Ontario Dementia Strategy - PDF Free Download

Ontario Home Care Symposium May 25, 2017 Ontario Dementia Strategy Chris Dennis, CEO, Alzheimer Society of Ontario cdennis@alzheimeront.org You CAN do something about dementia

Agenda Growth in Dementia cases What does the Alzheimer's Society do? Development of a Dementia Strategy for Ontario How is the Dementia Strategy relevant to Home care organizations What else can you do to help people with Dementia?

Dementia in Ontario In 2016, over 220,000 older adults (65+) were estimated to be living with some form of dementia and an additional 9,000 under the age of 651 This number is expected to increase to nearly 250,000 by 20201 Over 100,000 Ontarians living with a diagnosis of dementia (40+) are living in the community2 People living with dementia are more likely to require home care 45.8% vs. 23.2% of persons without dementia2 1 Hopkins, R. (2010). Dementia projections for the counties, regional municipalities and census divisions of Ontario. PCCC Mental Health Services. Kingston, ON. 2 Bronskill SE, Yates E, Guan J, Walker J, Newman A, Wang X, Vermeulen M. AHRQ Report: Health system utilization patterns of community-dwelling persons with physician-diagnosed dementia in Ontario. Toronto, ON: Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences; Jan 2016

Why Does a Dementia strategy make so much sense? Building competency and capacity in the system has the ability to keep people out of hospital and LTC, and at home and in their community for as long as possible The case is compelling: People living with dementia are 7X more likely to be admitted to LTC than persons without dementia1 Nearly 50% of community-dwelling people with dementia have at least one ED visit each year1 1 Bronskill SE, Yates E, Guan J, Walker J, Newman A, Wang X, Vermeulen M. AHRQ Report: Health system utilization patterns of community-dwelling persons with physiciandiagnosed dementia in Ontario. Toronto, ON: Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences; Jan 2016

We fund research, promote early diagnosis and connect people to community services ASAP increase our research contribution by 50% in 5 years Raise $25Million to enhance our First link referral programs for all societies and facilitate respite in all the communities in which we operate. Alzheimer Societies served 104000 individuals across all societies in the 2015/2016 fiscal year

Development of Ontario s Dementia Strategy Ontario government committed to developing an Ontario Dementia Strategy in late 2014 ASO has been an active partner in the development Over approx. 2 years, MOHLTC conducted consultations with thousands of Ontarians including people living with dementia, care partners, health service providers and industry influencers

MOHLTC, 2017

ASO: critical areas for improvement Respite for care partners Early diagnosis and First Link Building more Dementia Friendly Communities Training the dementia workforce

Implications: Home & Community Care More and more home and community care health care professionals will be serving people with dementia. The Ontario Dementia Strategy is heavily rooted in the home and community sector you have an important role to play. The Dementia Strategy opportunity: Encourage Health care workers to learn the right skills to perform their jobs safely and effectively through Dementia training. Improve family and household functioning by improving capacity of care partners and reducing stress

Implications: Home & Community Care Service Organizations Improved job safety and satisfaction of your employees Advanced skills and training among employees gives your organization a competitive edge

U-First: Training for HCPs U-First is a leading dementia education and training program in Ontario for healthcare professionals Training is especially designed for people working in community care, acute care, and long-term care Through dialogue and a case-based approach, learners will have more confidence in working with people with dementia. U-First online training: http://u-first.ca/

Join Our Advocacy Efforts Funding for an Ontario Dementia Strategy isn t a done deal yet! Support the funding and implementation of an Ontario Dementia Strategy by sending a letter to your MPP to: thank the Ontario government for this investment let your MPP know how important it is that this funding allocation passes through the Legislative Assembly Visit: http://actionfordementia.ca/

A little creativity goes a long way Little changed in the way we care for PWD from a home care perspective There is a significant business opportunity for those who go the extra mile: Create a new Dementia Services business unit. In our ideal world: Home care organizations could guarantee all PSW s, Nurses, PT s have dementia training Provide consistency of care...the same care providers makes a huge difference for PWD Become a Dementia Friendly Communities employer Provide incentives for employees to learn new skills and grow their careers

Building Dementia- Friendly Communities A dementia-friendly community is a place where people with dementia are: understood, respected and supported. A place where they can feel confident that they can contribute to community life.

Thank You Becoming a dementia-friendly community: Dementia- friendly community training is available in many of our regions through local Alzheimer Societies. Connect with our provincial lead to learn more: Felicia White, Alzheimer Society of Ontario fwhite@alzheimeront.org 416-847-8933