October 2019
I am pleased to share the latest edition of our newsletter. We welcome any and all comments. Please send us your feedback as well as ideas, stories and information we can share.
 
Each month we will share news and information about home care, long-term care, community supports and services and shed light on the wonderful people and services that contribute to continuing care in our province.
 
Susan Stevens
Senior Director, Continuing Care, NSHA
We want to say thank you
Community Nursing in Nova Scotia
Continuing care provincial manager Angela Meagher and her team of nurses visit patients at home because ‘everyone deserves care, regardless of where they live’
Angela Meagher grew up in Havre Boucher, graduated from university in Antigonish and found her passion for community nursing in Port Hawkesbury – combining her love for work with her love for community.

“I chose community care for the different approach. It’s being able to support the client in their own environment,” said Meagher, who started her role as Nova Scotia Health Authority’s provincial manager of continuing care nursing just over two years ago.

“When you walk into a patient’s hospital room, they are wearing a hospital gown; they have little personal belongings and you know very little about them, versus going into their home and experiencing how they live,” Meagher said.

When you visit a patient in their own home, “you see the everyday challenges for them, whether it’s obtaining food or saving enough money for groceries or the electric bill.”

Community nursing, she explained, is “all about spending that one-on-one time with them, seeing how they live, building a trusting relationship and bringing the people that they call family in so that they can be involved in their care, too.”

Across the province, NSHA’s community nurses serve about 6,500 clients annually through 13 offices from Neils Harbour to Sheet Harbour. In total, these nurses provide four per cent of home care nursing services in Nova Scotia while VON provides 96 per cent.

The demand for community nursing has increased alongside the changing needs of patients, with more wanting to safely maintain their independence at home as long as possible, instead of moving into long-term care or choosing end-of-life care in hospital.

“From the time I was frontline nursing, to my role with continuing care today, I see how much the complexity of clients has changed over the last ten years,” said Meagher, who graduated from St. Francis Xavier University in 2005 and has been working as a registered nurse for nearly 15 years.

“In the past, it involved simpler tasks, such as tending to a basic wound. We now see clients with complex care needs who in the past would go to the hospital but are now supported at home and want to pass away at home.” 

NSHA’s community nursing team serves clients in both urban and rural areas across the province, travelling to areas where there “is no cell coverage or the nearest neighbor may live kilometres away,” to ensure they are well cared for where they live, she said.

“We’re driving over potholes, avoiding snowbanks, contacting the Department of Transportation to ensure that we can reach these complex clients by a certain time,” Meagher explained. “And it’s very rare that we can’t make it.”

"Our nurses take pride in what they do each day. That’s the nature of rural community care,” she said. “Everyone deserves care, regardless of where they live.”
Combining compassion and bilingualism to overcome language barriers with clients
***Le texte en français suit le texte en anglais.*** 
For continuing care coordinator Evelyn Doyle, finding compassion in every situation is what helps her make positive differences in the lives of her clients.

Doyle works and lives in Cheticamp, a fishing village in Cape Breton where French is the first language for most residents. As a continuing care coordinator who is also bilingual, Doyle ensures French-speaking clients and families in her community are equipped to understand their care and how to access support.

“It’s really important that we are able to provide our services to people in their native language,” Doyle said.

“Many of our clients have dementia, so they need to receive services in their native language. You can see the wave of relief that comes over them when I’m able to serve them in French.”

Continuing care programs and services help people live safely in the place they call home.
There is a range of supports that provide care at home and in the community, including home support, nursing services and many more. Everyone’s needs are different and change over time.

Doyle’s days vary based on her client’s needs.

“I spend my days helping to create solutions for clients that work for them and keep them comfortable at home, whether that means I’m helping to organize home visits or helping them find who they need to speak to,” she said.

Doyle prides herself on being able to help clients find a solution that works for them – in English and French.

“In the past I’ve been asked to go to another community to help someone facing a language barrier. It’s essential that we are able to provide bilingual services to improve the experience of our clients.”

“Clients and coworkers know it’s okay to come and talk to me. I often work as a client navigator and collaborate with physicians and other health care providers to find a shared solution that ensures clients receive the care they need,” she added.

