Care homes preparing for the future

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This article was published 20/04/2011 (5282 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two long-term care homes in  southeast Winnipeg are taking action now to prepare for the so-called silver tsunami — the imminent aging of the baby boomer generation.

Foyer Valade on River Road in St. Vital and Centre Taché in St. Boniface — two separate organizations that have been governed by the same board of directors for 20 years — are set to become known as Actionmarguerite, it was announced earlier this month.

The move is about more than combining the homes, stakeholders say.

Roger Maguet, chair of the board of directors, said the idea of the merger is to go beyond thinking of the two care homes as simple structures.

“The whole idea of getting beyond just naming the buildings is reflecting what they’re all about,” he said, adding the move will allow the organization to use its combined resources to create a single vision for delivering care to the elderly and people with disabilities.

“One of the main benefit is for all the staff to understand they are part of a larger vision and a reason for being that’s beyond just what building they work in.”

Charles Gagné, the chief executive officer of Actionmarguerite, added the new organization is named after Saint Marguerite d’Youville, the founder of the Grey Nuns who was committed to caring for the elderly and the poor.

“It’s a story that talks about why we’re in health care, and the human element of health care,” Gagné said.

The desire to provide better programs and services is rooted in the realities of Canada’s health needs, he added.

It’s expected that baby boomers will reach the age where they’ll begin to have a huge impact on the healthcare system within the next decade, he explained.

“In many ways, because change is gradual in health care . . . we’re trying to influence the future in 10 or 15 years with what we’re doing now,” he said.

“By coming together, we can prepare ourselves better. Ten years from now is not that far away.”

For one staff member, the merger and new name is a natural evolution.

Marie-Jo Laroche, supervisor of volunteer services and the day centre at the St. Boniface site, said many employees are excited about the change.

“We do the same things in both centres, its like one big family,” she said.

“We already felt that, so this just makes it official.”

Gagné added he believes the new organization will be better equipped to deal with the diversity of health needs that affect the elderly — including care for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, as highlighted by the recent death of a care home patient in Winnipeg after an alleged  assault by another patient with Alzheimer’s.

Actionmarguerite is set to open nine new beds in a specialized behavioural unit next month — the culmination of a three year project — but Gagné said that incident was a wake-up call that more specialized services are needed.

“Aging is not a disease, but with aging comes a lot of complex issues,” he said.

Gagné said Actionmarguerite will continue to provide long-term care, as well as supportive housing in less institutionalized settings, and day programs. He added that residents aren’t likely to notice much of a change following the merger.

Centre Tache and Foyer Valade are sponsored by the Catholic Health Corporation of Manitoba and funded through the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

arielle.godbout@canstarnews.com