The Carewest Difference
At Carewest, our vision statement is leading the way in innovative health care, but what does that actually mean? Well, it means many things, among them that we strive to provide excellent care and do our very best every day. It also means we are leaders in our field, offering special programs and services that other continuing care providers do not, such as Geriatric Mental Health, Rehabilitation and Recovery, Veteran's Health Promotion, Comprehensive Community Care, an Operational Stress Injury Clinic and our Supportive Pathways training program - identified by the Alberta Government as the provincial standard in dementia care education.
As an organization, we have a business model that enables us to set goals and reach tangible outcomes that demonstrate our commitment not only to quality care, but also to creating a safe and healthy workplace. We pride ourselves in our ability to move in a consistent, well-planned and thoughtful direction - all with the goal of helping Calgarians experience good quality of life.
Values and Principles
Carewest's values and principles are outlined in our frame of reference document and speak to how we approach our work. They define who we are and help us stay focused on what's really important to us. They include resident choice and independence, "whole person" care delivery, safe environments for clients, volunteers and staff, a continuous learning environment, team-based service delivery, ongoing quality improvement, ethical practices, a healthy, productive work environment, cost-effective service and integrated health care.
Ethics
The importance of considering the ethical perspective in health care cannot be underestimated. At Carewest, we aim to educate staff, volunteers, clients, residents and family members about health ethics while tackling some of the tough ethical issues and questions raised daily in the care setting. For example, situations present where the client can't speak for himself / herself and the family disagrees. Or the staff disagree. Who decides?
If you are in a situation where a difficult health care choice must be made, you should first have a thorough discussion with your family, physician and health care team. If there are still unresolved questions or the issue is creating conflict, the Carewest Health Ethics Consultation Service can help.
The Service is available to help provide consultation on ethical dilemmas and questions. Through guided discussion, the Service assists the people directly involved in the situation to look at the concern(s) from all sides so that they can make the best decision possible. The Service's role is to help identify the issues more clearly and help explore alternatives. The Health Ethics Consultation Service members do not make any decisions.
Members of the Carewest Health Ethics Consultation Service are drawn from the Carewest Health Ethics Committee. We are a group of health care professionals from across all the Carewest sites.
We may include:
- Physicians
- Palliative care team representatives
- Pastoral care / spiritual care advisors
- Clinical specialists
- Community representatives
- Clinical nutritionists
- Nurses
- Occupational therapists
- Pharmacists
- Physical therapists
- Psychologists
- Social Workers
Any staff member, physician, family member, client or resident of Carewest can use this service. As a first step, phone Carewest Administration at 403-943-8140 and leave your name and number if you call after hours. A member of the Health Ethics Committee will contact you within two business days. The information that you provide to the Health Ethics Consultation Service during the course of the process will be treated with the utmost respect.
Client / Resident Groupings
At Carewest, our philosophy doesn't end with how we provide care, but also where we provide it. All of our care centres are built and structured in a way that best accommodates the residents. Residents are grouped in homelike environments according to their needs and ability. This means every staff member caring for residents does so in a focused, appropriate way and is educated to meet the needs of a specific resident group.
For our long-term care residents, our philosophy at Carewest is a major shift away from what long-term care looked like in the past. We believe strongly in promoting resident choice and independence. That means we honour our residents' desire to move around freely in our care centres - their homes. Residents wake up when they want to, choose how they want to spend their day and take part in the activities of their choice. When we say we are a resident-focused organization, we mean it. We've worked years to establish this culture and it's one we cherish. It is the essence of what we do.
Pain and Palliative Care Consulting Services
Carewest differentiates itself from other long-term care organizations by employing care staff specializing in the area of pain and palliative care. The team works in partnership with the care centres' interdisciplinary teams to provide pain and symptom management, grief and loss support, ongoing education about end of life concerns for families and staff, and volunteers who support patients and families by sitting with loved ones at the end of their lives.
Employee Health and Safety
Carewest has maintained a strong commitment to employee health, safety and wellness, believing that the effective management of employee health, safety and wellness is essential to the operation of a successful business, particularly in support of the care and services we provide to our residents and clients. As part of this commitment, Carewest is an active participant in the Partners in Injury Reduction (PIR) program, which encourages the development and ongoing review of effective workplace health, safety and disability management programs in Alberta and offers Workers' Compensation premium incentives to employers who successfully reduce their claims closts below predicted targets. In recent years, the rebates received by Carewest through participation in the PIR program have been invested in a number of initiatives aimed to enhance employee health, safety and wellness. One such initiative was the development of a comprehensive injury prevention and training program -- BACK (Butt out, Arms bent, Chest up, Knees bent) program -- on how to lift and transfer safely. Our commitment to Carewest employees is to support the continuous improvement of a healthy and safe workplace.
Infection Prevention and Control
Our Infection Prevention and Control (IP&C) service provides expertise on infection control issues in continuing care across Carewest and is a valuable resource for all staff. IP&C promotes influenza and pneumococcal vaccine for residents and clients to decrease illnesses and deaths due to bacteria and viral infections - an important step to ensuring our care environment is safer for the vulnerable population we serve. IP&C also collaborates with Employee Health and Safety in the promotion of influenza vaccine for staff. In both areas we have achieved high compliance rates and have helped maintain a safe work environment.
Education and Training
Every day, Carewest demonstrates its commitment to education. We take pride in ensuring our staff are well trained and have access to ongoing education and in-service training sessions. In fact, we're so successful at what we do, others are taking notice.
- Our Supportive Pathways Train the Trainer program was previously chosen by Alberta's Minister of Health as the provincial standard for dementia care education and the basis of the curriculum for the provincial personal care aide program. Carewest has since facilitated train-the-trainer sessions across Alberta, in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and in the Northwest Territories.
Bringing Value to Alberta Health Services
As a public provider, Carewest is a not-for-profit organization owned by Alberta Health Services. As such, our job is not only ensuring we offer the services Calgarians need, but that we bring value to Alberta Health Services as a whole. Among our many strengths and accomplishments, Carewest has solid and often specialized experience in helping different people - seniors with chronic complex medical conditions and dementias, younger people with physical disabilities, and individuals requiring transitional care for rehabilitative therapy and recovery.
As well, Carewest has innovative physical facilities, services, and processes that span the range of care options for these populations - day support, day hospital, outpatient therapy, respite care, designated assisted living and residential care.
Investment
Carewest works closely with the Calgary Health Trust to ensure the needs of our residents, clients and staff are met. In past years, we were able to replace all manual beds with electric beds, following a dedicated, multi-year fundraising campaign. In more recent years, Carewest has been able to acquire and install more than 700 ceiling lifts, a number of which were acquired through the receipt of donations, ensuring the safety and comfort not only of our residents but also our staff.
