Newsroom Toronto, ON - Wednesday, May 10, 2006 — North York General Hospital's Seniors' Health Centre is celebrating its 20th Anniversary and strong tradition of providing compassionate and culturally sensitive care to the seniors of the North York community. The celebration kicked off with remarks and a plaque dedication thanking the dedicated staff, physicians and volunteers who make life at the Centre harmonious, happy and comfortable for residents and their families from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds. The Chinese Advisory Committee also presented a gift of Chinese calligraphy and a painting in honour of the Centre's anniversary and the completion of the new dining home areas, which they fundraised over $2 million to support. The community North York General Hospital serves, has one of the highest percentages of older adults in Canada, so the hospital is committed to providing high quality and compassionate care by making Elder Care one of its four clinical priorities. Ambulatory Geriatric Services, most of which are provided at the Seniors' Health Centre site, is also an important element of the Elder Care priority. These are services for seniors with medical or mental health problems that threaten their independence, the ability to live at home or their quality of life when they need assisted care in a long-term care home. Ambulatory Geriatric Services serves people 65 years of age and up who have multiple medical, functional or psychosocial problems and includes a day hospital, community outreach teams, chiropody services, geriatric medicine, geriatric psychiatry clinics and programs for osteoporosis, Parkinson's Disease, memory problems and chronic disease self-management programs. In 1990, the Ministry of Health approved 40 multicultural beds for the Centre, making it the first multicultural, multiracial and multilingual nursing home in North York. Today, the Centre still enriches the life of all residents and their families with religious and culturally sensitive practices, festivals, dietary customs, outings, entertainment and linguistic volunteers. "We are very proud of the Seniors' Health Centre and Ambulatory Geriatric Services because they provide a model of seniors' care that is well-respected by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and has been since it opened 20 years ago. Its staff, physicians and volunteers are dedicated to the health and well-being of seniors and work closely with many partners in elder care and the community to ensure they are providing quality and compassionate care for seniors and residents," says Bonnie Adamson, President and CEO of North York General Hospital. The Centre's staff, physicians and volunteers all contribute to making life enjoyable with a wide variety of mental and recreational stimulation and social interaction. These activities incorporate traditions and themes from different cultural and spiritual backgrounds. On Tuesdays, a Chinese tea is held for the Chinese residents with the help of a Chinese volunteer, while a staff member reads stories from a Chinese newspaper. During the Chinese Lunar New Year and Harvest Moon Festival, the home is decorated and a Chinese luncheon provided with entertainment. All the cultural and religious traditions of the residents are incorporated into life of the residents for those comfortable attending these events. This includes events and holidays from the Jewish, Ismaili, Armenian, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Chinese, Buddhist and other faiths and cultures. Norma Lelless, Chaplain at the Centre, has started a new program called Spiritual Art Therapy which encourages residents to explore and illustrate with artistic explorations different themes such as inner light, hearts or soul memories that they talk about before being creative. She also organizes a faith and life group for residents that talks about things like freedom and friendship. This group has led to the development of a newsletter called Legacy: The Wisdom of the Elders which preserves the stories residents share in the group. Every two months, a multicultural memorial service is held for residents who recently died that incorporates elements of the different faiths of those who have died. The ceremony can act as a trigger for a resident that helps them process their own grief. "We also celebrate birthdays once a month and 100th birthdays are always big events. The Lions Club holds a bingo night twice a month for residents and the outings to Windreach Farms and Niagara Falls for the Festival of Lights are the most popular," says Gloria Dodd, Activationist at the Centre. The Seniors' Health Centre is a 192-bed multi-level care home that is a model of seniors' care and fully accredited and licensed by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. It provides 24-hour nursing, personal care and other support in a warm, caring and home-like environment. Residents receive care from seven physicians on staff at the hospital and consultation with an interdisciplinary team. Three of these physicians specialize in palliative care. The facility was designed with the special needs and interests of its
residents: The staff works closely with services available in the community to assist families to access the care they need for their loved one, whether within the hospital or in the community. The Centre works in partnership with regional networks including the Community Care Access Centre, family physicians, health professionals, home support services, multicultural organizations and others dedicated to the health and well-being of seniors. Tours of the Seniors' Health Centre are every Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. for English speaking community members. If interpretation services are required for a tour, please call (416) 756-0066, to book a tour and Interpreter. Admission to the Centre is co-ordinated through the Community Care Access Centre when a physician or social worker referral is received. North York General Hospital, affiliated with the University of Toronto, is one of Canada's leading community teaching hospitals. We provide a wide range of acute care, ambulatory and long-term care services across four sites for a culturally diverse community. Contact: Destiny Pickford
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