Eleventh season of Care to Chat wraps up with transitions in care

Last week, BC Care Providers Association (BCCPA) and EngAge BC wrapped up its eleventh season of Care to Chat with Bridging the Gaps: Enhancing Transitions in Elder Care. Moderated by the Association’s very own CEO, Terry Lake, the conversation brought together a diverse panel of experts from across various sectors for a crucial dialogue about the challenges associated with care transitions and ways to improve the experience of residents and clients.

Panelists discussed the gaps in B.C.’s electronic health records, noting a lack of standardization and interoperability between different digital health record systems used in acute care, long-term homes and the community. This lack of data exchange exacerbates risks for medication errors and other adverse events, compounding difficulties in obtaining accurate diagnosis, longer waits and higher rates of readmissions.

Panelist Andriana Lukich (Director of Digital Solutions at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton) provided her Ontario-based perspective with her work as a Program Director with Project AMPLIFI, a province-wide initiative that leverages existing software to create a secure data link between participating hospitals and long-term care homes. Should B.C. choose to replicate this approach, this software has the potential to eliminate e reliance on the paper-based transfer of information, reduce medication errors, improve client care, and prevent unnecessary hospital readmissions.

With personal experiences in navigating transitions on behalf of family members, Wendy Scott (Co-Owner & Director of Care, Nurse Next Door – Burnaby) and Karen Biggs (Former CEO of Menno Place and family representative) highlighted the importance of families as active and vocal participants in the care team. Biggs also noted that clients and family caregivers may have different priorities than the medical team, noting that the needs of client’s need to be centred in these conversations. Scott spoke to the need to better integrate home health services into these client transitions, as many older adults leaving hospital are supported by family-funded home support services.

Using her experience as Executive Director of Operations at Providence Living, Sharon Parkes shed light on specific care models and practices for supporting people with dementia in the transition process.