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HealthHelping seniors stay home earns top marksSupports for Daily Living a program tokind of a program it gives us not only peace of support seniors 24/7 in their homes hasmind, but we're not tied up with having to deal picked up national recognition.with all these issues all the time. We know that The Mississauga Halton LHIN (Local Health there's another pair of eyes and ears that are Integration Network) was happy to accept thelooking after the patient and they will be able to award for its program that it claims saves moremake assessments. We know that they're well than $10 million for the local healthcare sys-taken care of and there will be someone that will tem.alert us if there's a problem," said Dr. Dobson, a The prestigious 3M National Health Care family physician at the Oakville Senior Citizens Quality Team Award was picked up at theResidence in Bronte.National Conference of Canadian Health Care"The Supports for Daily Living program is Leaders on June 7.a very important initiative in a community Last week, the win was celebrated by the localsuch as ours here in Halton Region that is LHIN at the seniors' residence in Bronte.growing very rapidly and has a large popula-Supports for Daily Living (SDL) is an innova-tion of seniors. So certainly any program that tive regional service delivery model that targetsenables those seniors to remain in their resi-high-needs seniors who want to, and are able to, dence benefits the system in general as there's continue living in their own home with access to a reduced requirement for utilization of the supports over a 24-hour period. already busy emergency rooms, and the SDL bridges the gap between scheduledSupports for Daily Living program is obvi-homecare visits and long-term care. ously achieving those goals," said Greg Sage, The SDL program addresses the issue of Halton Chief of Emergency Medical Services nursing home waits in Ontario.(EMS).It has had proven success in reducing hospi-Dr. David Sheridan, a third-party reveiwer of tal stays for seniors as well as unnecessary ER the program said the program is having a posi-visits and in developing alternatives in the com-tive impact on system costs by freeing up acute-munity to avoid long-term care home place-care beds and diverting people from long-term ment for seniors who do not need that level of care to lower cost alternatives.care. Participating in the program are the SDL SDL has reduced the demand for nursing providers, Trillium Health Centre, Credit Valley home beds by 443 clients over the past twoHospital, Halton Healthcare Services and the years.Mississauga Halton Community Care Access According to a media release from the localCentre (CCAC).ERIC RIEHL / OAKVILLE BEAVERLHIN, the SDL program has, from April 1, 2009A significant number of Ontario's hospital to March 31, 2011, saved 2,905 hospital days.beds are occupied by Alternate Level of Care HONOURED:Bill MacLeod, CEO of the Mississauga Halton LHIN speaks at the Bronte SeniorsIt has diverted 2,080 visits to emergency and(ALC) patients people in hospital beds who Residence during a local celebration of the LHIN and its partner health service providers winning areduced the long-term care home waitlist bywould be better served in other care settings.national award in healthcare leadership for its Supports for Daily Living program. The award was443.In 2010, 16 per cent of Ontario's acute-care handed out earlier in June at the National Health Care Leaders Conference in Whistler, B.C.It has moved 21 people from long-term carebeds were thus occupied with most of them and seen 741 seniors discharged from hospital.(63 per cent) waiting for a long-term care (LTC) in their own homes will get it, said OntarioMatthews."Our healthcare vision includes a systembed.Minister of Health and Long-Term Care DebWhen the patients are looked after in thiswhere those who need help to live with dignitySee Program page 1817 Thursday, June 30, 2011 OAKVILLE BEAVER www.insideHALTON.com