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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1983-10-26, Page 15Huron County gets Home Care Pro a Bill Jones, aged 72, had a stroke sial weeks ago. Thanks to his determination, his doc- tors and sophisticated mental and physical exercise, he's coming along pretty well. He's home now, and his wife Anne, who has a heart condition, can look after him with the help of a homemaker who comes in every other day. Bill is visited once a week by a speech therapist, does exercises with Anne and is starting to recover from the massive blow to his self-confidence and his well being. But all the progress Bill Jones has made is threatened, because 80 hours of homemak- ing is all the provincial Home Care Program will pay for. When the time runs out, Bill and Anne will have to pay the homemaker on their own, and they can't afford it. It's hard to concentrate on getting better when you know you may have to move to a nursing home or chronic care hospital, because the help you need to get better at home isn't available. TYPICAL Bill Jones isn't a real person, but his plight is typical. Until August many people in Huron County with chronic ( long lasting) illness faced it. It was good news for all of them two mon- ths ago, when Huron County was allocated almost $1 million a year to provide services, through the Home Care Program, for people who need chronic care. Home Care's longstanding acute care program continues unchanged. "It will help the dying; paraplegics; those who have multiple sclerosis, or have had strokes," says Betty Cardno, Huron's direc- tor of Home Care. And people who need regular, longterm help but don't need to be in hospital. To qualify for the new chronic care pro- gram, the patient must require regular treatment from a medical professional, a nurse or therapist, but the old limit on homemaking services does not apply. 135 DAYS The average chronic care patient is on the program for 135 daiys. "Some will be on it for years," Mrs. Cardno says. Homemaking services for the Home Care Program are provided here by a private agency, the Town and Country Homemakers. Under the chronic care rules, Home Care will pay for up to 80 hours of homemaking in the pa- tient's first month on the program and up to 40 hours in each following month. Those who don't qualify can still pay homemakers on their own. The Wingham of- fice number is 357-3210. The Town and Coun- try Homemakers agency is now in the mid- dle of its annual fund raising campaign. Homemakers are still needed by people who don't qualify for either acute or chronic Home Care. One exciting thing about the chronic pro- gram, Mrs. Cardno says, is that across the province 30 per cent of patients are rehabilitated and become independent again. "Many patients may be able to manage again on their own eventually," if they get the help they need when it's essen- tial. It's cheaper to treat chronic patients at home, $14.04 a day in Southwestern Ontario, versus a hospital per diem of $220 at Seaforth Community Hospital. Patients are often happier at home. A patient who's at home, the director points out, "is still an economic factor in the community", paying taxes, buying things and making decisions. FAMILY Participation of the patients' family is critical. And as anyone who's ever had a pa- tient at home knows, exhausting. Horne Care, although it's not round-the-clock, can relieve families and arrange group sessions to help them cope. Family members learn that they deserve a break and that you can't do everything for someone who's ill. "That takes their independence and sense of The 18th annual Christmas Country Fair held last Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at Saltford Hall is being called a success by the organizers, the Blue Water Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, no. 284. Proceeds from the event will go toward Alexandra Marine and General Hospital. ( Photo by Joanne Buchanan) ]Home Care co-ordinators, Sheila Lancaster, left, and Cathie Rutter, with Huron Home Care director Betty Cardno. (Photo by White) responsibility away," Mrs. Cardno says. Families who wonder if Home Care's chronic program can help them can call Mrs. Cardno, or co-ordinators Sheila Lan- caster or Cathie Rutter. for general infor- mation at 482-3416. Patients must be refer- red for assessment by their doctor. In the past for every 65 or 70 people to the program, 12 or 13 don't qualify. "But we don't iust sav no and leave it at that," Mrs. Cardno says. "We'll help to make other arrangements, check into where a person's needs can be met. Sometimes non -admits can take as much time as admits." ADVOCATES Home Care co-ordinators have "a bit of an advocacy role" and can dig up information an help for families who "don't know where to turn." Each patient is individually assessed and arranged for. "There's lots of flexibility." Based on the experience elsewhere (Huron is one of the last areas of the pro- vince to get chronic home care funding) half the referrals will come from the