October 2020
Your "mask voice"
Adapting communication to meet the needs of older adults is a senior friendly care approach. Adjusting your voice is a nuanced but powerful way to help you build trust through a mask. In Harvard Business Review's article How to build rapport while wearing a mask, author Dustin York shares 4 great tips for perfecting your "mask voice". 

1. Provide pauses while you speak so the other person has the opportunity to engage in conversation.

2. Actively accentuate key information. Using different intonations prevents the voice from coming across as monotonous.
 
3. Speak a little louder to compensate for the muffling effect from the mask.

4. Amplify expression of emotion. Without the visual cues provided by the lower half of your face, your voice will need to be expressive enough to convey your emotions. A little goes a long way; too much can come across as disingenuous or theatrical.

Thank you to the senior friendly team at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre for sharing this article!

Our QI coaches share bright ideas to support people who care for older adults living with frailty, and who want to learn from and inspire others. To share tools and experiences or ask for advice from others, including our QI coaches, join the sfCare Forum or email us.
Tools & tips for senior friendly virtual care
3-part series: Oct 2, Nov 6, Dec 4 
How do we tailor virtual care for seniors with frailty? This 3-part series will focus on practical tools and tips that you can implement in your virtual care practice. We will cover topics such as how to make virtual appointments effective, how to build trust in a virtual context, and how to gather and pre-packaged data from Connecting Ontario prior to a patient's first virtual visit. 
 
Webinar 2: Nov 6, 12-1pm
Presenters: Barbara Liu, M.D., FRCP(C), Caitlin Brandon, MSc, Alekhya Johnson, MPH
In this webinar we will walk you through a demonstration of techniques for creating a senior friendly virtual care experience before, during, and after your virtual visits.  We will dive deeper into aspects of trust, communication, and technology.

Our free webinar series provides an excellent opportunity to learn from and engage with local and international subject matter experts. See past webinars, sign up for webinar invites
It's time to change the way care is provided in hospitals for older adults with frailty
Our evidence-informed sfCare Hospital Policy Brief provides guidance to hospital leaders in the steps they can take now to embed sfCare within their organizations to improve outcomes for older adults. Addressing the unique needs of older adults through specifically tailored approaches is also key to reducing lengths of stay (LOS) and alternate level of care (ALC) pressures and improving patient flow.

We encourage all care providers to read the brief and engage with each other and their leadership teams on how care can be improved for older adults. What can you start doing today to improve the health outcomes for older adults who are in your care?
November is fall prevention month 
Falls are the leading cause of injury, emergency department visits, and hospital admissions for Ontario seniors (65+). Regular physical activity improves strength, balance and flexibility which reduce the risks of falls. Helping seniors to be as active as possible is everyone's responsibility!

Measures to keep older adults safe from COVID-19 have resulted in the loss of some of their usual mobilization opportunities. We have developed short, helpful resources for care providers with consideration for the current pandemic environment such as Mobilization in older adults living with frailty and How to Provide Senior Friendly Care During the Pandemic - Spotlight on Mobilization.

For inspiration on how to engage your organization in a Fall Prevention Month campaign, visit the Fall Prevention Month website, where you'll also find a falls community of practice and resources such as the Public Health Agency of Canada's tip sheet for older adults You can prevent falls.
Find more senior friendly resources: rgptoronto.ca
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