Spring - CSSS Cavendish

VOL. 9 No 3 MAY 2013
Breaking the cycle of anxiety:
A group-based approach
offered at the CLSC
Anxiety can interfere with a person’s capacity to fulfill significant life roles
and impair the ability to function in every day life.
G
roup-based interventions to treat
anxiety
disorders
have
been
substantiated as a viable approach to
helping people cope with their mental illness.
The group that is currently being offered at the
CLSC de NDG–Montréal-Ouest is responding
to this need.
O
n February 14, 2013,
following
a
directive
from the MSSS, we
were informed that the program
name PALV has been changed to
SAPA (Soutien à l’autonomie des
personnes âgées)1.
With this new title, the emphasis is
placed on the client’s capacities,
rather that his or her losses.
Cindy Starnino, Director of SAPA,
notified her staff immediately and
changes were made accordingly.
Led by a peer support worker, Orly Estein, and
an occupational therapist, Julia Lafrenière, the
group is designed to teach clients strategies and
techniques to understand and manage anxiety.
The goal is to help clients learn how to break the
cycle of anxiety.
The group runs for 8 weeks and is offered to
young adults living within the CLSC territory who
suffer from anxiety disorders. A typical 2-hour
session may involve goal setting, breathing
exercises, education about cognitive distortions
and core beliefs, group sharing and support, and
promoting health and wellness.
Name change
from PALV
to SAPA
Julia Lafrenière and Orly Estein.
While there may be no simple cure for anxiety
disorder, there are skills that can be learned to
manage the obstacles that it imposes. Through
group involvement, participants regain the hope
that they can lead meaningful and satisfying lives.
Orly Estein, Peer Support Worker
Julia Lafrenière, Occupational Therapist
In this issue // Message from the Executive Director 02 • Results of the Transport Survey 02 • Construction
Projects 03 • Interview with Alan Maislin, President of the Board of Directors of CSSS Cavendish 04 • Community
Corner 05 • Recognition for the Entraide Committee 05 • Catherine Lloyd, Recipient of the McGill School of Nursing
Award 06 • Working and Caring: A Balancing Act 07 • Heart Health Month 08
In the spirit of this new outlook,
Ms. Starnino asked clinicians
to change their approach when
intervening, by asking what the
person in need can do, rather than
concentrate on what the person
cannot do. It is also important to take
the time to discover that a person in
need may still possess many hidden
strengths, and encourage the support
of his or her network, that is, family
and friends.
1 The MSSS has yet to translate our
program name to English. An unofficial
translation suggested internally at the
moment could be: Program for the
Support of the Autonomy of Seniors (no
acronym in English).
Department of Material and Technical Resources
Results of the
transport survey
Message
FROM THE
EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR
I
•
For almost 48% of respondents, it takes between 30 and 60 minutes to get to work;
Hello,
•
W
The two primary reasons that would lead to a change in transportation habits are: saving time
and improving physical fitness;
•
Almost 68% of respondents come to work alone by car. This percentage drops to 65%
during the summer;
•
75% are satisfied with their conditions
for getting to the workplace;
•
Travelling between sites: out of
165 respondents, intersite travel takes
place more than 150 times in a typical
week, primarily in one’s car alone;
e must keep our morale up
despite the fact that spring is
late in coming. We would also
like for spring to arrive in the health and
social services network and that new
budgets bloom in our organizations.
It seems, however, that we will have to
make do with less because, in addition to
Bill 100 which has obligated us to make
budget cuts for the past three years,
Montreal received an additional cut of
$80 million last year. For 2013-2014,
$100 million will be cut from the operations
budget and almost all construction projects
have been frozen.
But the ominous clouds cannot hang over
our heads forever and the sun will shine
once again. Meanwhile, we must be proud
of our accomplishments: the CLSC de
Benny-Farm has almost been completed
and we will celebrate its official opening
in the fall. The renovation of the kitchen
at the Henri-Bradet Residential Centre is
a success, the 3rd floor of Catherine-Booth
Hospital is almost done and many other
projects are underway.
Next year, we plan to open a Chronic
Disease Centre by grouping the activities
of several projects, and our effective
collaborations
with
hospitals
have
enhanced our reputation.
