Baycrest

NEXT PRACTICE AWARD-WINNING PROGRAM SERVES SENIORS WELL A busy emer- gency depart- ment is not an ideal place for frail seniors, yet too often that is where they find themselves. Acute care staff are leading experts in elder care. The Acute Care and Transition (ACT) unit is a short-stay program in Baycrest's hospital that functions around the clock to provide urgent and emergent care to seniors over age 65. Staff are experts in managing elderly patients with multiple, complex conditions, especially those who have dementia or who require cardiac care. Identified as a leading practice by Accredita- tion Canada, the ACT unit was also recognized this past year by the Regional Geriatric Program (RGP) for its contributions to improving the health of seniors. A leading practice is one that sets the bar for excellence in a specific area of health care. In granting its first-ever Award of Excellence to the ACT unit, the RGP cited the innovative interdisci- plinary care delivered to seniors by a skilled team of geriatric specialists. Partnering with long-term care homes, acute care hospitals, community assessment and outreach teams and family physicians, the ACT unit is im- proving care, enhancing patient flow in the system and reducing the number of alternative level of care bed days required in Ontario. Since October 2009, the ACT unit has diverted more than 1,000 visits to the emergency room and helped elderly patients avoid more than 24,000 inpatient days in acute care hospitals. WATCH INNOVATIVE CAREGIVER CENTRE MADE POSSIBLE BY DONORS A leadership gift from philanthropists Saul and Mira Koschitzky has made it possible for Baycrest to open a special centre to help families cope with the physical and emotional stresses of caring for loved ones who are cognitively or physically frail, or both. "My late mother-in-law had Alzheimer's so my wife and I are well aware of the need for such a centre," says Saul Koschitzky. "Caregivers need support to help keep patients living at home longer." "My late mother-in-law had Alzheimer's so my wife and I are well aware of the need for such a centre," says Saul Koschitzky. "Caregivers need support to help keep patients living at home longer." More than 80 per cent of Canadians over age 65 have at least one chronic condition. Most live independently, often with the support of family or friends. Informal caregiving is a significant economic asset for the health-care system, notes Dr. Nasreen Khatri, clinician associate in the Rotman Research Institute. She points out, however, that the stress and anxiety experienced by about 40 per cent of family caregivers – most of whom are women – is a risk factor for depression, and depression in turn is a risk factor for dementia. "We need to have supports in place for caregivers all the way through their journey," she says. continued on page 9 8 2011/12 Baycrest and Baycrest Foundation Annual Report

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