Cheers to these healthy change champions

NEWS RELEASE

NORTHEAST LHIN

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Elliot Lake’s Gil Contant and Huron Lodge are NE LHIN healthy change champions

Working to provide assisted living services for high risk seniors

Every hour of every day, assisted living clients in Elliot Lake are assured that services are available to allow them to live safely in their own homes for as long as possible – thanks in part to Gil Contant and the Huron Lodge team.

This month, Gil Contant and Huron Lodge are being recognized as Healthy Change Champions by the North East Local Health Integration Network (NE LHIN) for their quality work in providing assisted living services to “high risk” seniors.

High risk seniors are those who are frail and/or cognitively impaired. Assisted living services available on a 24-hour basis include personal support, care coordination, homemaking, security checks or reassurance services.

In the past, assisted living was focused on seniors’ residence buildings run by a health service organization.

However, further to a January 2011 change in policy, support can now be mobile and delivered outside of such buildings in areas where large numbers of seniors live. Huron Lodge offers both building-based and community-based assisted living services.

The NE LHIN created the Healthy Change Champion award in 2012 to recognize outstanding work being done across our region to transform the health care system and deliver quality care when and where Northerners need it.

“The transformation of our health care system to support the frail elderly is alive and well in Northeastern Ontario thanks to people like Gil and his team at Huron Lodge,” said Louise Paquette, CEO of the NE LHIN. “In a time of fast-paced change and constant efforts to increase access to care for our frail elderly population, Gil Contant is a Change Champion.”

NE LHIN Officer Stephen Bellinger noted that Gil has led his organization with dedication and professionalism into the new community-based world of assisted living for high risk seniors.

“Gil has approached the changes to assisted living with professionalism. He has contributed greatly to moving initiatives forward and has helped us in our efforts to measure the success with assisted living services across our LHIN,” said Bellinger.

"I am very pleased to accept the award on behalf of our organization,” said Gil Contant, CEO, Huron Lodge. “It is really the work of our supportive housing coordinator, Cynthia Farquhar, and her team that have made the transition to the new ALS-high risk seniors’ policy a reality.”

Background

To find out about assisted living services in your community, contact: 310-CCAC.

Assisted Living is different than home care as it includes both scheduled and unscheduled visits; all home care visits are scheduled. An unscheduled visit means the senior is able to call and receive help from their assisted living provider within a short time period. The NE LHIN has 17 assisted living providers.

Assisting seniors to live independently at home responds to the care requests of seniors and helps improve hospital patient flow while shortening wait times in emergency rooms.

The proportion of the NE LHIN population aged 65 and over is projected to increase from 18 percent to 30 percent by 2036.

Previous recipients of the NE LHIN’s Healthy Change Champion award include:

• Monica Bretzlaff, Regional Behavioural Supports Ontario (BSO) Coordinator with the North Bay Regional Health Centre. Monica is championing a new system of care for older adults with dementia, neurological conditions and mental illnesses, and also providing new help for their caregivers.
• Dr. André Hurtubise and Dr. Eric Paquette who are primary care champions in Temsikaming and Timmins for their Health Links – a new model of care being developed for patients with complex conditions, which includes seniors and those with multiple chronic diseases, mental illness and addictions.
• Last month’s champions were Shana Calixte, Executive Director of Northern Initiative for Social Action (NISA), and Marion Quigley, CEO of CMHA, Sudbury- Manitoulin for their work in increasing access to care for people suffering from mental health issues.

Know a Healthy Change Champion? Send nominations to the NE LHIN at [email protected].

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Pictured: E LHIN Healthy Change Champion Gil Contant (right) with Cynthia Farquhar, Supportive Housing Coordinator; and Rita Holmberg, client, Assisted Living Services, at Huron Lodge, Elliot Lake. Huron Lodge offers assisted living to older adults and the physically challenged who want to continue living in their own homes or at Huron Lodge independently.