Bathurst – The Chaleur Regional Hospital Foundation wishes to recognize the Chaleur Regional Hospital Volunteers Auxiliary for its contribution of $50,000 towards the creation of Multi Sensory Environments (MSE) for the patients of the long-term care department at the Chaleur Regional Hospital. This important project for elderly patients will be completed in 3 phases.
Currently, older adults represent 1 in 5 in New Brunswick. Within 20 years, this number will reach nearly 1 in 3 for our province! Seniors will have increased here more than any other province and Canada as a whole. In fact, NB already has the highest proportion of its population above 65 compared to other provinces. Patients in the Long-Term Care Unit at the Chaleur Regional Hospital are mainly people aged 65 or older, some of whom suffer from dementia or other cognitive deficits following a stroke; all of whom have been medically discharged and are waiting to be placed in the community. This process often takes several months and the length of stay of patients can extend well beyond one year.
“There is a gap in the system for seniors who have been medically discharged but are waiting in hospital to be placed in a home. They don’t really fall under acute care anymore and they don’t fall under long-term care yet either. They`re just waiting. It’s time to change the way we care for seniors in all aspects, including in hospitals “, explained Ms. Melissa McKay, Resource Nurse of the Extended Care Program at the Chaleur Regional Hospital. “We were really pleased when the representatives from the hospital explained the new approach they were proposing. Our group is very proud to support this project whose goal is to maintain patients’ abilities and provide the best possible quality of life to seniors”, explained Edith Tribe, President of the Chaleur Regional Hospital Auxiliary Programs and Patricia Legacy, President of the Chaleur Regional Hospital Volunteers Auxiliary.
Multi Sensory Environments (MSE) are spaces created to provide sensory stimulation ~ or ~ relaxation, depending on what the patient`s needs are at the time, by using: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste, and/or movement. MSE helps not only the patient but also the family. It creates a common enjoyment, relaxation and ease during difficult moments of life. The goal of MSE is simply to provide elders with a pleasurable experience and a sense of well-being, while feeling connected and having some control over their environment.
«With this important contribution, we`ll be able to implement phase #1 and phase #2 of our project and provide a multi-modal approach for patient interventions – no one product is the magic bullet! We need a variety of products to allow us to support the individual and meet them where they are at, trying to maintain the abilities they have left. The aging and dementia dilemma are not going away, so let`s get ahead of the wave! Let`s be the first acute center in the Maritimes to give seniors, families and staff a dementia-friendly environment they deserve! », explained Ms. McKay.
The complete project is evaluated at $142,000. Phase one and two will be done now and the third phase will be implemented when they move in the new addition of the Chaleur Regional Hospital. The Foundation will also contribute an amount of $ 92,000 towards this project.
About the Chaleur Regional Hospital Foundation
Since 1990, the Chaleur Regional Hospital Foundation has invested more than $12 million in projects touching the quality of patient care on top of a commitment to invest $5 million towards the campaign for the major renovation project at the hospital.
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For more information:
Mona Doucet
Director of Development
506-544-2370, mona.doucet@vitalitenb.ca
PHOTO OF THE CHEQUE PRESENTATION
Caption for the photo: Mrs. Patricia Legacy, chairperson of the Chaleur Regional Hospital Volunteers Auxiliary, Mrs. Melissa McKay, Resource Nurse of the Extended Care Program at the Chaleur Regional Hospital; Daniel Hachey, Nurse Manager Extended Care Program and Mr. Danny Reagan, treasurer of the Chaleur Regional Hospital Volunteers Auxiliary. Absent when the picture was taken: Edith Tribe, President of the Chaleur Regional Hospital Auxiliary Programs.
