Villa Cathay Care Home selected as finalist in Safety Den competition

Vancouver’s Villa Cathay Care Home has been selected as one of six finalists in SafeCare BC’s Safety Den, which will be held on Monday, May 28th at BCCPA’s 2018 Annual Conference in Whistler.

Safety Den is a Dragon’s Den-style competition where six contestants will be pitching their innovative ideas to reduce workplace injuries and improve the lives of those in care. In front of an audience of 250 people, a panel of Safety Dragons will listen to each presentation and pose questions to the finalists who are vying for the top prize of $1,000. The finalists were narrowed from a record 21 submissions.

“Villa Cathay constantly strives to promote quality care through promoting safety and health awareness, furthering our philosophy of person-centered care,” says Carmen Lee, Villa Cathy Executive Assistant. “The Safety Den is a great platform for us to learn from the community, and to also share our innovative safety ideas.”

Villa Cathay created a series of videos using real examples of workplace injuries. The actors in the videos were from Villa Cathay’s leadership team, which not only helped highlight the actions that staff could take to prevent injury, but also created a better sense of community, as the staff realize that the management team is approachable and relatable. Since launching the videos, staff are more aware of their actions and methods of communication towards the residents.

“The continuing care sector has some of the highest workplace injury rates compared to all occupations in BC,” says Saleema Dhalla, Acting CEO for SafeCare BC, the health and safety association for the 29,000 continuing care workers throughout the province. “Safety Den allows us to celebrate and recognize the innovative ideas and solutions that organizations are implementing to reduce workplace injuries.”