Presenters

Title & Description

John Klich

Superintendent, Community Paramedicine, Toronto Paramedic Services.

Leigh Judson

Manager, Supportive Housing, St Clair West Services For Seniors.

Creating Seamless Transitions with Paramedics

One of our greatest challenges is losing contact with clients during an unplanned event like a medical emergency. The Community Agency Notification (CAN) program notifies CSS agencies in real time when clients have had contact with Paramedics, allowing staff to better respond to their clients’ changing needs. What started as a pilot project now involves over 30 CSS agencies, and is a model that could be adapted in any community. This session will describe how CAN enables a more targeted approach to working with high risk seniors and features a live demonstration.Takeaways include implementation and best practice guidelines for those who wish to replicate the program.

Lisa Gammage

Director of Quality, Nucleus Independent Living.

Central Intake for CSS: A Model for Success

Conceived in 2009, the Central Registry has evolved into a shared model for access to multiple CSS services. Supporting the award-winning Supports for Daily Living program, this model allows for system-level prioritizing of referrals, regional data tracking and expert knowledge about service providers. Learn about the origins of the model and how it has been adapted to support different programs, its benefits and drawbacks, and the valuable lessons we've learned over the years.

Mary Eastwood

WoodGreen Community Services

Director, Don Valley Greenwood Health Link Initiatives.

Susan Anstice

Manager, Coordinated Care Planning, WoodGreen Community Services.

Health Links’ Coordinated Care Planning for High-Risk Clients: The Role of CSS Organizations

WoodGreen Community Services is the only CSS organization currently leading a Wave 1 Health Link. Through Coordinated Care Planning (CCP), we are reducing gaps and frustration by ensuring client-centred care is delivered seamlessly to the top 1-5% of users of the health system who have complex needs and require multiple providers. Our sector is well-positioned to lead and participate in CCP across the health care continuum – attend this workshop to find out how. Learn from our experiences, share your own care planning lessons learned, and draw on the expertise of the group.

Shoshana Helfenabum

Christina VanSickle

Professional Practice Chief, Baycrest.

Seven Steps to Embracing Conflict and Improving Relationships with Families

Conflict between staff and family caregivers is often rooted in grief and uncertainty. Our seven step model offers solutions to problems stemming from staff “fight or flight” reactions to family distress. Delegates will explore what it looks like to engage families in care, learn how to recognize distress, and examine how this impacts family behaviours toward staff. We will discuss staff options for responding to these concerns, starting with being internally prepared and finishing with strategies for intervention. Simulations by trained actors will illustrate this model’s ability to offer a patient- and family-centred approach to family caregiver distress.

Leslie Eckel

Knowledge Exchange Associate, SPHHS University of Waterloo.

Raquel Betini

The Tipping Point: Factors Which Contribute to a Caregiver’s Inability to Continue to Provide Care

It is estimated that only 2% of home care clients aged 65+ are able to cope without the assistance of an informal caregiver, yet evidence suggests that a growing number of informal caregivers are stretched beyond their capacity. While informal caregivers have been recognized as a critical factor in health system sustainability, limited attention has been paid to how best to support them. A research collaboration between interRAI Canada, University of Waterloo and the Mississauga Halton LHIN revealed the factors which contribute to a caregiver’s inability to continue to provide care. Join this workshop to gain valuable insight into the needs of caregivers and enhance your own capacity to support them.

Tracy Lindsay

Director, Strategy, Quality & Outcomes, Mississauga Halton CCAC

Adverse Event Review: Reflecting on the Past to Improve the Future

Unfortunately, the need for an adverse event review process is not always clear until after an adverse event has occurred. Building an inclusive and collaborative process for reviewing adverse events is an important way to prevent future harm and ensure patient safety. Using a real event as a case study, we will discuss how we developed our systematic process based on the Canadian Patient Safety Institute’s Incident Analysis Framework.  We’ll highlight what worked and what didn’t, share useful tips to learn from adverse events, and discuss the various tools and methods used.

Mike Sawyer

Director, Health System Transformation, Champlain LHIN

Dianne Kuipers

Capacity Developer, Community Support Coalition - Eastern Counties & Area

Sarah Cormier

Data Management Coordinator, CCSN.

