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Home My WebLink AboutTimes Advocate, 1999-05-19, Page 1918 Ea t e dvocate Communi Bringing quality Home Care to Huron County residents HURON COUNTY saint Elizabeth Health Care is hitting the road - 4,000 kilometres of it - to bring high quality home care to the residents of lluron County. "We selected Saint Elizabeth to provide home care services because of its ability to respond to the unique needs of the area," says Darlene Bogie, Clinical Manager of the Huron County Community Care Access Centre (CCAC). , With a largely rural ;;population spread out over 3,400 square kilo- metres, one of the defin- ing characteristics of Huron County is the dis- tance that many people must travel to receive health care in hospitals and medical clinics. By deploying a highly mobile team of 100 nurs- es and supportive care ..• workers across the coun- ty, Saint Elizabeth is helping to overcome these distances. Using their cars as virtual offices and in constant communication with the service centre in Clinton, team members travel to the homes of residents to provide a range of ser- vices including nursing, rehabilitation, homemak- ing and personal sup- port. "Every one of our nurs- es has a car, and each carries a pager. No mat- ter where our nurses and supportive care workers are in the county, our team members are just a phone call away, and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week," says Susan MacIsaac, Manager of Saint Elizabeth Health Care in Huron County. Another unique charac- teristic of the area is its large elderly population which is 40 per cent higher, on a per capita basis, than the provincial average. Saint Elizabeth is known for its high-end nursing expertise in the provision of such services as long-term, gerontoI- ogy, and enhanced pal- liative care. With hospitaland health care restructur- ing, more and more acute care is being pro- vided in the home. This means that • care providers are required to deliver not only general but also highly special- ized home nursing care. For example, Saint Elizabeth has the advanced training and clinical skills to provide such services as mater- nal and infant care, pedi- atric care, and even home chemotherapy for cancer patients. Criss-crossing the coun- ty, Saint Elizabeth's mobile team of home care providers is expect- ed to deliver 73,000 sup- portive care visits and 15,000 nursing visits ,a year over its three-year contract. Founded in 1908, Saint Elizabeth is a leading charitable, not-for-profit home care organization. With centres across Ontario and conducting more than two million client visits per year., Saint Elizabeth is known as much for its compas- sion and caring as it is for its . innovation and highlyskilled ,profession- als. �Al� SG 049-(71...rth-zeteid • Electrical • Refrigeration • Plumbing • Gas Furnaces CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONER SAVE up to $250. and don't pay till Sept. '99 t1 • Gas Fireplaces • Gas 13110s1" 1 Visit our. Showroom at St. Josep Hwy. #21 & 84 • 6bathro�mson display • 1 3 fireplaces on display SALE ENDS ay 30/9 (oderi&g Suncoast Mall Toll Free 1888GEO"TECK s-,-r1i+E tf.'Y*3'7a?`V' iO4T * T: 3. :;IYORK® • • Heating and Air Conditioning St. Joseph 2364770irepkirCel:r MAIESTIC. tOfAtit, ASSOC. ATE 436-8325 Goderich 524-4199 1 24 Hotsr Emergeracy Service Wednesday, May 19, 1999 Lions and Lioness Clubs donate $5,000 Exeter Lioness President Cathy Cade and Exeter Lions President Cliff Mars- den present a $5,000 cheque to John Davidson for Jesse's Journey - A Fa- ther's Tribute. By Kate Monk TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER -- How far would you go for someone you love? That was the question John David- son of London put to the Exeter Lion and Lioness clubs last Wednesday night. He said he found the answer during his 8,300 km walk across Fnada. Jesse's .Journey - A Father's Trib- ute "is about an incredible group of volunteers who answered the ques- tion of how far -they'd go to help the world," Davidson said, adding people can "dig a lot deeper" than , they think possible. "Small groups of dedicated people are the ones that change the world." pavidsdn was the guest speaker at the Lions Club meeting and received a cheque for $5,000 from the two clubs ($2,500 from each) for the Jesse's Journey campaign which is building a $10 million endowment fund to find a cure for genetic dis- eases. During his nine-month fund-raising walk: across Canada which ended in January, Davidson met thousands of Canadian children and adults who were waving to help the world by contributing to the campaign. Since dipping his shoe in the Pacific Ocean, Davidson has continued to raise funds. and speak to community and corporate groups about the cam- paign. The $10 million will remain in an endowment fund which will annually direct $1 million towards research to find the cure to a host of genetic dis- eases, including Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. "Our pledge to you is we'll make the dollars work as hard as you worked to earn them," Davidson promised. He said everyone knows someone who has suffered from a genetic dis- ease and that progress is being made on the research for a cure. Researchers have found the gene that causes genetic diseases. It is widely believed the key to successful treatment --- and even a cure for gene -based neuromuscular diseases --- will be found in gene therapy. This process involves importing corrective genetic information into defective muscle cells and then 'switching on' the new genetic material so its pur- pose is correctly expressed. Although muscle cells are par- ticularly challenging subjects for gene therapy, recent experimental successes have been reported in the treatment of conditions in body tis- sues which are more accessible than skeletal muscle. Davidson is hopeful the answers will be found next year. Davidson said the benefits will reach beyond Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy — the disease his son Jesse has -- which kills two boys eve- ry day. "There's a payoff for everyone be- cause (genetic) . disease doesn't re- spect borders," he said. Davidson is optimistic the $10 mil- lion can be raised. "I have seen what ordinary Ca- nadians have done," he said. To date, Canadians have donated-: more than $2.3 million to Jesse's Journey - A Father's Tribute. Davidson' wants corporations across Canada to invest in the 'en- dowment fund. To Davidson, today's youth are the key to finding cures to genetic dis- eases. He said children are willing to meet the challenges of the world and Canadians should be investing in these children. "If this country was good enough, for Banting and Best to do their re- search, it should be for your children as vvll," Davidson stressed. "I urge you to urge your children to give some serious consideration to sci ence (as a career)." Davidson also challenged the audi- ence to daily examine their place in the world. • "Do a personal inventory every sin- gle morning. Look in that mirror and ask yourself what really matters in this life," Davidson said, adding peo- ple would be surprised how the daily evaluation affects their conduct. Davidson called for the support of Lions and Lioness Clubs to spearhead the project. "It's my intention that we're going to be in time for them," Davidson said of the children who are victims of genetic diseases. Local organizations continue to raise funds for Jesse's Journey. On Sun., May 30, the Community of Churches is holding a special wor- ship at Thames Road United Church with a free-will offering for Jesse's Journey. To donate to Jesse's Journey, visit the Royal Bank or call the donations hotline at 1-888-433-9366. le