January 9, 2017 – After two weeks in hospital, North Bay’s Wes Nord was happy to be heading home -- accompanied every step of the way by a care worker who helped to make sure things went smoothly.
Before leaving hospital, Brittany Roy, a PATH (Priority Assistance to Transition Home) Care Worker with the Canadian Red Cross, lined up Wes’s home and community care services and ensured he had transportation for any follow-up appointments.
Brittany pushed Wes in a wheelchair from his hospital room to an accessible vehicle for the trip home. On the way there, she picked up a new walker for him and called to ensure his prescriptions were being filled and available for pick-up or delivery. She brought some frozen Meals on Wheels to warm up and checked his fridge to see if he needed groceries. Once Wes was settled at home, Brittany then went through the hospital discharge paperwork with him.
Since 2013, PATH care workers have helped more than 6,000 discharged patients aged 55 and older, by escorting them home. “Anything we can do to help reduce the stress of getting home is our goal,” said Nicole Cruickshank, PATH Coordinator in North Bay. The program is especially helpful when family is unavailable.
“PATH is a patient-focused approach that is helping older adults have the peace of mind needed when they return home from hospital,” said Louise Paquette, CEO of the North East Local Health Integration Network (NE LHIN). “PATH workers make sure Northerners have everything they need to continue their recovery in the comfort and safety of their own home – an important part of the healing process.”
“I’ll be fine,” said Wes, confirming that the helper gave him confidence to return home. “I didn’t even know they (PATH workers) existed before.” More and more Northerners, like Wes, are now able to use PATH through financial support from the NE LHIN in their communities across Northeastern Ontario.
The care coordination didn’t stop when Wes got home safely. The next day, he received a call from PATH staff to see how things were going, and if he needed anything more.
The PATH program has become very successful through partnerships with health service providers across Northeastern Ontario, says Louise Trudel, Senior Manager, Personal Support Services, Red Cross - Sudbury and North Bay Branches. “We ensure patients get home safely and comfortably and link them to the home and community care services they need to thrive at home,” says Trudel.
PATH programs across the region are all connected to each other to ensure safe transportation home. The farthest a patient has been driven home was from Sudbury to Wawa, which involved two geographic areas working together in Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, and a distance of more than 500 km.
Facts:
- The NE LHIN has supported PATH with approximately $4 million since it began in 2013.
- PATH is now available in the following 20 Northeastern communities: Chapleau, Cochrane, Englehart, Espanola, Iroquois Falls, Kapuskasing, Kirkland Lake, Little Current, Matheson, Mattawa, Mindemoya, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Smooth Rock Falls, Sudbury, Temiskaming, Timmins, Wawa, West Nipissing, Parry Sound. In 2017, PATH will be expanded to support six other communities, including Blind River, Richards Landing, Thessalon, Elliot Lake, Hornepayne and Hearst.
- Increasing Care Coordination for Northerners to improve their patient experience is one of three strategic priorities of the North East LHIN. This includes the patient journey across the entire health system.
- PATH is delivered by both The Friends in Parry Sound and the Red Cross.
