Woodland makes supportive measures, skin care
its hallmarks in 2004
New Provincial standards will be the challenge
for the new year
Thursday, December 2,
2004 - Roderick Benns
Supportive measures represents a signature stride
in making Woodland Villa the home it is today,
according to Administrator Jean-Marc Lanoue.
As the new year rapidly approaches, Jean-Marc
says when he looks back, supportive measures has
to be considered a major accomplishment for this
111-bed home.
Supportive measures practitioners strive to understand
the individual preferences and needs of each resident
and rely less on psychotropic medications.
"The registered staff are taking great strides
in making supportive measures our hallmark,"
says Jean-Marc, who notes both Director of Care
Debbie Kitchen and Clinical Care Co-ordinator
Debbie Harding are both supportive measures specialists,
having gone through the extensive training provided
for by OMNI.
Another key success for Woodland in 2004 was
the maturation of its skin and wound care program.
In an assessment of resident skin integrity by
KCI’s so-called ‘incidence and prevalence’
study, the report found an incidence of only two
per cent skin breakdown in the home. The provincial
average is 14 per cent.
"That’s due to very competent nursing
on the part of our registered staff," says
Jean-Marc, noting the home is one of the best
in the province at this level.
Woodland’s "good sense of cohesiveness
and community," as the administrator calls
it, will have to serve it well in 2005, given
the challenges on the horizon, he says.
With the Province introducing a number of new
standards, Jean-Marc says the home will have its
hands full concentrating on these areas. For instance,
the Province is modifying the restraints policies
in homes, broadening the definition of restraints.
"While we do not use restraints often at
Woodland, this will require more staff and more
documentation," he explains.
Another challenge on the positive side will be
OMNI’s implementation of its web-based care
plan program for greater documentation. The new
technology for the homes will be a learning curve,
but welcome, says the administrator.
Jean-Marc also points out Local Health Integrations
Networks (LHINs) will impact how Woodland positions
itself in the community. He says the structure
of community-based health is being revisited in
2005 because of these changes.
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