Bruyère creates system capacity, provides additional learning and research opportunities
11/15/2021
Just over a year ago, Bruyère welcomed its first patient to the Greystone Transitional Care Unit, a 120-bed facility opened to create greater capacity in the health care system in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since then, 425 patients have been transitioned to Greystone from acute care partners in the region and 75% have gone on to live independently in the community or to long-term care.
As an academic organization that prioritizes the patient experience, we are thrilled to see patients thriving in a culture of high-quality care, student placements underway and research happening here.
Learning
In collaboration with the school of rehabilitation sciences at the University of Ottawa, we are enabling fieldwork placements.
Compassionate care and Research
Bruyère researchers, led by Dr. Frank Knoefel, are exploring the use of wandering detection and diversion sensors on the secure dementia unit at Greystone. This system was originally developed to support caregivers of people living with dementia in their homes. Through these sensors, caregivers can be alerted about any potentially dangerous behavior so they can intervene.
For example, leaving the bed in the middle of the night and wandering out the front door. On the unit at Greystone, these systems will support the nursing care team, helping them monitor patients at risk of wandering, while they are busy caring for others. This work has involved students in industrial design and is based on intelligence gathering from the expertise of care teams on the ground to ensure that any technology solution will support the workflow needs of the teams.
We know the care teams are busy trying to provide the highest quality of care, and this is a wonderful opportunity to test how a simple system can support the work they do.
Our hearts were warmed upon hearing just how far the care teams go to ensure patients felt respected, were given a sense of purpose, and treated with compassion.