Bruce Libman

Epidemiologist, Champlain, LHIN.

Paving the Way for Data-Driven Decision Making

The spotlight is on home and community care, and data-driven decision making has never been more crucial.  In this workshop, we will present our "first of its kind" Service Reference Document, which aims to articulate the current state of the CSS sector in Champlain through data and maps. Learn about our experiences with data collection and data quality, and join a generative discussion about the trends and results we’re seeing. Takeaways include a link to the Service Reference Document, as well as the project plan template and the data collection methodology.  Discover the project’s merits and consider how it might be replicated in your LHIN.

Sarah Campbell

Executive Director, Meals on Wheels London.

Matthew Richens

The Monsters in the Cloud: Taming The Fear of IT

As a sector we have much strength, but our social and community service backgrounds sometimes fail us when it comes to choosing the best IT solutions for our organizations. This workshop will unmask the "boogeyman" and show us that there's no need to be intimidated by technology! We will share our small organization's journey to a cloud-based system, and discuss common concerns including privacy, risk management and communication to staff. Takeaways will include tip sheets and templates that will help your organization join us up in the cloud.

Jennifer Croft

Manager, Community Programs, ONE CARE Home and Community Support Services.

Joseph Edward

Many Agencies, One Database: Collaborating for Client-Centred Care

In this workshop, learn how five agencies with only limited IT resources joined forces to create a unique, multi-tenanted client database that makes life easier for clients and providers alike. Learn from our process and experiences, which prove that CSS agencies can collaborate effectively across technological, geographic and organizational boundaries to deliver quality client-centred care.

Catherine Brookman

Have Your Say: Personal Support Worker Health and Safety in Ontario

There are over 90,000 personal support workers (PSWs) in Ontario, and of that, over 25% work in community care. For a number of reasons, PSWs are thought to be particularly vulnerable to work-related health and safety concerns. This workshop will profile the results and preliminary analysis of the 2015 Ministry of Labour funded “PSW Health and Safety Matters Survey.” During this workshop, you will have the opportunity to share your knowledge and provide recommendations to help prevent future PSW occupational health injuries and illnesses.

Paula Blackstien-Hirsch (Moderator)

Bozena Michalik

ESS Support Services

Patricia Blakeley

Acclaim Health

Gurjot Jassy

Good, Better, Best: Insights and Observations on Building Improvement Capability in the CSS Sector

This panel discussion will showcase the experiences of three CSS organizations as they embarked on a six-month Quality Improvement journey through OCSA’s Quality Advantage Learning Collaborative. Moderated by Paula Blackstien-Hirsch, the panelists will describe their QI projects and share candid insights on building improvement capacity in their own organizations, such as the role of senior leadership and staff engagement. Join us and learn about the benefits they realized, the challenges they encountered along the way, and the impacts they achieved. A not-to-be-missed session for any senior leader beginning their own organizational journey into Quality Improvement or for those who are experiencing challenges in doing so.

Zayna Khayat

MaRS Health, MaRS EXCITE

Jerry Koh

Solutions Lab, MaRS

Unleashing Innovation by Breaking Your Own Rules

We know that health is maintained in the community, and the formal health system has finally caught on. The result: a new focus on transforming home and community health care.As a result of this paradigm shift, service design, delivery and payment will require new ways of thinking and working.This workshop will identify and break patterns of thinking that are thwarting your ability to change.Systems change gurus at the MaRS Discovery District will help you discover the rules that you have (unknowingly) set for yourself, which are holding you back from breakthrough change. Then, explore a new way of seeing the world that will unlock your contribution to innovation in the sector.

Janet Legge McMullan, RN, BScN, MN

OACCAC, Clinical Program Lead

Chi-Ling Joanna Sinn

University of Waterloo

Introducing the Personal Support Algorithm

The Personal Support Algorithm is a framework to support decisions in allocating hours of personal assessment instruments, the algorithm may be used to support care coordination and consistent service levels across the home and community care sectors. This presentation will cover the development and testing of the Personal Support Algorithm as well as implications for its use in both sectors.