Our population is counting on us, so let’s
continue in our efforts. “Doing good for
others”, that’s our motto.
Francine Dupuis
Executive Director
2
n February, a survey on transportation habits was placed online. One hundred sixty-five
respondents contributed to enhancing our information with the goal of improving our
transportation offering.
Here are a few notable facts:
•
More than 50% rarely consider public
transportation.
We also mapped out the postal codes of
CSSS employees and we noticed that for
the majority, public transportation is less than
800m from their residence.
Action to take…
•
Discussions are underway with the STM
in order to increase the frequency of
buses that serve our sites;
•
Make known alternative modes of
transport (STM, Bixi, Communauto) and
implement carpooling incentives;
•
Improve installations for cyclists and
pedestrians (bike stands, locker rooms,
showers, etc.).
… Did you know? If you combine the #104
and #138 bus lines, there is a bus every
15 minutes on the Cavendish Boulevard
corridor.
Thank you to all those who responded to the
survey!
Vincent Veilleux
Assistant Manager, Department of Material
and Technical Resources
CAVENDISH
EXPRESS
The Cavendish Express is published four
times a year by the CSSS Cavendish.
Editor:
Claire Valiquette, Communications advisor
Communications committee:
Nicolas Agbazé, Lucy Barylak, Brita Brown,
Edward Cho, Ella Gorovoy, Patricia Lemoine,
Dana Kobernick, Priscilla Monge-Vasquez and
Claire Valiquette.
Thank you to all contributors:
Edward Cho, Jennifer Drummond,
Francine Dupuis, Orly Estein, Julia Lafrenière,
Catherine Lloyd, Alan Maislin, Nona Moscovitz,
Caryn Roll, Cindy Starnino and Vincent Veilleux.
Graphic design:
Studio Be + Poisson Rose Design
PAGE LAYOUT:
Marie-Andrée Grondin
Do you have any news?
You are cordially invited to share any news you
might have of a general or specific interest
regarding your team activities or any other
activities. Your comments and suggestions are
also welcome.
Deadline for the next edition:
August 1st, 2013.
To reach us or for a copy in French:
Claire Valiquette, extension 1540
Communications advisor
CSSS Cavendish
5800 Cavendish Boulevard, 5th floor, suite 33
Montréal, Québec H4W 2T5
Telephone: 514-484-7878
wwww.cssscavendish.qc.ca
Department of Material and Technical Resources
Construction projects
Several construction projects were completed in the past few months, most
notably the renovations in the cafeteria of the Henri-Bradet Residential Centre
and the redesign of the 3rd floor of Catherine-Booth Hospital (see photos).
T
his space will be occupied at the
beginning of the summer, as soon as
the new elevator on the Walkley side
is in operation.
Several other projects are in progress or to
come:
•
Replacement of an elevator and
renovation of the cafeteria at
Catherine‑Booth Hospital;
•
Air-conditioning of some spaces
at St‑Andrew and Father-Dowd
Residential Centres;
•
Replacement of the elevators at
Richardson Hospital;
•
Partial repairs of the residents’
bathrooms at St-Margaret
Residential Centre;
•
Exterior redesign of the main entrance
of Father-Dowd;
•
Redesign of the entrance to the
Henri‑Bradet Day Centre;
•
And several minor maintenance and
repair jobs at all sites.
Thank you for your cooperation while we carry
out this work!
Vincent Veilleux
Assistant Manager, Department of Material
and Technical Resources
3
Direction générale
Interview with Alan Maislin, President of
the Board of Directors of CSSS Cavendish
Alan Maislin has been a member of the CSSS Cavendish board of directors since January 2007
and president since October 2008. Dana Kobernick, Information Officer, sat down with him
to discuss his role and his vision for the future of the organization.
How would you define the role
of a CSSS Cavendish board
member?
The most significant role we play as board
members is to serve the community by
ensuring that we provide the best quality care.
The way that we fulfill that role is through the
establishment of committees who work with
the CSSS Cavendish professionals to monitor
the quality of the programs.
It is also our responsibility to ensure that
the budget is managed and implemented as
approved by the Board’s administrators. With
respect to recent budget cuts, our professional
team has had to look at what could be done
without compromising the quality of care
because that is non-negotiable. So we have to
find ways to operate better. The private sector
is results-oriented and we have to bring those
standards of operation to the public sector.