“It’s so rewarding to see clients and their family members satisfied and relieved when I can provide them with options that will assist them.”
Pour la coordonnatrice des soins continus Evelyn Doyle, faire preuve de compassion dans chaque situation l’aide à améliorer positivement la vie de ses clients.

Evelyn Doyle vit et travaille à Chéticamp, un village de pêche du Cap-Breton où le français est la langue maternelle de la plupart des résidents. En tant que coordonnatrice de soins continus et personne bilingue, Evelyn veille à ce que ses clients et les familles francophones de sa collectivité comprennent les soins dont ils ont besoin et la façon d’obtenir de l’aide.

« C’est très important de pouvoir fournir des services aux gens dans leur langue maternelle, a déclaré Evelyn. Beaucoup de nos clients souffrent de démence. Ils ont donc besoin de recevoir les services dans leur langue maternelle. Vous devriez voir leur soulagement quand ils se rendent compte que je peux les servir en français. »

Les programmes et les services de soins continus aident les gens à vivre en toute sécurité à l’endroit qu’ils considèrent comme leur domicile. Il existe toute une gamme de services de soutien qui offrent des soins à domicile et dans la collectivité, notamment le maintien à domicile et des soins infirmiers. Les besoins des gens sont différents et ils changent avec le temps. Les journées de travail d’Evelyn varient selon les besoins de ses clients.

« Je passe mes journées à aider à trouver des solutions appropriées pour mes clients afin qu’ils soient bien chez eux. Cela peut vouloir dire que j’aide à organiser des visites à domicile ou que je les aide à trouver à qui ils doivent s’adresser », a dit Evelyn.
Evelyn est fière d’aider ses clients à trouver une solution qui fonctionne pour eux, en anglais et en français.

« Par le passé, il est arrivé qu’on me demande d’aller dans une autre collectivité pour aider quelqu’un aux prises avec une barrière linguistique. Il est essentiel que nous soyons en mesure de fournir des services bilingues pour améliorer l’expérience de nos clients. »

Elle a ajouté : « Les clients et mes collègues savent qu’ils peuvent me parler. J’agis souvent comme navigatrice pour les clients et je collabore avec les médecins et d’autres fournisseurs de soins de santé pour trouver une solution commune et faire en sorte que les clients reçoivent les soins dont ils ont besoin.

« C’est très enrichissant de voir la satisfaction et le soulagement des clients et des membres de leurs familles quand je peux leur donner des options pour les aider. »
Paws & Support
There are a variety of challenging circumstances that cause devoted families to surrender their pet to the Nova Scotia SPCA. Over 6,000 pets each year go through the doors at the Nova Scotia SPCA. Sadly, some are due to pet owners fleeing domestic violence or undergoing short-term hospital treatment.

For both vulnerable groups, pets can be supportive companions who listen and provide love. Saying goodbye to their furry best friend could add even more heartache to an already stressful situation. 

Here’s where Paws & Support comes in!
We are excited to announce a new pilot program in Halifax Regional Municipality, Paws & Support. Paws & Support will be a free program at the Nova Scotia SPCA for dogs, cats and critters while their owners are seeking short-term hospital treatment or transitioning out of domestic violence relationships. 

While in the care of the Nova Scotia SPCA, owned pets will receive resources and access to veterinary care. Owned pets will live with trained temporary foster families. Once participating pet owners are in a healthy, safe space, they will be reunited with their pet. Space in the program is limited and it will launch in the upcoming weeks.
Nursing Home, Mom and Me
Susan MacLeod in partnership with Saint Vincent's Nursing Home and the Province of Nova Scotia, shares her experience of growing to appreciate the work of continuing care assistants and learning to love her mother in a new and unexpected way. Susan's story is touching, poignant, and meaningful.
Professional Development Opportunities
Professional Development Day held at Grand View Manor in Berwick.
NSHA Continuing Care & Continuing Care Providers Education Workshop
NSHA continuing care recently hosted three professional development days across the province. These sessions brought together NSHA staff, home care and long-term care providers for a day of learning. The workshops focused on strengthening service excellence and leadership development. Each day started with a family caregiver who shared insight into the impact of the approach we take and the care we provide.

We have one more session on November 15, 2019 in Truro. More information below.
Stay Tuned
Please submit story ideas, photos and feedback to:
Jaimee Dobson, Communications Advisor,
Continuing Care
Visit our Continuing Care page, for more information.