Linda Mollenhauer

Ignite NPS

Taming the Wicked Problem of Integration

Everyone agrees that integration of a health delivery system is complex and often messy. There are rarely simple answers or easy solutions. But there are ways that organizational leaders are tackling the issues, finding creative resolutions and moving the bar toward solutions. In a highly interactive facilitated session, participates will unpack the assumptions behind some of integration's most prominent wicked questions, and share their insights and ideas about the way forward. The Takeaways - some simple action steps, a shift in thinking and a few aha! moments.

Karima Kanani

Partner, Miller Thomson LLP.

Service Integration: A Legal Perspective on the Lead Agency Model

Integration can take many forms, from service collaborations to full scale mergers. This workshop will focus specifically on service integration initiatives and will examine legal considerations and challenges in implementing the Lead Agency Model. The session will cover: service integration mandate, overview of Lead Agency Models, stakeholder roles, responsibilities and risks, and case studies of common challenges.

Dr. Kerry Bowman

End of Life Care in Canada: The Challenge of Rapid Change

In February 2015, The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that competent adults who are grievously and irremediably ill have a right to die, and a right to ask for assistance in ending their lives.  The court delayed implementation for one year to give government an opportunity to develop a legal framework.  As the February 2016 deadline approaches, noted speaker Dr. Kerry Bowman will provide an overview and speak to how this ruling may impact home and community support services.

Tai Huynh

Creative Director, UHN OpenLab

Jen Recknagel

Strategic Design Lead, UHN OpenLa

Idea Lab: Designing Services for Seniors, by Seniors

In an apartment building in Kingston, a group of older seniors are beginning a quiet revolution. Unsatisfied with currently available options for support services, they’ve joined together to transform their 60-unit apartment building into something of an oasis. In the process, they are re-imagining what it means to be senior and stay independent. 

The case study offers us a unique look at designing services for seniors, by seniors. In this interactive session, we will be tackling questions like: What do these seniors have to teach us about the problems and opportunities within the current home and community care sector, and the concept of self-directed care? Join us for a rich multimedia presentation and lively idea generation workshop!

Dana MacMillan

Wesway

Daniel McGoey

Wesway

Ian Parker

Centre for Independent Living in Toronto (C.I.L.T) Inc.

Maayan Ziv

Consumer new to C.I.L.T. program

Lori Cooper

VON Canada

Case Studies in Success:  Self-Directed Care Models

Giving clients and caregivers a greater say in choosing a provider and how that provider delivers services through self-directed care is one of the initiatives that has been put forward by the Ministry of Health for strengthening home and community care.  How does self-directed care work?  What are its benefits and challenges for providers, clients, caregivers and front-line workers?  What do clients and caregivers think about this service delivery model?  To address these questions and other aspects of self-directed care, this workshop will feature speakers from two organizations that have years of experience in managing self-directed support programs: The Centre for Independent Living in Toronto (CILT) and Wesway (Thunder Bay).

Prof. Mike Saks

University Campus Suffolk, UK

Personal Support Workers: Learning from the UK in Taming the Wild West

In terms of policy on the regulation of personal support workers, the present situation in Ontario, as in much of the developed world, may be likened to the Wild West in terms of public protection. Yet this mushrooming group of workers – operating alongside health and social care professionals – is central to our future wellbeing, with an increasingly frail and aged population. This session draws on a major study commissioned by the UK government, in collaboration with the presenter, on the regulation of health support workers. Existing safeguards will be considered, together with the current risks and enhanced regulatory steps that may provide greater protection for the public in taming the Wild West, including the development of a more comprehensive register for PSWs.

Jeff Doleweerd

Caredove

Beyond Centralized Access: Reinventing Transitions at Waterloo Wellington and Central CSS with Caredove

You’ve heard about the OCSA+Caredove partnership, but what does it mean for your agency? At this workshop you’ll learn more about the Caredove platform and how OCSA members in the Waterloo Wellington and Central LHINs have reduced bottlenecks during care transitions and made referring to their service as easy as booking a hotel. Hear how providers have implemented a centralized access service, created a common referral phone number/ webform/website, turned handoffs into booked appointments, standardized their basket of services, increased the efficiency and job control of intake staff, reduced paperwork, and used data to understand the referral patterns to all CSS services in the region.