At the same time, we want our employees to
be happy.
I think that the CSSS Cavendish team is
incredible and I am humbled in their presence
because of the great work they do. They’re
innovative, progressive and determined
to serve.
What do you hope board members
will gain through their involvement
and what do you expect them to
contribute?
It is important that board members feel that
they are getting a full, enriching experience
and that they are making a difference. That’s
what drives me. I want the board members to
be involved and I credit the H1N1 pandemic
as being one of the most significant turning
points in changing the culture of the board
of directors. We asked board members to be
present. And they were there, many of them
as early as 5:30 a.m. until whenever it was
that we closed. The influence of our board
volunteers is really starting to penetrate the
organization. Everything we’re doing is with
the goal of strengthening the organization.
Members of the board of directors, from left to right: Alan Maislin, president; Francine Dupuis,
Executive Director, secretary; Giuseppe Maiolo; Nicolas Marchand; Emelita Bandoma-Cordez;
Gilbert St‑Onge; Gloria Freedman; Claude Larivière, 1st vice-president; Nancy Orr, treasurer;
Estelle Hopmeyer, 2nd vice‑president; Gerry Lafferty; Rita Bonar; Lorraine Boyle; Benita Goldin;
Domenica Pulcini and Lisa Lacasse. Absent from the photo: Miguel Escobar, Elliot Lifson and
Alexandra Nicol.
4
What is your vision for the future of
the CSSS Cavendish?
My dream is for the community to love us. I wish
that the community would understand what a
significant role the CSSS plays. How can we
achieve this? I think we’re already executing
the plan. CSSS Cavendish is an innovative
organization, if you consider the elder abuse
help line and the caregiver program as just
two examples. It is growing, with the additions
of Father-Dowd, St-Margaret, St-Andrew
and Catherine-Booth. By integrating these
organizations we’re able to take advantage of
synergies so that we can serve the community
better. These are all indications that we are
going in the right direction.
Second, I believe that we need more medical
services in our clinics. There are so many
people who don’t have family doctors. If
we’re to make a difference, then we have to
take care of these people so that they don’t
go to emergency rooms. For this to happen,
we have to work more closely with the acute
care centres, with the ultimate goal of better
servicing the population. We first have to
look at ourselves to make sure that we are
doing everything that we possibly can to be
exceptional. Then we can ask the government
to change the system so that it reflects
the needs. If you have the volume and are
providing the proper quality of care then the
budget should follow. That’s the only way
the system will get equalized. You reward for
excellence, for performance.
General and Specific Services and Public Health Department
COMMUNITY
CORNER
T
he CSSS Cavendish community
organizers have been very busy
ensuring that, with their support,
knowledge and expertise, they continue
their efforts to mobilize our partners
towards developing and offering programs
and services that respond to the complex
needs of our population.
The Good Food Box, a healthy choice.
Affordable fresh produce delivered on
a bi‑weekly basis to the Côte Saint-Luc
community; for people who live and /or work
in Côte Saint-Luc. For more information,
call extension 1501.
June 15th is World Elder Abuse Awareness
Day, as decreed by the United Nations.
Mark your agenda and keep an eye open for
upcoming community and professional events.
Bus 262, a bus route specifically designed
for seniors in the Côte Saint-Luc area. The
262 bus route travels to key senior locations
such as residences, the CSL library, the Côte
St-Luc Shopping Centre, the Cavendish Mall,
Montreal West and Carrefour Angrignon.
For more information on the bus route,
contact Stéphanie Dupont, community
organizer, at extension 1364.
Group Grocery Shopping Program for
Seniors provides once-a-month transportation
to Provigo, free of charge. A team of dedicated
volunteers provide in-store accompaniment if
necessary. For more information, contact
Stamatina Theodorou, community worker,
at extension 1365.
The annual shopping trip for seniors
is organized for group grocery shopping
participants and open to all seniors in NDG
and Montreal West. The next shopping trip is
coming up in May. Check the Intranet and
your voicemail for further information.
