If another spent his days ploughing fields and tending to cattle, he might enjoy a vegetable garden to get his hands dirty.

Tapping into a person's past can go a long way to improving quality of life in a long-term care home.

Sue Thornington

"We're trying to pick up where they left off," says Sue Thornington, assistant director of care at Forest Hill and one of two identified supportive measures specialists at the home.

Jeff Bedley, the life enrichment co-ordinator (LEC) at Forest Hill, is the other identified supportive measures specialist. He says 34 people have signed up for the upcoming supportive measures day with consultant and trainer Len Fabiano.

Jeff Bedley

"We're doing patterning right now, finding out why certain residents get agitated at certain times. We figure this out by mapping the behaviour and then we work on preventing the trigger," he says.

For instance, an example that has occurred at Forest Hill has to do with one male resident mistaking a female resident's room for his own. "A gentleman is mistakenly walking into this lady's room, which increases her agitation. We need to redirect him. If it continues to occur, we then will have to change his routine in some way," says Jeff.

It may be as simple as keeping him distracted at that time of day when he usually wanders," he adds.

Jeff notes staff in each department sees something different when it comes to resident care, so supportive measures goes across the entire spectrum of the home, not just those in activities and nursing care. "Everyone has a buy-in here," notes Jeff.

OMNI is aiming to rev up supportive measures, an individualized approach to care, in its 15 long-term care homes. Through FCS International, it began offering a three-day supportive therapy certificate program in December, which is continuing in all the homes through January and February. They will be offered in Belleville, Kemptville and Peterborough.

"We're hoping to get some excitement and energy into the homes [around supportive measures] again," said Shawn Riel, operations for OMNI, in an earlier interview.