At Sinai Health, we recognize that caregivers provide critical psychological and physical support to our patients. Recognizing their important role as part of the care team, we asked families and caregivers to lend us their insights on a project to deliver better support to caregivers.
In 2017, we began Cultivating Change, in collaboration with WoodGreen Community Services and funded by The Change Foundation. The three-year initiative focused on improving the caregiver experience in four key areas – our neonatal intensive care unit, stroke rehabilitation, in the community and caregiver resilience.
Leisa Henry, caregiver advisor on the steering committee admits she had some reservations in joining the project.
“I was worried that people wouldn’t understand what I was going through. I’m happy to say my experience was the exact opposite,” says Leisa. “This is an amazing initiative that more hospitals should implement. We all worked as a team to get important work done.”
One of her favourite outcomes from Cultivating Change is the care team description wall. Installed on the stroke inpatient units, large murals with descriptions of the care team help caregivers understand each person’s role in caring for the patient.
Other significant initiatives include the introduction of the Caregiver ID with our family presence policy, e-rounds for NICU families and online stroke education resources. This month marks the end of Cultivating Change but the project will have lasting positive effects for our future caregivers and families.
Thank you to our caregiver advisors!
View pictures from the wrap-up event below.