Tom Ladd

MagelleMed.com

New and Emerging Technologies

Have you seen the YouTube video for the Google Liftware Spoon? This innovative device allows individuals with essential tremors and Parkinson's Disease to eat without spilling food by sensing shaking and making instant adjustments. This is but one example of how technology is being integrated into supporting the aging population. Tom Ladd from the Toronto chapter of Aging 2.0, a global movement bringing innovation and technology to aging and senior care, will preview new services, products and developments that may soon be improving the independence and care of seniors.

Rodney Burns

OCSA

What Keeps You Awake at Night About Privacy 

Home and community support organizations hold a great deal of client information. Most now participate in integrated care models to share and receive client information either through referral or shared assessments. Recent changes in privacy legislation and prosecutions by the Office of the Information Privacy Commissioner of Ontario has raised expectations for all service providers. Keeping that information private and secure across the service continuum has been an organizational challenge since the launch of various eHealth, LHIN and ministry initiatives. Upgrading hardware, staffing, training, data sharing agreements and capacity are just a few of the issues that keep some CEOs and EDs awake at night. Rodney Burns, Chief Information Office, Association of Ontario Health Centres, will lead a facilitated discussion to enable delegates to share their experiences, advice and practices to help stay on-side with legislative requirements.

Breanne Armstrong

OCSA

Bill Yurchuk

Lambton Elderly Outreach

Pamela Stoikopoulos

VHA Home HealthCare

Making The Case for Social Media

Depending who you ask, social media is often represented as either all-important or a passing fad. This workshop will help you find a middle ground by examining the realistic, meaningful uses online community-building can have for home and community support providers, including communications with clients and families, public education, volunteer recruitment, and fundraising. It will help senior staff from organizations of any size “make the case” for developing a social media presence, and suggest easy, low-resource strategies for getting started. We will also tackle some common concerns around social media use in health care and not-for-profit environments, and hear success stories from CSS providers who are already well-established online.

Karen Palmer

OCSA

Lorri Zagar

OCSA

Flip the SWITCH and Turn Your Team On!

They say only babies like change, but in order to improve, somebody somewhere has to start acting differently. Maybe it’s you, or maybe it’s your team. Led by two QI experts, this workshop will teach you to engage the head and the heart to create a path for everyone to be able to do the ‘right’ thing. Based on the book SWITCH: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by the Heath brothers, join this interactive workshop to see how a few key changes can engage your team in your quality improvement initiatives. One lucky workshop attendee will receive a free copy of the book.

Janine Hopkins

Santis Health

Dan Carbin

Santis Health

Patients First: A Roadmap to Strengthen Home and Community Care - How Will Reforms Impact the Sector & What Can Your Organization Do?

How will reforms impact the sector & what can your organization do? Dan Carbin and Janine Hopkins from Santis Health, an Ontario-based health care strategy and public affairs consultancy, will outline the key policy changes in the government’s Roadmap to Strengthen Home and Community Care, the expected roles of the Ministry, LHINs and agencies, and the opportunities and risks for the home and community care sector. Participants will have the opportunity to dialogue about how their organizations and sector can shape the implementation of these reforms.

Zayna Khayat

MaRS Health, MaRS EXCITE

How Emerging Ontario Technology Innovators are Transforming People-Powered Home Healthcare

Dr. Zayna Khayat, lead of the health innovation platform at MaRS Discovery District, a major innovation hub in Toronto, will be joined by founders of four emerging young Ontario-based startup companies that are developing highly patient-centric solutions to transform the home care experience for citizens, their families, and carers. Learn about each of these exciting new technologies, and discuss the barriers and facilitators to the widespread adoption of types of solutions in Ontario’s home care sector.

Paula Morand

PME Global

Unleashed for Impact: Leading Change, Growth and Possibility

In today’s marketplace, organizational leadership has never been more challenging. Less funding, higher needs and tighter deadlines have become the status quo. Leadership Expert Paula Morand has interviewed some of the top global leaders, and will share a refreshing approach to developing a leading vision succinctly and successfully, even in times of uncertainty.