Canada's Ontario Government has announced an investment to enhance skin and wound care training for up to 400 staff members in long-term care homes.
This initiative is part of the Your Health plan, aimed at providing residents with quicker and more convenient access to care, while also aiming to reduce unnecessary emergency department visits and hospital admissions.
Ontario long-term care minister Natalia Kusendova-Bashta said: “Our government is working to ensure long-term care residents get the high-quality care they need in the convenience of their own home.
“Getting treatment at home where they are most comfortable will enhance quality of life and reduce the need for hospital visits.”
Due to factors such as health conditions, age and chronic illnesses, residents in long-term care facilities are often more prone to skin and wound issues.
In response, Ontario is allocating C$1m ($698,750) towards educational programmes this winter.
This includes C$329,400 for Nurses Specialized in Wound, Ostomy and Continence Canada (NSWOCC) to provide 90 nurses via the Skin Wellness Associate Nurse (SWAN) programme.
Moreover, C$671,900 is allocated to Wounds Canada for the Wound Care Champion Program, benefitting 100 regulated healthcare professionals, and the Skin Health Program, supporting 200 personal care providers.
In addition, the provincial government is committing up to C$9m to the Equipment and Training Fund.
This fund assists long-term care homes in purchasing diagnostic equipment and training staff to improve resident care.
The investment targets acquisition of equipment that can detect and prevent conditions commonly leading to avoidable hospital visits, such as falls, urinary tract infections, pneumonia and congestive heart failure.
The previous year's investment of C$10.5m in the same fund enabled over a third of all long-term care homes to provide care to residents within their own homes.
Ontario's commitment to revamping long-term care is centred around four pillars. These are staffing and care; quality and enforcement; constructing modern, safe, and comfortable homes; and facilitating seniors' access to faster and more convenient services.
