A YEAR COMMITTED TO ONGOING IMPROVEMENT

2016-2017 was a year of enhancements and innovation for Actionmarguerite's three personal care homes, including the consolidation of existing programs and measures. In early 2016, Actionmarguerite opened three specialized units for seniors and younger adults suffering from acquired brain injuries (ABI). "In St. Boniface (Centre Taché), we have 43 beds for people living with ABI, and 86 for people with dementia," says CEO Charles Gagné. "In St. Vital (Foyer Valade), we have a 39-bed secure dementia unit. Going forward, we want to create a similar unit at the St. Joseph facility in north-end Winnipeg." "We have opened, built and consolidated the program by creating a practice and staff training that is increasingly tailored to the growing number of such residents. Today, we are in a better position to meet their needs. We continuously strive to become more specialized in treating these diseases and addressing the various levels of complexity in behaviours and pain management." Actionmarguerite is also working to involve residents and their families in care and day-to-day life. "Families and residents are more informed about medical issues. Scientific developments allow residents to enjoy a certain quality of life without always having to resort to medication." "We have increased the number of resident and family councils. These regular meetings are an opportunity for us to consult them about their everyday experience of all aspects of life in our residences, to get feedback about what we can do better, and to address any changes and challenges that may arise. The better we know our residents, the more they will feel at home." This year, Actionmarguerite also finalized its policy on physician assisted death. "The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority allows facilities to abstain from participating, which we have chosen to do. While we will not be providing such assistance in our homes, we have an obligation to support anyone considering this option and to facilitate access to the service. The organization continues to work on developing welcoming environments for French-speaking residents. "It is still a challenge to recruit bilingual staff, but we now have a better framework for conducting staff language assessments, which means we can ensure consistent bilingual communication for both residents and staff. This means that our residents know that we are able to meet their needs in both official languages. We continue to strengthen our linguistic mandate." After three years of staff surveys, Actionmarguerite noted a need to improve workforce engagement. "We focused on staff recognition by introducing service and appreciation awards for retiring personnel. We organized highly successful special events at the three facilities at Christmas and the beginning of summer. We began presenting annual achievement awards in each residence to an outstanding nurse nominated by his or her peers. This is a human industry, so it is vital to ensure that our employees want to be here."