Current News > January 20th, 2006: Twelve Long Term Care beds awarded to Kemptville hospital
Kemptville District Hospital
2675 Concession Road, Kemptville, ON K0G 1J0
Tel: (613) 258-6133; Fax: (613) 258-7853
January 20, 2006
Twelve Long Term Care beds awarded to Kemptville hospital
Kemptville District Hospital has been awarded Ministry of Health and Long Term Care funding to operate 12 Interim Long Term Care (LTC) beds.
"We're very pleased that the Province is making this investment to help us provide care appropriate for our growing and changing community," said Chief Executive Officer Colin Goodfellow.
Hospital staff are looking forward to taking on this new role, said Kimberly Peterson, Director of Patient Services and Chief Nursing Officer. The LTC beds will be used by patients waiting to go to a long term care facility permanently.
Those patients currently have to wait in an acute care setting not designed to provide programs for individuals requiring a long hospital stay. Without exercise and mental stimulation from activities such as card games, bingo and music, the patients' ability to carry out daily activities can actually decline, said Ms. Peterson. "These new beds give them a setting where the care is appropriate for their needs."
Because the change at KDH involves reallocating a number of the facility's Complex Continuing Care beds to Long Term Care, no additional support services need to be added. "We have the staff with the skills to look after those patients," said Ms. Peterson. "I've also received numerous compliments about the care that's provided by Personal Support Workers that the hospital employs, and we'll be able to use their skills to their fullest potential doing work that they love."
"The demand for complex continuing care has decreased now that long term care facilities receive extra funding for patients with increased needs," added Ms. Peterson. "We're going to be using beds that are currently unoccupied, and it's a better use of our resources."
Ms. Peterson said hospital staff are excited to have this opportunity to develop a new program that will fill a real need in the community. "We are delighted to be working in partnership with Bayfield Manor staff, who will be providing us with their expertise in delivering top notch long term care."
Ms. Peterson noted the Long Term Care area at KDH will be secured so that it is safe for patients with conditions such as alzheimer's to move around. The area will also be made as homelike as possible, with features such as bedspreads, curtains on the window, and the type of furniture found in a home.
"We'll feed the residents in a dining area rather than at the bedside, so it's more like home," added Ms. Peterson.
For more information contact:
Kimberly Peterson (613) 258-6133 ext. 181