Doctors To Make House Calls In Winnipeg For Seniors

A new program from Winnipeg, Canada will see the reintroduction of doctors making house calls. The doctors will be in a team, including a home-care worker and either a nurse or a nurse-practitioner. They will be caring for 100 senior patients. There are two teams planned, called the “hospital home teams”. One will work from the Access River East health center, and the other will be out of Deer Lodge Center’s seniors clinic. These are the first of a larger program set to open in other locations in the future.

The project aims to help 100 senior patients who may otherwise have to leave their homes due to “increasing serious medical issues”. This program started with a pilot project last year out of the Access River East health center location. The results found that the patients they cared for reduced their hospital admissions by 50%, and further decreased emergency department visits.

Dr. Paul Sawchuk, who was involved in the pilot program, commented on the full program. “I expect that it will help people live better and longer in their homes and require hospital [sic] less.”

Manitoba has announced additional services for seniors in the province. They are introducing additional home-based rehabilitation services for seniors after strokes, injury, surgery, and more. They are also including services such as home safety assessments, adaptation recommendations, and fall prevention programs. The programs will cost $1.2 million a year to operate but aim to save the province hospital care costs.

Source: Winnipeg Free Press