The COVID-19 pandemic uncovered the urgent need to support the healthcare system in Ontario, adding focus to community services that prevent the elderly from languishing in acute-care beds. Due to the severity of the pandemic, the Ministry of Health asked hospitals to temporarily manage 35 long-term care homes through staff support, as well as management resources and expertise in infection prevention and control. Humber River Hospital (Humber) was the first hospital appointed by the provincial government to temporarily operate a long-term care (LTC) home, Downsview LTC in North York.
The LTC homes in Ontario that were owned by hospitals when the pandemic began have achieved greater results compared with those owned by for-profit, chain operators, which have dominated the sector. As such, Humber is proud to be one of three sites where the provincial government itself is building new LTC homes on hospital grounds. Humber, along with our partners, are committed to turning the devastation caused by the pandemic into a new era, one that will revitalize seniors' care.
Humber Meadows LTC is a not-for-profit, charitable incorporated home affiliated with the Humber River Hospital Corporation. Humber Meadows is a new, 320-bed LTC home being developed by Humber that will operate in Toronto by spring 2023. Sadie Friesner was appointed as the Executive Director of Humber Meadows LTC in January 2022. She believes, “Residents will be celebrated for who they are, and will get the care they need, without forgetting the person. They will not just be an admission, but an addition to the community."
Person-centred approaches are deeply engrained in the hospital's organizational mission, and for Humber Meadows, that does not just mean focusing on the well-being of residents, but on that of staff and volunteers as well. Ruben Rodriguez, Program Director of Post-Acute and Reactivation Care at Humber, oversees the establishment of Humber Meadows as a support partner and explains his vision with a contagious passion for dignified ageing, grounded in one prominent theme: person-centredness. Recognizing that the cycle of unacceptable living and working conditions in LTC homes is not the result of merely one factor but many, Rodriguez believes that solutions start with focusing on the individuals who live and work in these homes every day by creating a family-oriented culture.
The care offered to residents at Humber Meadows will be inspired by the Butterfly Model of Care®, which focuses on connecting people in a dignified, human way. It looks at each resident holistically, considering factors like hobbies, preferences, and personality traits, to inform care that gets to the heart of who the individual is and how they can benefit from support that extends beyond medical or basic physical care.
Humber Meadows will implement personalized approaches, like intake booklets for residents where they can share their favourite movies, activities, foods, and personal habits, so that staff and care providers know more about how they can connect with, support, and encourage the individuality of residents. The LTC home will also provide residents with an added sense of responsibility, ownership, and a deeper sense of belonging by assigning street names to hallways, allowing them to identify their new residence as an address rather than a room number.
The Humber Meadows team is also preparing for the impact of technology on todays ageing adults who will be looking for LTC in coming years. Rodriguez envisions creative integrations like leisure and recreation activities involving virtual reality “trips" to help residents reconnect with memories in places around the world. Humber has also partnered with the University of Toronto to explore restoration through exercise while leveraging technology to make it a visually interactive experience.
These details are reflective of how Humber Meadows is being developed based on the values of dignified living and will look to continuously apply approaches that are evidence-based. All of which come together to help facilitate a care plan for each resident that is respectful, tailored, personalized, and works to ensure they can continue living their life purposefully and with a sense of independence.
“There's a common mentality that LTC homes are where you go at the 'beginning of the end', and the recent awareness of some LTC environments in Ontario makes reframing that thought much harder," says Rodriguez. “Our goal with Humber Meadows is that residents know and feel based on the atmosphere and environment we create, that it's not the beginning of the end. Rather, it's the beginning of the next phase of their life and we want them to thrive in it." Humber Meadows LTC home is moving forward with the theme “The Joy of Empowered Living", which will convey ongoing support to residents into life's next chapter.
The workplace culture at Humber Meadows will also have a person-centred approach. With regards to hiring, Rodriguez shares that the focus is on building a team with extensive education, who will be compensated appropriately for the nature and level of their work, and who have the desire to be 'moving on the job' – saying hello to residents and engaging with them to build relationships. Togetherness will be promoted with 'stop and connect times', where staff will have a meal with residents to intentionally get to know one another apart from providing or discussing care needs. The LTC home will also offer dedicated times for staff to visit residents outside of specific care activities to connect with them and maintain a personal relationship with them.
An aspect of workplace culture that Humber Meadows is prioritizing is ensuring that the leadership team is well suited to the demands and decision-making that may come with the job. Various reports and investigations resulting from the pandemic made it clear that leadership in LTC settings needs to have the skills to effectively respond to a crisis like a pandemic. As such, Humber Meadows will specifically be staffed with this in mind.
This integration not only supports skills training and talent management, but also infrastructure considerations to better manage future risks of a post-COVID world. Humber Meadows has been designed with learnings from the pandemic and will be built with easy-to-implement ways to respond to outbreak scenarios. Resident Home Areas will ensure that residents can receive care and access everything they need while staying within a specific section of the building. This approach will support needs like contact tracing and reducing the spread of viruses by being able to maintain independent functions of staff and residents in smaller, specified areas. Additional details, from blueprint specifics to air flow and ventilation optimization, have all been considered to support the health and safety of future residents.
Integrating hospitals and LTC ultimately allows for bringing in the oversight, perspective, and skillsets of hospitals that have extensive experience in running and operating health-based organizations. Barbara Collins, CEO of Humber, speaks positively of this, commenting that “When you have the efficiencies of hospitals and their view towards procedures and improvement, and translate that into LTC, we can truly evolve to meet the needs of the time." She adds, “As Canada's first digital hospital dedicated to lighting new ways in healthcare, Humber is excited to be applying our learnings in innovation and advanced approaches in care to support Humber Meadows. I believe it will be a bright light for today's ageing population."
The ways that Humber Meadows is intentionally setting new expectations and models for LTC in Ontario are expected to make it a Centre of Excellence for the province and other jurisdictions to learn from and be inspired by. With a person-centred approach that emphasizes dignified living and ageing, Humber Meadows will be a breath of fresh air for those discouraged and disheartened by the future of LTC homes. Sadie Friesner says, “The tulip in its logo, the first flower to bloom in spring, illustrates how Humber Meadows will be 'sign of new beginnings' for those who will one day call it home."