‘Everyone’s Someone’ to Me

In Alberta, there is much discussion taking place concerning addiction, overdose and treatment. Part of the reason for this because of how the provincial government has chosen to address these issues.

Not surprisingly, many people are not in favour of the direction the government is taking. One of these individuals is Bonnie Larson, a doctor who has worked with people experiencing homelessness for 15 years.

Photo from https://www.avera.org

According to Larson, “Alberta’s model is unique in that it excludes harm reduction from the continuum of care. As such, it is a system akin to an extension ladder that is missing the first 10 feet of rungs. Lacking entry-level steps that meet people where they are with non-judgmental care, patient-centredness and barrier-busting pragmatism, the ROSC ladder is impossible for most to even mount, let alone climb.”

Please consider reading Larson’s article, “They’ll Always Be Everyone’s Someone to Me.” It is time well spent.

Home to Hospital to Home

If you are free on Friday, March 5th, 2021 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., (MT) why not join in the conversation about the home to hospital to home transition. What role can patients, family, and caregivers play in this transition?
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/patient-and-family-hospital-transition-guideline-orientation-tickets-140172582969?keep_tld=1

What is RISE

Recently, Emma, a member of our Pts4Chg community highlighted this group. If you or someone you know lives in a rural community, RISE may be of interest to you.

Managing Chronic Conditions by Making Connections

connection

What do Livongo, MyHealthTeams, Health Decision Technology, Wellness Layer and Sensely have in common? In addition to them all having an online presence, they are also focusing on chronic disease management. Key to this management, or more specifically self-management, is to help people with chronic diseases, or loved ones with such conditions, connect with others – patients, coaches, etc. Through these connections, the hope is that the financial and physical burden being experienced will be reversed or in someway lessened.  Click here to discover more about these initiatives.

Autism and Workplace Success

L AutismFor an individual with autism, finding and holding a job can be very difficult. However, according to a research project conducted by Lois Rosenwald, Renee DePastino and Patrick Iben, steps can be taken to make the workplace more supportive and conducive to a person with autism. To find out about the study’s findings and recommendations, read the article, “How can we help young adults with autism thrive in the workplace?”.

‘Unacceptable failures’ in end-of-life care at nights and weekends

According to a recent study, the end-of-life care provided at nights and weekends in the United Kingdom is less than satisfactory. One reason for this is the inadequate number of palliative care specialists available. “There are nowhere near enough palliative care doctors and nurses to provide a 24/7 service across the whole of the UK – we only have 1 palliative care consultant and 5 palliative care nurses per 1000 beds” (http://google.com/newsstand/s/CBIwxsTMpio).

Is this situation unique to the UK or does it occur elsewhere as well? What is palliative care like where you reside?