The Chatham Voice is teaming up with the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) to help keep patients connected to the community while they are recovering in hospital.
It is part of CKHA’s Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP).
“It’s a delivery and prevention program,” explained Jackie Doyle, an elder life specialist at CKHA. “It services our elderly patients on our medicine unit.”
Doyle added that a team of volunteers support the program.
“The volunteers are trained on specific tasks that they do with patients to keep them oriented, socially engaged and aware of their surroundings and able to recover successfully so they can return back home,” she said.
Between eight and ten patients are in HELP at any given time, Doyle said.
Adding The Voice to the engagement options is a bonus, according to Adam Topp, president and CEO of CKHA.
“Anything that helps engage some of our elderly patients with the community is a great way to do it,” he said. “If they’re stuck in the hospital, they don’t get to see what’s going on. Someone talking to them, or showing them what’s going on, they feel much more connected. And the more we can connect them with the community, the better.”
Lil Postma is one of the HELP volunteers. She loves what she does and believes adding The Voice to her cart of engagement options will help.
“They really appreciate us coming over, talking to them and keeping them engaged,” she said. “I think they’ll appreciate the paper and seeing what’s going on in the community week to week.”
The Voice will be available elsewhere in the hospital as well, including the gift shop, and at other key areas. Jarrod Prieur, clinical director of rehab, stroke, medicine, therapy services, complex continuing care and chronic disease at CKHA, said the newspaper will be a good addition into the hospital’s delirium prevention kits, which are in every clinical unit at the hospital, including the emergency department.
“They’re new this year. I think this fits perfectly,” he said. “We’re always looking for more resources to add to these kits. Anything to engage patients and stimulate them is great. Being able to check the newspaper is great for them.”
Topp said having the Voice on hand is a welcome sight.
“They (patients) will know what’s going on and won’t feel as out of touch. It’s really important, because it doesn’t take long to not even know what day it is in here,” he said.
