Care comes first: SE Health welcomes changes to home and community care

Not-for-profit social enterprise believes new legislation will pave the way for new models of care that empower people, families and care providers

MARKHAM, ON, Feb. 25, 2020 /CNW/ - "For years, patients, families and care provider organizations have been calling for improvements to home care. We are encouraged to see the Ontario government is listening," says Shirlee Sharkey, CEO of SE Health and a 28-year veteran leader in the home care space.

If passed, the new legislation will pave the way for innovative service delivery models and a more direct relationship between hospitals, home care, community services and primary health care. As a not-for-profit social enterprise, SE Health has been 'innovating around the edges' for years ? working with health system partners to re-imagine home care, develop new programs and usher in the necessary changes to meet the needs of an aging population.

"It makes sense on so many levels but changing the status quo in health care is actually really hard." Sharkey sees the new legislation as a promising signal for the expansion of new programs that benefit communities, patients, families and the health system alike.

For example, SE Health is collaborating with AMS on a four-year project to implement a holistic model of care known as HOPE (Home, Opportunity, People, Empowerment). The model works to empower home care staff, patients and caregivers, while de-layering the system. According to Sharkey, this leads to a range of positive outcomes such as high patient and staff satisfaction, a reduction in emergency department visits and hospital readmissions, and increased quality of life.

The organization is also involved in several transitional care models like Southlake@Home and Sunnybrook's One ED Team, which see hospitals and home and community care providers partnering directly to tackle the issue of hallway healthcare. Early results show these programs are making a dent.

"So many solutions already exist in the system today," notes Sharkey. "The challenge now is moving them to scale in an accelerated way. By all counts, Ontarians are ready and waiting for a better, more customized home care experience. "

About SE Health
SE Health is a not-for-profit social enterprise applying knowledge, vision and drive to impact how people live and age at home, today and into the future. With Canadian roots and 110+ years of expertise, the organization brings quality excellence and innovation to home care, seniors' lifestyle, and family caregiving. Through its team of 9,000 Leaders of Impact, SE Health delivers 21,000 care exchanges daily, totaling 50 million in the last decade alone. Visit us online at sehc.com.

SOURCE SE Health