Talking Person Centred Care at Edmonton’s CapitalCare

EDMONTON – After the final speaker finished her presentation on Day 1 of the 25th annual CapitalCare Foundation People and Progress conference held in Edmonton Feb. 8-9, attendees were left with the knowledge that a new approach to person-centred care in seniors living is attainable, despite some of the obstacles that can block new thinking in the sector.

The conference, themed The Passion of Person Centred Care, was entirely focused on the culture change underway in elder care, away from institutional models of “nursing home” care to environments where seniors’ choices, wishes and decisions are at the centre of care plans.

Attendees heard consistent messages from elder care experts from across North America stating that changing the culture of aging to fully honour the choices and decisions of elders served by long-term care providers can be done, so long as everyone has a true voice in the process.

	Delegates at the CapitalCare Foundation People and Progress conference

It’s not always easy; in fact, it can actually be quite difficult to reverse years of entrenchment in the idea of long-term care but change is possible, attendees heard.

Following the final presentation by Jennifer Carson, a consultant with Ontario long-term care and retirement provider Schlegel Villages who spoke of that organization’s culture change journey, a CapitalCare home administrator echoed much of the feedback heard throughout the day.

“In order to succeed, you have to be participatory; you have to talk to everybody involved and this is what I like about this concept,” Kipnes Centre for Veterans administrator Thorsten Duebel said following Carson’s presentation.

Like many in attendance, he heard the wisdom of true collaboration in the day’s presentations.

“Not only is it from leadership but also all staff; all residents and family members are involved in it.”

Like Carson, presenters Dr. Allen Power, Joan Devine and Linda Bump each talked about the need for collaboration and true commitment from all levels of an organization to affect meaningful change, and the importance of sharing lessons learned and successes through stories.

By the end of the first day, an overwhelmingly positive message of possibility rang out as people saw examples of paths they could embark on towards organizational transformation.

“We are actually in the process of doing the shift; of becoming more person-centred,” said Wendy Hoover, Wellness Manager with Christenson Senior Living Communities in Edmonton.

That shift, she says, can be difficult at times because of entrenched routines in long-term care, but her organization is committed to a truly resident-centred approach in its communities.

“It’s about shifting your thinking to what’s important to residents,” she adds, noting that hearing the speakers on Day 1 reaffirmed in her mind that the shift is the right path to be on.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll continue to expand on the theme of the CapitalCare Conference and the transformation underway in elder care. If you have a story to contribute, or comments or questions, please share in the comment section below, e-mail kristian(at)axiomnews.ca, or call 800-294-0051, ext. 24 in Canada or 705-741-4421, ext. 24, in the U.S.