communi- ty. Acute care patients go on to the program from hosital as a rule. By providing professional services, and home making support outside institutions, the province hopes to take pressure off hospitals to provide more beds, Mrs. Cardno says. Once a patient is admitted to the Home Care Program, he or she can get care in another part of the province. "We had a number referred from London who came up here to the lake in the summer." Home Care is housed in a large, bright of- fice on the second floor of Huronview on Highway 4. A secretary and part-time com- puter clerk round out the staff, which will probably increase if the chronic care pro- gram is as popular here as in the rest of the province. New language program unveiled by board An updated language arts curriculum for Kindergarten to Grade 6 Huron County pupils has been completed after two sum- mers of preparation. Superintendent of program Robert Mc- Call presented a summary of the new cur- riculum developed by local teachers at a recent meeting of the board of education. One teacher referred to the preparation of the document as "the best professional development I ever had", Mr. McCall told the board. The new curriculum calls for "a positive, encouraging, non -threatening en-, viroriment that Wills promote "creativity, fluency, risk-taking and feelings of pride and self-worth," the superintendent noted. The new curriculum offers daily reading by the teachers, and silent reading and daily writing by the students. "A variety of reading materials (novels, magazines, newspapers, pamphlets, tapes, legends, video cassettes, basals, etc.) of varying levels of difficulty are in- corporated into the program," said Mr. McCall. Essential to having these reading materials become part of the program is a "good class library", notes Mr. McCall's summation. "A basal (basic) reading series is not to be followed from beginning to end. As reading independence is achieved, basal material should only be used to supple- ment active teaching. The teacher is in St. Joseph's Hospital to hold opening of research and laboratory facilities St. Joseph's Hospital in London is celebrating the Official Opening of The Research Institute and Laboratory Facilities of the hospital through toDctober 30. The hospital is celebrating its advanced capabilities for synchronizing patient care, education and expanded medical research made possible by the $12.9 million con- struction project which adds a total of 49,610 square feet to the research and service laboratory areas. The London and Southwestern Ontario communities are invited to join in celebrating this accomplishment. The acquisition of the first electron microscope in the Laboratory coupled with new and expanded physical laboratory space will allow the hospital to providh • improved diagnostic and treatment services for our patients. Floor space has nearly doubled in the virology, hematology, blood bank, bacteriology, biochemistry, cytology and pathology labs. Principle investigators and their staff in The Research Institute will conduct studies into - metabolic disease, orthopaedic joint reconstruction, perinatology, clinical neuro- sciences, diabetes and hemophilia under the administrative direction of Dr. John R. G. Challis, director of The Research Institute. Approximately $2.3 million worth of research equipment is housed in the Institute including a nuclear magnetic resonance imager, the first of its kind in Canada. The facilities and resources in The Research Institute will allow St. Joseph's to support its current patient care and education commitments with expanded medical research programs. The optimum achievement of any teaching hospital's mission lies in a sensible balance between its interdependent functions of patient care, education and research. The primary purpose of our striving to fulfill our Mission is to serve the patient who suffers. There is a strong correlation between the types of research approved for study in the Research Institute and the hospital's specialized areas of patient care. To explain medical science to the com- munity, St. Joseph's has planned an Open House to be held this Saturday and Sunday, October 29 and 3U between 2 and 4 p.m. in The Research Institute and service laboratories. Agricultural resource inventory pinpoints land use, drainage An Ontario -wide survey of agricultural land use and the type, location and extent of on-farm tile drainage and municipal drainage systems has been published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, minister Dennis Timbrell announced recently. The agricultural resource inventory con- tains over 1,000 maps offering a township - by -township picture of drainage and agricultural activities. "This will be an invaluable tool for local planners, providing a more detailed over- view than past maps that used general labels for land use such as urban, crop and/or woodland," Timbrell said. The inventory documents variations in crop management from farm to farm. Previous surveys transferred information from air photos onto