The province is beginning its promised review and refocus of the Continuing Care Strategy.
Health and Wellness Minister Leo Glavine announced today, Jan. 31, the province has met with a Minister’s Roundtable on Continuing Care and will consult with the public on how best to care for an aging population.
The Minister’s Roundtable on Continuing Care was made up of leading Nova Scotia researchers, academics, clinicians and advocates who work with seniors and people of all ages with disabilities and conditions.
“Government understands the pressures facing seniors,” said Mr. Glavine. “We have an opportunity to be innovative with the delivery of health care, especially for our older population.”
Mr. Glavine said the Continuing Care Strategy is eight years old. He added Nova Scotia has the oldest population per capita in Canada. These demographics highlight the need to review and refocus the Continuing Care Strategy and create a provincial dementia strategy.
Mr. Glavine said he looks forward to hearing the valuable insights into care that only clients and caregivers can provide, as well as the experience of those who provide services each and every day.
“Caregivers Nova Scotia fully supports the review of the Continuing Care Strategy as it is the foundation for how Nova Scotians will be able to live at home longer,” said Angus Campbell, executive director of Caregivers Nova Scotia. “Part of the framework is to ensure care recipients and their unpaid caregivers are supported with the programs and services they need to achieve the best health outcomes possible.”
Continuing Care services are available to all Nova Scotians who require ongoing care, whether for a short or long term, like beds in nursing homes and access to home care supports and equipment. These services are provided in homes, nursing homes or residential care facilities. About 36,000 Nova Scotians access continuing care services each year.
Nova Scotians can access Continuing Care services by calling toll-free 1-800-225-7225 or visiting the Department of Health and Wellness website at www.gov.ns.ca/health/ccs .

Check out what we’ve got going on this Spring! AWARE-NS will be attending two major conferences and offering our stakeholders plenty of resources and tools.

PLUS we have a special promo code for Homecare / Home Support to attend the Safety Services Nova Scotia Conference March 26-27.
To redeem visit the Safety Services website to view pricing and select your package. Then proceed to registration and enter promo code ANS-2014-CONF at checkout to receive $50 OFF.
We hope to see you there!

Health Canada is working with the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario regarding two deaths associated with the ingestion of “Bodico Hand Sanitizer”.
Health Canada would like to remind consumers that the labels of hand sanitizers advise external use only and as such, the product should never be ingested. Testing undertaken by Ontario’s Centre of Forensic Sciences of two bottles of “Bodico Hand Sanitizer” associated with the deaths found the product contained methanol, an undeclared ingredient, and not ethyl alcohol, the active ingredient listed for the product. Methanol is a highly toxic alcohol that, if ingested, can cause blindness or death. High amounts of methanol applied to the skin can cause irritation and inflammation.
Health Canada is working with the company that makes “Bodico Hand Sanitizer” and is in the process of independently testing additional samples of the product. Initial results have identified the presence of methanol, an undeclared ingredient, in the following products: Bodico Hand Sanitizer (8fl oz, Lot B9002) and Bodico Hand Sanitizer with Aloe and Vitamin E (8fl oz, Lot B9001).
Health Canada is working with the company to implement a recall of these products.
Please go to Government of Canada – Healthy Canadians for more information.

Follow @aware_ns on Twitter or the Hashtag #abetterworkplace

Thursday, October 17, 2013

(Not On Twitter? Click Here To Get Set Up!)

Are you ready to make a difference in your workplace?

A Better Workplace Conference 2013 brings together thought leaders to share cutting-edge concepts and emerging trends affecting the workplace, as well as real stories from Canadian and international organizations.

 
Twitter Event Sign BWWThis Conference has an alumnus of passionate delegates, and creates a valuable learning experience for those aiming to bring about positive change in their workplaces. This year’s conference will focus on three emerging organizational health challenges, which will form distinct, but related streams of presentations: Leadership for a Better Workplace – This stream of presentations will explore the development of supportive leaders who are accountable for organizational health and can create cultures of trust, respect, teamwork and performance. A Better Workplace Culture – The development of a respectful, learning culture that promotes work-life balance and where employees have input into decision making will be the discussion in this stream. Better Workplace ROI – How have those organizations recognized for being ‘better workplaces’ become this way? The business case including how they have evaluated their success and the outcomes they have seen will be shared.

Twitter Agenda

AWARE-NS will be tweeting speaker highlights for the following sessions:

The Energy To Lead! Canada-Europe Exchange On Mental Health In The Workplace

Speakers: Sari Sairanen and Thomas Schneberger
9:15-10:00AM
Session Will Also Be Recorded
Join experts, Sari Sairanen and Thomas Schneberger for an exchange of ideas on workplace mental health strategies between Canada and Europe. Thomas is the Head of Workplace Health Management for RWE AG in Germany and will speak on RWE’s long-standing workplace mental health strategy as well as provide a bigger picture on the European governmental program on mental health and well-being at work being rolled out throughout Europe. Sari sat on the technical committee for the development of the new national Standard of Canada on Psychological Health & Safety in the Workplace and will share with us her experiences there, as well as some specific ways that the CAW is promoting workplace mental health in Canada. Join us for this lively exchange of ideas, and come away with new strategies and inspiration for implementing workplace mental health strategies in your own organization!

