North East LHIN seeing benefits with Home First program
North East LHIN News Release ******************* More than 400 Northern seniors have benefited in the past year from the North East LHIN’s leadership of a philosophical change called Home First which helps get seniors home from hospital after treatme
More than 400 Northern seniors have benefited in the past year from the North East LHIN’s leadership of a philosophical change called Home First which helps get seniors home from hospital after treatment.
The NE LHIN, in partnership with the North East Community Care Access Centre (NE CCAC) and the Community Support Services Sector, began one year ago to implement Home First in Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins and North Bay.
Home First is a shift in thinking that helps seniors get home from hospital once the acute phase of their hospital stay is complete, and before any longer-term decisions are made about future care. Here in Northeastern Ontario, that shift is particularly encouraging for the frail elderly who would rather convalesce in the comfort of their own home than in hospital.
Since Home First began in Northeastern Ontario, 424 seniors have been sent home from hospital to receive the care they need. The good news is that 243 are living in the comfort of their own home, and another 61 have been supported in their home until they could successfully be placed into a long-term care home. Even the 120 seniors who needed to return to hospital following their discharge, benefited by being able to spend up to three additional months in their own homes with appropriate care and supports.
In the past, the majority of these seniors would not have gone home. If all of them had remained in hospital for seven days, the cost for their care would have been $2.5 million. That compares to the one-week price tag of caring for them in a long-term care home for $374,000, or caring for them at home for $125,000. More importantly, there is no price tag that can be placed on the ‘peace of mind’ any one of us gets when we convalesce in our own home versus an institution.
According to Louise Paquette, North East LHIN CEO, “Home First is an example of how health care leaders are working together to deliver health care to our aging population. Care of the frail elderly defines both our communities and who we are as Northerners. We need to continue to work together at the local level to ensure the right services and supports are available for fellow Northerners.”
Fundamental to making Home First successful is a patient-focused system. To support Home First, the NE CCAC worked with hospital partners and developed new roles for integrated discharge services in Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, North Bay and Timmins.
Integrated Discharge Planners strive to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and improve hospital patient transition to home and community. Their efforts focus on seniors at risk of becoming ALC, and those who require support with a transition from hospital to home – the frail, elderly and those with chronic disease, and/or complex needs.
Richard Joly, CEO of the North East CCAC notes that, “By implementing patient flow improvements like integrated discharge planning and helping to ensure a seamless flow from acute care to the community, we are both improving the client experience now, and positioning our health care system for the future.”
In addition to the hundreds of seniors who have successfully transitioned to home and community here in Northeastern Ontario, ALC numbers in acute care beds dropped by more than half to 7 per cent at the Northeast region’s four urban hospitals since last August.
Facts:
• In Timmins, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury, 424 seniors have benefitted from Home First in the past year.
• The average cost to care for 424 seniors for one week: o In a hospital bed – $2.5 million o In a long-term care bed -- $374,000 o At home - $125,000
• Home First helps individuals get better in familiar surroundings with community supports in place; hospital providers can look after more acute patients and emergency departments are less congested; and there’s a more seamless transition of care for patients.
• To learn more about how Home First is helping seniors in communities across the province, click here to meet Mary and hear North East LHIN CEO Louise Paquette speak about caring for the frail elderly.