small-scale maps and did not recognize individual farms. "The inventory shows how we are using our soil, giving us an opportunity to see precisely how such factors as climate, soil conditions, crop demands and marketing conditions translate into a pattern of land use " Timbrell said. The minister added that this is the first time comprehensive drainage information has been compiled on this scale in an easily understood format. The inventory drew on several detailed studies covering specific parts of the pro- vince and supplemented these with informa- tion provided by a mapping and field crew. This crew was funded as a job creation project by the Board of Industrial Leader- ship and n."Plnnment (RILD), a special committee of the Ontario Cabinet headed by Treasurer Larry Grossman, and the Canada Employment and Immigration Commis- sion. During the year ending March 31, 1983, this project employed 200 people. Copies of the agricultural resource inven- tory are available from: Capital Im- provements Branch, Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Legislative Buildings, Queen's Park, Toronto, M7A 2B2. College to hold open house When the students of Centralia College of Agricultural Technology plan for the future, the future of agriculture, animal health and food service is their concern. Displays and demonstrations on the theme, "Pathway to the Future" are featured at Open House '83 on Wednesday, November 9 at the college from 1 to 9 p.m. High School students and their families are especially welcome at Open House. It is the ideal time to meet the faculty and to observe college life. The event is a series of exhibits of interest for everyone. Student projects emphasize the major subjects within each of the three disciplines at the school: Agricultural Business Management; Animal Health Technology; and Food Service Management. Guests are greeted at Huron Hall and guided on a walking tour around the cam- pus. Meals are available at the college cafeteria. For more information, contact Dr. Stan Alkemade or Mrs. Kathy Biondi, at 2284891, Centralia College of Agricultural Technology. charge of the program, not the basal reader. The teacher alters materials to ac- commodate the needs of the students," noted Mr. McCall. The new curriculum bases the students' reading ability on their ability to read silently rather than reading out loud or in front of the class. As for writing, "students learn to write by writing", notes the superintendent. Grammar and form, taught during the writing period, are part of the curriculum. The curriculum focuses on teachers in- troducing grammatical concepts and ter- minology while assisting students in discovering how their writing can be made more effective. This method is the opposite to teaching grammar before writing. "That is the essence of what constitutes a meaningful language arts program and is a summary of what our new document addresses in theory and practice," con- cluded Mr. McCall. GODER1CH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2f ,1983 --PAGE 15 User fee for Exeter Roc Centre EXETER - A user fee system !nay be Studies have shown that teeterya a Initiated at the South Huron Rec Centre, disproportionate share of tike deficit, but near Exeter. Town councll and the rec efforts to have area mialicipalities inCrease centre board agreed to proceed with planks to their assistance have proven futile in most - start the system due to lack of response instances. from area municipalities to assume a more Exeter Mayor Bruce Shaw *nes that If, equitable share of the sec board's deficit. the user fee has to be adopted that residents While arrangements for the user fee in the neighboring municipalities will voice system will be made, area municipalities their complaints to their c oundils and will still be given the chance to come up with prompt the latter to take a second look at Increased grant support before the system is their contribution. adopted. MICRO COMPUTER I SEMINAR To Be Held On Thursday, October 27th AT Benmiller Inn (River Mill Conference Room) Speaker: Mr. Hans Apeldoorn Subject: Why And How To Buy A Microcomputer" 2 Sessions 2-4 p.m. & 7-9 p.m. BUSINESS 2-4 P.M. EDUCATION - Word Processing - Visicalc - Profile I11 File Management - Courier - Electronic Mail - Learning Labs - High Motivation Reading - Special Education -Math Programs - Science Programs - Football Scoring FARMING 7-9 P.M. - Use of Microcomputers On Farms - Farm Accounting Cost: $10.00 Per Person - File Management - Agristar REGISTER NOW! Last date: 12:00 NOON OCT. 27th PHONE NOW 524-4232 - 524-7171 - 524-7924 • Here's the sale you've been wafing for! NORHOLME DECORATING CENTRE OUR FIRST EVER OCK UCTION RANCE Our entire stock of Carpeting -Resilient Flooring - and Wallpapers is on sale! Special Hours for this Sale THURSDAY, OCT. 27: FRIDAY, OCT. 28: CLOSED FROM 12 NOON TO 6 PM TO MARK DOWN PRICES DOORS OPEN 6 PM -9 PM SALE CONTINUES 9-6 PM CARPETS FLOOR WA OVERINGS WALLPAPERS From All solo priced - from From 3Q. 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