Promising Practices for Reimagining Long-Term Care
More people in Canada are living to 85 and beyond than ever before. In this context, promising practices that help create a resilient long-term care (LTC) system are key to improving resident and family experiences, the health of residents, the work-life of healthcare providers and the efficiency of care.
Across the country, LTC homes are strengthening the safety and quality of care they provide through greater support for healthcare workers, including building their capacity to make care more person-centred. The following promising practice summaries share insights from LTC homes that piloted innovative approaches to improving the experiences of residents and the workforce.
These summaries offer details about:
- Improving the working conditions for LTC staff to improve the experience of caring for residents.
- Expanding the capacity to provide person-centred care to improve staff fulfillment in their work.
- Showcasing the benefits of using direct engagement - with staff or with residents and their care partners - to identify tangible problems and create lasting solutions.
Promising practices
Tiered Huddles Initiative – Hebrew SeniorLife
Located in Boston, Massachusetts, Hebrew SeniorLife is rooted in Jewish heritage that honours its elders, while promoting the independence of all seniors and striving to transform every aspect of the aging experience for the better. Hebrew SeniorLife had the goal of being able to identify and address staff and resident concerns in real-time and found they were able to achieve this aim using a framework for tiered huddles across the organization.
Project ECHO Community of Practice – Schlegel Villages
Schlegel Villages comprises 18 LTC facilities throughout southern Ontario. Its aim is to provide holistic healthcare in a home environment, located within an internal neighbourhood design that promotes a caring community with emphasis on optimal health and life purpose for each resident. Schlegel Villages created an innovative strategy for dementia care by combining use of the Project ECHO community of practice framework and their Living in my Today (LIMT) dementia program.
Recovering Strong Employee Wellness – peopleCare Communities
peopleCare Communities is a family-owned, values-based organization that provides outstanding care and exceptional experiences for those who live and work in their LTC and retirement homes in Ontario. peopleCare Communities developed an exciting strategy to encourage engagement, enthusiasm, and satisfaction in the workforce through investing in staff wellbeing.
Nurse Practitioner-Led Huddles – Dr. Katherine McGilton
Dr. Katherine McGilton is a Senior Scientist at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and KITE Research Institute at University Health Network and an Associate Professor at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto. With support from HEC’s Implementation Science Teams program, Dr. McGilton collaborated with nurses from multiple Ontario LTC homes to develop a nurse practitioner-led huddle approach for collective problem-solving.
Fostering Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Leadership – Kensington Health
Kensington Health is a non-profit community health organization offering a wide range of specialized services including LTC. The Kensington Gardens LTC home is in Toronto, Ontario, and home to 350 residents. Kensington Health has created a unique equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) approach to build an equitable and inclusive workplace and home.
