Photo caption: (left to right) Victoria Antoniu, Quality Improvement Facilitator; Dr. Seda Rafilovich, Chief Geriatrician; Daniel Maullon, Seniors Health Manager; Doreen Black, Patient Family Advisor; Meredith Depaulson, Seniors Health Manager; Nancy Veloso, AVP Clinical Programs; Elizabeth Ross and Katie Lai, Clinical Practice Leaders.
In recognition of the excellent quality of age-friendly older adult care, Scarborough Health Network (SHN) has achieved the prestigious recognition as an Age-Friendly Health System — Committed to Care Excellence by the globally renowned Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). This makes SHN only the third organization in Canada to earn this designation.
This achievement is a reflection of demonstrated practice in the direct care of older adults across the organization. The focus is on a set of evidence-based elements of high-quality care, known as the 4Ms: What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility. Achieving this recognition highlights the high quality care we deliver across these 4 domains of care.
“The work done by SHN’s Seniors Health program showcases our commitment to caring for the aging population,” said Dr. Seda Rafilovich, Chief Geriatrician at SHN. “Thanks to the skill and compassion of our Seniors Health teams, we create specialized inpatient and community services dedicated to giving senior patients the best possible outcome across emergency departments, intensive care units, medical-surgical units, general wards, and primary and specialty care settings.”More than 5,200 hospitals, practices, convenient care clinics, nursing homes, and home health care organizations have been recognized as Age-Friendly Health Systems — Committed to Care Excellence. SHN is proud to join the growing ranks of these organizations in putting the 4Ms into practice. Globally, more than 5,470,000 older adults have been reached with 4Ms care.
As part of a global movement led by the IHI in partnership with The John A. Hartford Foundation, the American Hospital Association, and the Catholic Health Association of the United States, SHN joins a rapidly growing network of organizations striving to transform how care is delivered to older adults. Collectively, this effort has already improved care for more than two million seniors worldwide.
“SHN has always been committed to care excellence and is proud and humbled to have achieved this external recognition” said Nancy Veloso, Associated Vice President of Clinical Programs. “The Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative continues to be an important part of our overarching vision to provide every older adult with the best care possible. Above all, we aim every day to earn recognition of excellence from the older adults and caregivers whom we serve. This partnership with our community is our guiding star.”
SHN proudly shares this designation as a reflection of the compassionate, person-centred approach being taken every day across our General, Centenary, and Birchmount Hospitals. Older adults and their families can feel confident knowing that care is not only aligned with international best-practices but also aligned with what matters most to them.
SHN will continue to strengthen its role as a health care leader committed to shaping a more age-inclusive future for Scarborough and beyond.