Special Care Environment

WHAT IS A SPECIAL CARE ENVIRONMENT?
Heritage Life recognizes that Dementia is a devastating and progressive disease.  Our SCE was created in 2013 in response to the great need for an alternative environment for individuals living with dementia. Our smaller, more intimate and specialized environments allows staff to support our residents with individualized Resident Centred Care.  We seek to discover what our residents CAN do while keeping them and others around them safe.

HOW DOES A SPECIAL CARE ENVIRONMENT DIFFER FROM A PERSONAL CARE HOME?

  • Resident to staff ratio is higher than regular PCH environments as more frequent monitoring is required due to dementia-like responsive behaviours
  • Staff working in the SCE are required to attend Dementia Education and Violence Intervention and Prevention in-servicing.

    THE SCE IS LOCATED ON THE SECOND FLOOR OF HERITAGE LIFE PERSONAL CARE HOME – THERE ARE 3 SECURED NEIGHBORHOODS:

    Birchwood Bay

  • One neighborhood for 10 residents who may display behaviours such as; exit seeking, rummaging, dismantling of equipment, sexual inappropriateness, verbal or physical responsiveness.

Maple Ridge and Oak Park Way

  • Two pods of 5 single rooms –physically separated by the shared nursing station, for residents who display behaviors that require more care/monitoring than Birchwood Bay.


Our goal is to find strategies to manage their behavior so the resident can eventually return to a general Personal Care Home setting.
The SCE is not meant to be a forever home. Since 2013, we have returned almost 60 individuals to their first choice facility. And out of those 60, 3 individuals have returned successfully to their homes in the community.

SPECIAL CARE ENVIRONMENT OUTREACH TEAM

The special care environment is served by a team of health care professionals representing several disciplines that include a Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Physician, Nurse, Outreach Worker, and Resident Care Manager. These individuals are equipped to perform comprehensive assessments and care planning for our residents.  As well they provide education for both our staff and staff in other homes.

The team meets bi-weekly to discuss Care Plans for each resident individually. The resident and their families are considered an integral part of the care team.

POLICIES

  • Non-forced Care Policy – no resident competent or incompetent, will receive care against their will.
  • Least Restraint Policy – all strategies will be exhausted before a restraint will be applied.


    WHEN IS IT TIME FOR A RESIDENT TO MOVE OUT OF SCE?

  • It is decided by the Special Care Environment team that all strategies that have been implemented were successful and the individual no longer needs the SCE.  There is no exact timeline, each individual is different in their treatment plan.
  • If behaviours of the resident become too volatile or unpredictable- so that it is decided the SCE is not meeting the needs of the individual, alternate placement as decided by the SCE team would then be sought.
  • Due to the progressive nature of Dementia, the residents function and behaviour may change and the SCE may no longer be needed – a move to a regular PCH is appropriate.