Lenore works with Physiotherapist Nicola Bell in Providence’s Falls Prevention Clinic.

Like many people well into their eighties, Lenore has experienced some health challenges. She has become prone to falls, and her back and hips often feel painful.

Last year the situation was taking a toll. “I felt down,” she said. “I didn’t feel like doing anything.”

At the time, her daughter Hazel was working at Providence and heard about its newly launched Community Referral Pathway. Hazel suggested the pathway to her mother; Lenore agreed it was worth trying and obtained a referral through her family physician.

Through the care path, Lenore received an assessment from an interprofessional team that concluded she should come to Providence for two weeks as an inpatient for a “wellness stay.”

Lenore noted her spirits began to lift when she was admitted.

Since completing her two-week stay, she has started the next phase of her recommended treatment plan – weekly sessions at Providence’s Falls Prevention Clinic as an outpatient.

At the clinic, physiotherapist Nicola Bell is working with Lenore to improve her strength, endurance and posture. Through a combination of using a seated stepper machine that simulates walking and performing specific exercises in the Clinic and at home between appointments, Nicola notes Lenore now has more energy and is stronger since she first came to the Clinic.

Her spirits are up, too. Lenore says she looks forward to her time at the Clinic and that she can’t say enough about the friendliness of the staff. “It is a wonderful place,” she beamed.

ABOUT THE PATHWAY

Providence’s Community Referral Pathway provides Fast Access for Seniors to Community Assess and Restore Services (FAST CARS). The goal of this standardized care path is to stabilize the health of vulnerable frail seniors and to keep them healthy and safe at home for as long as possible.

Launched last year, the program is making a difference in the lives of seniors like Lenore.

BY THE NUMBERS

95 – Referrals from the Community Referral Pathway to Falls Prevention Clinic from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016.

87 – New admissions so far to the Falls Prevention Clinic from the Community Referral Pathway (April 1-October 31, 2016) and the number continues to rise.