The Jasper long-term care home’s supportive measures team will examine the role of outside services in the supportive measures approach to care. Kathy Barr, supportive measures specialist at Rosebridge, says her team will be meeting shortly, as a follow up to Friday’s session at home office in Peterborough.

Shawn Riel, who led the day-long event, assigned each team from the 16 long-term care homes an area of supportive measures, the individualized approach to resident care, to develop intensely. Her goal is to include input from all of the homes in an OMNI-wide supportive measures manual she’s compiling over the next six months.

The Rosebridge team is examining how it uses occupational therapy, physiotherapy and the PsychoGeriatric team as supportive measures in the home. For example, if a resident with mobility issues is anxious and aggressive, physiotherapy might help him walk, but could also lift his spirits, Kathy says.

“Physiotherapy could be a good tool,” says Kathy. She notes the resident’s behaviour issues could be a result of his lack of mobility.

Likewise, if a resident is behaving aggressively and isn’t in a wheelchair that fits him comfortably, pain could be contributing to his actions. An occupational therapist could reduce his pain and improve his disposition.

“It’s using their specific strengths to help manage resident’s behaviour.”

While Rosebridge, along with other homes, already use outside services, this process will help identify what other services are out there and how they impact supportive measures in the home. Homes can utilize a “whole gamut” of services, says Kathy.

On a weekly basis, a psychiatric nurse visits residents and reads through the nurse’s notes, examines the medications and monitors their well-being from week to week. When the supportive measures team is working on a plan for a resident, its members consider the recommendation from the PsychoGeriatric team, along with the other tools that help educate them about a particular resident.