The Direction Santé Publique recently
announced the allocation of a first time grant
to La Table de concertation jeunesse NDG,
a committee in which Jim Olwell, community
organizer, is very much involved. This will allow
the Table to use these funds to consolidate its
programming that responds to the needs of
our community, some of which includes Boîte
à Lunch, Outreach Project, Bienvenue à NDG
and the Aide aux devoirs project.
safety. This program allows members to
receive an automated call, at a predetermined
and agreed upon time, once or several times
a day, to ensure that all is well. Just recently,
a new medication reminder service was
developed whereby the member receives
an automated reminder. The Vieux Moulin,
of the city of LaSalle, expects the program
to be fully operational in September 2013.
In the meantime, they are taking names for
registration. You can contact the Vieux
Moulin at 514-364-1541.
March was Nutrition Month! The CSSS
Cavendish was proud to host its first annual
Food Drive in support of the NDG Food Depot,
an important community partner. Drop off
points were located at the eight sites of the
CSSS. A heart felt thank you from Caryn Roll
(dietician) and Stéphanie Dupont (community
organizer) for your generous support of this
important initiative.
Nona Moscovitz
Program manager, Mental health
and addictions programs
General and Specific Services and Public
Health Department
Pair program: A reassuring presence!
March 25, 2013, saw the launch of the Pair
program in the western sector of Montreal.
Pair is a free service, created for the elderly
population, to ensure good health and personal
Department of Human Resources
I
Recognition
FOR THE
Entraide
COMMITTEE
n February 2012, CSSS Cavendish
was presented with a Certificate of
Distinction by the Comité Entraide
Secteurs public et parapublic for a very
successful 2012 fundraising campaign.
Over $10,000 was raised for charitable
groups, such as Centraide, the Canadian
Red Cross and the Canadian Cancer Society.
Fifty-eight staff members and 14 volunteers
made donations. Congratulations! For
next year, imagine if we can increase our
donation base to 75 staff members and
20 volunteers? We might be able to reach
the $11,000 mark!
Edward Cho
Volunteer Coordinator
5
Nursing Department
Catherine Lloyd, recipient of the
McGill School of Nursing Award
Catherine Lloyd is a nurse clinician at CSSS Cavendish. She recently received
an award from McGill University in recognition of her excellent nursing care.
Patricia Lemoine, information officer, spoke with her on this issue.
What are the key elements
students need to excel?
Tell us about your role
as a student supervisor?
I have been preceptoring McGill nursing
students for several years here at the CLSC.
I enjoy being part of the teaching/learning
process. Students bring a fresh outlook and
allow us to hear new ideas and to question our
practice. As a clinical preceptor, I encourage
students to be responsible for their experience
by setting learning goals at the beginning of
the semester.
For most nursing students, the community
setting is unfamiliar, and therefore part of
the orientation is to familiarize the student
with community services, and the difference
between nursing care in the community and in
the hospital settings. The second orientation
is regarding mental health nursing. I feel that
mentoring students is important in order to
encourage nursing as a profession and to
promote mental health nursing specifically.
6
Students need a lot of support as well as
feedback on their performance. It is important
to spend a lot of time with the student early
in the semester, so that he or she has the
foundation needed to succeed and become
more and more independent as time goes on.
As a preceptor, I start off having the student
accompany me to see clients, observing.
Then I observe the student doing the client
interventions until he or she is ready to
start seeing clients on his or her own. Each
student’s personal experience and skill should
be evaluated and taken into account as he or
she may be at a different level of development.
Self-confidence when working with clients,
interview skills, as well as technical skills,
such as giving injections, are important points
to take into consideration.
How would you describe the
field of nursing in mental health?
What are the qualities needed?
Mental health nursing is a specialized field
requiring development of certain nursing skills.
Assessment skills, knowledge of psychiatric
medications and their side effects, as well
as knowledge of mental health illness and
promotion of mental health, are some of the
required skills in mental health nursing today.
Of primary importance is the therapeutic
alliance between the nurse and the client.
Working with people with mental health
problems requires dedication, patience and
persistence. It often takes a long time to see
small changes in clients when you are trying to
help them to improve their health situation. A
team approach is sometimes required in order
to support the client.
What does the award mean to you?
