CENTRAL Zone NEWS Zone Your Health Care in Your Community 2014 MAY
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Foundations & Health Trusts YOUR GIFT MATTERS Your Foundation|Your Community |Your Health FOR A LOOK AT THE IMPORTANT WORK DONE BY FOUNDATIONS, TURN TO PAGES 6-7 CENTRAL Zone NEWS Zone Your HealtH Care in Your CommunitY 2014 MAY Heather Kipling photo | we provide children with a small toy story toy, stickers or a game ... to help they’re taking toys seriously at the rocky mountain house them cope with being in the hospital health centre, where the smile makers for sick kids program aims to reduce children’s anxieties and fears while in hospital. “ turning visits to the hospital laboratory into child’s play are, from — Shirley Hope, site manager at Rocky Mountain House Health Centre left, staffers amanda gawryliuk, debbie wythe, meggan adrian and cathy dowling. PAGE 3 Nursing: A Leading Force for Change Nursing Week, May 12-18, 2014 Alberta Health Services celebrates the everyday and the extraordinary contributions of nurses to the people in our province. PAGE 2 l o C a l l e a d e r s helping patients DR. evan lundAll keRRy bales central Zone executive leadership team Find their onE cAll connEcts us All voice here are many different health and Story and photo by Heather Kipling | continuing care services available honda schultz has never tto seniors in the central Zone, and been one to shy away from a alberta health services is now making it rchallenge. simpler for them and their loved ones to whether it was working with children find the right care. with autism in a private school, the continuing care access centre contributing to a national prevention is a new service that is accessed program while working with a First simply by calling a toll-free number: nations tribal council to improve 1.855.371.4122. preschool learning outcomes, or even callers are connected with a team of facing her own life living with multiple alberta health services registered nurses sclerosis (MS), schultz has embraced who can discuss concerns, perform an every challenge that has come her way. initial assessment of the caller’s situation and what she has gained from facing and refer the caller to the appropriate those hurdles, she uses in her work as Speech-language pathologist Rhonda Schultz helps to services in their community. a speech-language pathologist to help turn life’s challenges into success stories. continuing care services include home children and their families overcome care, supportive living and long-term obstacles of their own. when the ability to care. “i like challenges,” says schultz. “they can the continuing care access centre for teach us so much. all of the experiences i’ve had communicate ... is central Zone is available weekdays from just add to my interest in what the brain does impacted, it can be a 8:15 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and weekends and how speech-language pathologists can real challenge from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. contribute to many different areas of the human “ in the past, people would have to experience.” – Rhonda Schultz, phone different local home care offices, speech-language pathologists work with speech-language pathologist and physicians had multiple points clients – including children, adults and seniors – of contact for helping patients obtain to evaluate, treat, educate and help to prevent continuing care services. language, speech, voice, fluency, cognitive, and much of what we do and how we experience life. this single call to all continuing care other related communication disorders, as well when the ability to communicate or comprehend services is also helping physicians and as swallowing problems. is impacted, it can be a real challenge. and when ahs staff find the appropriate level of communication disorders may be related you compound it with underlying conditions or care for patients faster. to conditions including hearing impairment, influencing factors, there is a whole new set of central Zone staff can refer a client to neurological disorders, language learning challenges to work through,” she says. “i want to home care, or potential continuing care disabilities, developmental delays, autism, brain help people overcome those challenges. living. there are many options to suit the injuries and other complications. and as part of providing that help, schultz personal and medical needs of those “each client is different,” says schultz draws on her own experiences with the health who want to stay safe and independent who works with children and their families in system. in their homes, and for people who need drumheller and surrounding area. “i like to think “i was diagnosed with ms four and a half years supportive living solutions. of the work in terms of football. you know you ago,” she says. “having ms helps me relate to it is important to alberta health need to get to the end zone and that you need clients because i, too, am a user of the health services that we see the health system to get a touchdown. if you do hail mary passes care system; i know what it’s like from a patient through the eyes of patients and their all through the game, it will be a long, tough haul. perspective. and i think my life has led me to families. it is hoped this single point of so we look at what we can do to take small this, that this is the purpose for the ms. contact will help make the system easier steps toward a touchdown, toward success.” “what i see in my doctors and the people to navigate for our residents who require schultz consults with schools, supporting who care for me – their honesty, humility, care. n speech and language development for students. professionalism and compassion – is what i hope “communication is such an integral part of so i can give back to those i work with.” n What would you do if you had more time together? Together we can reduce the risk of cancer by up to 50%. AlbertaPreventsCancer.ca Visit to get started. www.albertahealthservices.ca There are plenty of health care options available. Learn yours by visiting the AHS website. i n Y o u r z o n e PAGE 3 Children and hospitals aren’t the best combination. Kids are under stress, their parents are under stress – heck, the whole waiting room can be stressed. So staff at the Rocky Mountain House Health Centre are handing out toys to their youngest patients in the hopes it can bring smiles to sick kids makers a game ... or a toy truck can help keep Story and photo by Heather Kipling | emergency department and in admitting, children busy iF where staff offer pediatric patients in need a there is a wait hospital can be an intimidating place little item, which can have a big impact. soft “ for children, especially when they are in toys provide comfort for those who are afraid, – Shirley Hope, site manager a need of emergency care or treatment. while toys with noise or moving parts can at Rocky Mountain House Health Centre it can also be a challenging place to wait provide distractions, and focus toys, such as patiently for kids and their families. puzzles or games, can help children relax while in order to help make the rocky mountain procedures are taking place. about 5,000 pediatric visits are made to the house health centre (rmhhc) a little more the items can also help break the ice rocky emergency department annually. child-friendly, and to help young patients cope, between staff and their young patients, says anyone interested in donating to the smile the facility has recently established the smile hope, which helps when health care providers makers for sick kids program can contact makers for sick kids program. and in addition are assessing and treating injuries and the david thompson health trust at https:// to delivering plenty of smiles, the program is illnesses. davidthompsonhealthtrust.com or by calling helping enhance the hospital experience for the program is proving effective in helping 403.342.8665 n some of its youngest patients. patients pass the time during instances Site manager Shirley Hope displays some “in our day-to-day practice, we can where there may be a wait in the emergency of the items that are used as part of the sometimes forget to slow down and provide department. Smile Makers for Sick Kids program. child-specific, and child-friendly care,” says “the program is very helpful,” says hope. shirley hope, site manager at rmhhc. “a game or a colouring book or a toy truck “through smile makers, we provide children can help keep children busy if there is a wait. with a small toy, stickers or a game, or we use it gives them, and their parents, something to brightly coloured bandages in the laboratory to do. we understand that waiting can be difficult help them cope with being in the hospital. and this is something we can offer to help “they’re little things but they can play a big make that easier for families with children.” role in making children, and their families, more the bottom line is making kids happy. comfortable and less afraid.” “everyone likes to be a part of making the idea grew from the feedback of a patient’s a child smile, and the story behind smile family, who suggested the facility consider what makers really tugged at our heartstrings,” it could do to be more child-friendly. says corrie Fortner, executive director it was an idea that hope ran with and with the david thompson health trust. one that was quickly adopted by the ladies “we are always happy to be a part of auxiliary who ensure the site is kept well- enhancing health care and, when it stocked with stickers, whimsical bandages comes to making children smile, well, and teddy bears.