(Newmarket, Ontario – August 11, 2008) As the population continues to age and grow, Southlake Regional Health Centre and Stevenson Memorial Hospital have recently received funding approval from the Central Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) to implement several Aging at Home initiatives. The initiatives are designed to deliver new, innovative geriatric healthcare services that will enable seniors to continue living independently within their own homes.

"Being independent and living in your own home is important to everyone, especially as we age," said Gary Ryan, President and Chief Executive Officer at Stevenson. "We are pleased to have received the support from the Central LHIN that will enable both Stevenson and Southlake to introduce new services that are targeted at supporting the healthcare needs of the elderly."

The funding will be used to introduce the following new programs and support services at Southlake and Stevenson and in the areas of Aurora, Bradford, Georgina, Newmarket, New Tecumseth, Adjala-Tosorontio, Essa and Innisfil:

• The introduction of a Geriatric Emergency Management (GEM) Nurse at both Southlake and Stevenson. The GEM nurses will work in the Emergency Departments at both hospitals, and will not only assist in the treatment of elderly patients, but will direct the patients to healthcare services that are available to them in the community.
• An Outreach Geriatric Interdisciplinary Team that will consist of an advanced practice nurse, social worker, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, and geriatrician. The team will support services in both the Southlake and Stevenson catchment areas by visiting patients' homes in order to ensure that appropriate healthcare services are in place. They will assist with medication assessment, and will communicate progress with patients' family physicians.
• A partnership between Southlake, Stevenson, and the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) to provide in-home care for 1,000 patients with Diabetes who are unable to access traditional Diabetes education centres;
• A Geriatric Clinician/Educator to support the Southlake and Stevenson catchment areas by educating care providers in geriatric expertise. Nurses, physicians, and rehabilitation staff at Southlake and Stevenson, as well as home care providers, Long Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs) and retirement home staff, will be educated in how to provide the best possible care for the aging population.

"We are thrilled to have received the funding to make it possible to provide the absolute best care for our aging population," said Dan Carriere, President and Chief Executive Officer at Southlake. "We're particularly excited about the introduction of the Geriatric Emergency Management Nurse, as it will support our promise to decrease emergency department wait times for everyone."

Through the province's Aging at Home strategy, community living options for seniors will expand dramatically, with a wider range of home care and community support services available to enable people to continue leading healthy and independent lives in their own homes. $1.1 billion in funding over four years will be invested through the province's 14 LHINs.