I was surprised but honoured to be given this
award from the McGill School of Nursing. It is
gratifying to be recognized by the faculty for
the time and effort devoted to working with
students over the years. Many students have
kept in touch with me to let me know how
their careers are going. In fact, one of my
former students is presently working here at
CSSS Cavendish on the mental health team.
Program for the Support of the Autonomy of Seniors
Working AND Caring:
A Balancing Act
Caregivers are family members or friends who provide care,
without pay, to those in need of support due to physical,
cognitive or mental health conditions.
C
are-receivers are not only older
adults, but can also be young
adults or children with an illness
or disability. Healthcare workers who are
also caregivers to family members can find
themselves in a unique situation, trying to
juggle multiple and competing demands.
An action-research project was carried out
between 2008 and 2011 to understand,
in more detail, the current situation facing
caregiving employees at CSSS Cavendish.
An agency-wide survey, on-site focus group
and employee forum were conducted.
Findings revealed that the number of working
caregivers has increased and they will need
support for their challenging roles. Of the
126 survey respondents, 41% identified
themselves as unpaid caregivers to a family
member.
The results of this research have prompted
the formation of an Employee Caregiver
Committee. This committee will continue to
look at the needs of working caregivers at
the CSSS Cavendish by distributing a new
survey to all employees, as the number of
employees at the CSSS Cavendish has grown
significantly since integrating the St-Andrew,
Father-Dowd and St-Margaret Residential
Centres and the Catherine-Booth Hospital.
The Committee will also work towards
implementing recommendations that emerged
from the research. These recommendations
include workplace practices and policies that
respond to the needs identified by working
caregivers and allow for a better balance of
professional and personal responsibilities.
“I have been a caregiver for my mother for
over 15 years. My mother suffers from a
chronic illness. Working full time and being
a full time caregiver has presented some
stressors for me. For instance, when I need
to accompany my mother to her medical
appointments I use my own personal time
off to take her. In addition, after a long day
at work, I return home to provide support
and take care of her needs. I have been
fortunate to have some resources available
to me because of my job in a public
health organization.”
– Tina Recine
Coordinator, Program for the Support
of the Autonomy of Seniors and Member
of the Employee Caregiver Committee
Jennifer Drummond
Coordinator of the Caregiver Support
Centre Leading Practice
From left to right: Sophie Bernardin, Jennifer Drummond, Norma Gilbert, Tina Recine, Lucy Barylak,
Mark Tobin, Ilana Shiller and Isabelle Van Panage.
7
Heart health month
In honour of heart health month the dietetic services department
organized a heart healthy day on February 14, Valentine’s Day.
T
he purpose of the event was to help staff and visitors find out if they
have a healthy heart and if they have any risk factors for cardiovascular
disease.
A special menu was served in the Richardson cafeteria consisting of roasted red pepper
soup, vegetable and salmon pasta, spinach and mandarin salad and a strawberry
rhubarb crumble for dessert.
Sandra Messias from Feldman & Messias Pharmacy, located at 5462 Westminster,
was available to test total cholesterol. Richardson nurses checked blood pressure and
blood glucose while the dietitcians measured waist circumference and body weight.
According to Dr. Oz, knowing these five numbers can save your life!
Catherine Laforce from Longpré EAP gave everybody tips on how to reduce stress in
the workplace. Stress is one of the risk factors for heart disease, so controlling it is very
important. Luckily, massage therapy can help.
Debi Fleming, he
ad of food service
s and clinical nutrit
(Richardson Hosp
ion
ital, Henri-Bradet
Residential Centr
Catherine-Booth
e,
Hospital), Departm
ent of Material an
Technical Resourc
d
es and Caryn Ro
ll, dietician-nutrit
Department of Ma
ionist,
terial and Technic
al Resources an
Program for the
d
Support of the Au
tonomy of Senio
rs.
Action Sport Physio, located at 14A Westminster North, was on hand giving
complementary chair massages to those who reserved. Money was raised for the
Heart & Stroke Foundation. Staff and visitors wore red that day and donated to the
Trendy Red campaign for a chance to win an iPad.
It was wonderful to see so many people from the different centres participating in
the event.
Caryn Roll
Dietician-nutritionist
Department of Material and Technical Resources
Program for the Support of the Autonomy of Seniors