Building A Better Workplace, One Conversation At At Time

Speaker: Janice MacInnis
10:30 – 11:15AM
Session Will Also Be Recorded
More often than not, solving problems and driving change requires having honest, and often challenging, conversations. These conversations can be opportunities to gain input, overcome barriers, or change behaviour yet we almost all struggle having them. We avoid, wait too long, or send a message rather than initiate a discussion. These tactics all serve to contribute to the problem we are trying to solve and enable issues to continue unaddressed, resulting in a workplace culture that avoids rather than tackles its problems. This session will provide insight into the initiative undertaken at Dalhousie University in Halifax to address the need for increased capacity for having effective dialogue. Participants will leave understanding the impact of the quality of dialogue in organizations and empowered to assess their workplaces’ dialogue quality and access useful resources.

Gratitude And It’s Role In Organizational Well-Being

Speaker: Jim Moss
11:15AM – Noon
Session Will Also Be Recorded
Coaching for organizations to develop happier, healthier employees through daily interventions of gratitude in the workplace. The Smile Epidemic is a scientifically-supported and evidence-based social sharing program that is geared to developing a happier and healthier mental state in both individuals and organizations. The Smile Epidemic is in 125 Countries and 450 cities globally, with a Facebook page growing at 250 % a week and on some days, reaches over 500 million impressions. This year, the program launched campus-wide at Wilfrid Laurier University, as part of the school’s mandate to improve mental health on campus. Research suggests that when our brains start to scan our environment for positive and present moments; we spend more time looking for ways to be grateful and that we eventually become more grateful for our environment. Organizational happiness and the impact of happier employees from an economic and overall well-being standpoint is a topic that is discussed more frequently than in years past, which will be explored in this highly engaging session.

Strategies For A Respectful, Resilient Workplace

Speaker: Michael Leiter
2:00 – 3:30 PM
Relationships among colleagues and of supervisors with members of their workgroups are pivotal points in an organization. The quality of those relationships defines a workgroup’s potential to thrive in a changing world of shifting priorities. The quality of working relationships is a major determinant of employees’ psychological and physical wellbeing. Co-worker and supervisory relationships make distinct contributions to employees’ experience of work-life. This session leads participants through reflection on civility within their work settings. It provides strategies for individuals and organizations to foster greater civility, respect and engagement at work.
Click To View Full Conference Agenda
Be There In Person! Enter Promo Code: Sponsref2013
 

Twitter OVCCC

Prominent Issues in Continuing Care

INFECTION PREVENTION & CONTROL – It’s Everyone’s Business!

When: Friday, October 4th, 2013
Follow @aware_ns on Twitter or the Hashtag #OVCCC

Topics Include:

  • MRSA, C-diff & Urinary Tract Infections: The Real Story
  • The ABC’s of Routine Practices & Additional Precautions
  • Outbreak Management
  • Best Practices For Environmental Cleaning in Long Term Care

Twitter Agenda

9:15 AM AST
MRSA, C-diff & Urinary Tract Infections
The Real Story
Dean Smith, BSc, BScN, RN, ICP
11:00 AM AST
The ABC’s of Routine Practices & Additional
Precautions
Kim Allain BSCN RN MHS CIC
1:15 PM AST
Outbreak Management
Kathy Penny, Public Health Nurse and Team Leader
Angela Harper, Public Health Nurse
Teri Cole, RN, BN
2:45 PM AST
Best Practices For Environmental Cleaning in Long
Term Care
Jacob Hillier HMT, SMT, C.E.M.
View speaker bios
Not On Twitter? Get Set Up Now!

Entry Deadline Friday, September 20, 2013

Think you’ve got what it takes to spot all the hazards in this photo? Give it your best shot and you could WIN! (prize value of OSH Goodie Bag $50)

(Click On Image To Enlarge)

HazardID5 resized
 

How To Enter:

Email your answers to [email protected] by September 20th, 2013
4 prizes to be awarded
Entries must be from Nova Scotia Health Care and Community Services sectors ONLY
 
Special thanks to Ocean View Continuing Care Centre who graciously allowed us to come into their facility in 2012 and do this photoshoot.

Click Here To Redeem!back to basics

Enter Promo Code 128520

Expires August 31, 2013
 
 
 
 
 

FEATURES

 
8 traitsSafety Managers Buttonquick links
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

Conversations and comments made by stakeholders via Twitter during our 2013 AGM. A live Twitter feed was shown during the presentation for the audience to enjoy! View full presentation on YouTube http://bit.ly/19vKgbV. Download annual report http://bit.ly/14lh9nZ.
 

Photos, news and tweets from the Health Care Human Resource Sector Council AGM & Stakeholder Showcase June 13, 2013.

Northwood Symposium on Twitter

This years line up of speakers focused on Alzheimers, flu breakouts in continuing care homes, and other research topics relating to our aging population and the healthcare associated concerns.
View 4 of the speakers on our YouTube channel!