Timely Response for Seniors Experiencing Behavioural Challenges
All Behaviours Have Meaning – Supporting Seniors, Families, and Caregivers
Behavioural Support Services – Mobile Support Teams, one of LOFT’s newest seniors programs, provides a timely and knowledgeable response and enhances the health care services of seniors, their families and caregivers, who live and cope with responsive behaviours associated with dementia, mental illness, addictions and other neurological conditions, when they require it and wherever they live, at home, in long-term care or elsewhere.
Responsive behaviours can be very distressing to the seniors themselves and to their family, caregivers and other support providers. The goal of the BSS-MST is to respond in a timely manner, to advise family and caregivers, provide referrals to appropriate services, enable clients to keep their housing and prevent unnecessary hospitalizations.
LOFT operates three teams supporting older adults and their caregivers living within the geographical boundaries served by the Central Local Health Integration Network, or Central LHIN. This area includes South Simcoe, York Region and the northern part of Toronto.
We are proud to be the operational lead for this project, a partnership with MacKenzie Health Care. Our project is unique in the province in its focus on providing support and stability for at-risk seniors living in the community through the implementation of Mobile Support Teams.
Behavioural Supports Ontario Project
This LOFT program is part of the province-wide Behavioural Supports Ontario project initiated by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Ontario to seek more effective ways of responding to the growing issue of responsive behaviours in our aging population. Behavioural Supports Ontario projects are being carried out in each of the 14 Local Health Integration Networks across Ontario.
For more information on Behavioural Supports Ontario visit www.BSOProject.ca.
Community Impact
This program represents a response to a community need that is significant and growing. The number of Ontarians with dementia is expected to increase by 40% by 2020. Currently over 65% of long-term care home residents have dementia or mental health issues and 17% are restrained. In the past, the response to these behavioural challenges has often been hospitalization, but that is no longer believed to be necessary, or the best solution.
Ontario hospitals now report that 17% of all acute care beds are occupied by people who do not need hospital-level care, but for whom no alternatives are available. Half of these individuals are waiting for long-term care homes and over 36% have moderate to severe cognitive impairment, 19% with demonstrated behavioural issues. Meanwhile hospitals deal with over-crowding and long waits. There must be a better way and we believe that our Mobile Behavioural Teams are an important part of a new solution.
Read the story of Jack and Mary – they receive help from the Mobile Support Teams in their own home.
Read the Story of Pauline – a long-term care home resident helped by the Mobile Support Team.
For contact information, please visit the Contact Us page of our website and scroll down until you find the program you are looking for.