Deer Lodge Centre adds new beds for seniors with behavioural issues
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/11/2017 (2893 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Eleven new beds will be available starting Monday for patients in the special needs behavioural unit at Deer Lodge Centre.
The centre’s chief operating officer Kevin Scott helped cut the ribbon Thursday on the new beds, which are earmarked for seniors requiring specialized dementia care.
They’re a subset of long-term care patients that require a little more attention to detail when it comes to providing proper care, Scott said.
“The individuals that we would care for in a behavioural unit are those that can’t live independently any more and don’t function well within a general personal care home.”
Deer Lodge’s unit is small with controlled access for increased safety, he said, whereas in the general unit “there’s more chaos, more noise, more distraction.”
Many people who have dementia have “reactive behaviours,” Scott said, meaning they need smaller units where “it’s quiet, it’s safe, so it’s less agitating.”
Renovations to add the new beds cost around $200,000 and will also include new nursing staff scheduled to start next week. Behavioural units require double the number of staff as a general personal care home, Scott said, although he wasn’t sure exactly how many new staff are being brought in.
It’s unclear how quickly the new beds will fill up.
Deer Lodge’s special needs behavioural unit now has 32 beds, while the region overall has 74 beds designated for those needing specialized care. Last he checked, Scott said the regional waitlist had 18 people on it, although not all are waiting for Deer Lodge.
In addition to extra nurses, patients in the unit have access to occupational therapy, physical therapy and other recreational supports.
“The staff here are really good at this care,” Scott said.