Last call for Client Choice Award Nominations closing on May 31!

Does your VHA Personal Support Worker (PSW), Nurse, Rehab Therapist, Scheduling Coordinator, Home Support Worker or Extreme Cleaner provide spectacular care? Nominate them for a Client Choice Award!

VHA is committed to bringing the voices, feedback and ideas of clients and their families into everything we do. That’s why we want YOU to help us pick our 2023 Client Choice Award winners by nominating an outstanding care team member!

Nominate a member of your VHA Care Team for a Client Choice Award

Strategic Opportunism and the Moral Imperative to Grow

VHA's President and CEO Dr. Kathryn Nichol recently published an article sharing her insights on VHA's strategic approach to determining which projects to participate in with healthcare sector partners. VHA's strategic opportunism helps guide decision-making as we look to expand the care we deliver directly to communities and enhance integrated care service delivery with partners, all while considering that 'x' factor for our leaders.

You can read the article, Strategic Opportunism and the Moral Imperative to Grow, here.

Read Strategic Opportunism and the Moral Imperative to Grow Article

VHA Celebrates PSW & HSW Day

Every year on May 19, Personal Support Worker Day is a chance to celebrate and honour the essential role Personal Support Workers (PSWs) and Home Support Workers (HSWs) play in Ontario’s healthcare system.

Approximately 34% of the province’s PSWs work in home and community care, supporting people to remain in their own homes and helping with daily tasks that have become difficult due to age, illness, injury or disability. PSWs and HSWs also provide vital companionship to vulnerable Ontarians, alleviate some of the strain that informal or family caregivers experience and are often the first health professionals to notice a change in a client’s health or wellbeing. This support helps keep residents safe and comfortable at home and dramatically reduces the need for emergency room visits, costly hospital stays or long-term care admissions.

At VHA, our vital support teams provide personal care services that may include bathing, dressing, grooming and medication management and both PSWs and HSWs help with meal preparation, household duties, companionship and respite care for overwhelmed caregivers.

We want to wish everyone a Happy Personal Support Worker Day from all of us at VHA. We recognize the compassion and commitment and the incredible contributions they make to our clients and families. To help us celebrate, a few VHA support workers shared why their work is so valuable and what they love most about their profession. Read more from Jullie, Jane, Amber and Delores:

National Nursing Week: Our Nurses, Our Future

In May, we also recognize National Nursing Week (May 8-12), an annual celebration taking place the same week as Florence Nightingale’s birthday, May 12.

With this year’s Nursing Week theme in mind, “Our Nurses, Our Future,” we would like to reflect on the great work our nurses have done and recognize the important role they all have to play in the future of our healthcare system and client’s health-care journey.

VHA nurses play a vital role in supporting the health and well-being of our clients across the lifespan – from children with complex medical needs to frail seniors experiencing challenges with aging. Nurses are highly-skilled professionals who provide a wide range of expert, quality care such as medication management, wound care, chronic disease management and palliative care, all delivered with great heart and compassion. VHA has a hardworking, dedicated team of nurses and nurse practitioners working with clients and families in a variety of settings, including client homes, nursing clinics and congregate settings. We, and our clients and families, are fortunate for the spectacular service our nurses provide each and every day.

We wanted to share the lovely messages of recognition that VHA nurses received from nursing leaders Dr. Leigh Chapman, Chief Nursing Officer for Health Canada; Dr. Karima Velji, Chief of Nursing and Professional Practice, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ontario Ministry of Health; and Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario.

View the messages of support from nursing leaders for National Nursing Week

myVHA Client Portal Now Available for all Clients who receive Personal Support, Shift Nursing and Nursing Clinic Care

The myVHA client portal gives our clients greater control over how and when they receive care. It is designed to help enhance communications between clients and VHA’s team members. We are pleased to share that clients visiting VHA’s nursing clinics now have access to the myVHA client portal. This will allow these clients to easily view their appointment information through the portal, cancel visits that are not required, and request changes to their scheduled appointments through the portal when necessary. Clients visiting our Fairview clinic located on Fairview Mall Drive, our North Clinic located on Eglinton Avenue West and our Malton Integrated Care Clinic located on Traders Blvd East are encouraged to learn more and register for myVHA.

Learn more and register for the myVHA Client Portal

Balance Exercises for Older Adults at Home

Falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations for Canadian adults over the age of 65. Aging can lead to decreased balance, changes in vision, joint stiffness and decreased muscle strength, all of which can increase the risk of falls.

Exercises that specifically challenge your balance can improve your stability and coordination, lower your fall risk and help you stay active and independent as you age. Not all exercises are right for everyone. Always speak to your physiotherapist or health care provider before starting any home exercise program.

Learn more about Balance Exercises for Older Adults

Age-Related Hearing Loss: Signs, Causes, Treatment and Prevention

Age-related hearing loss, also called presbycusis, is the gradual loss of hearing in both ears as a person ages. One in three adults over the age of 65 and nearly half of adults over 75 experience hearing changes.

This type of hearing loss is usually gradual so many people don’t realize that their hearing is declining. Others may find it difficult to admit that they are experiencing these age-related changes. Although hearing loss can be a normal part of aging, no one needs to live with the symptoms. Left untreated, hearing loss can significantly impact a person’s quality of life and lead to increased social isolation, depression and anxiety. Age-related hearing loss can also cause safety concerns if an individual is unable to hear smoke alarms, car horns or other important alerts. Balance can also be affected which can increase the risk of falls. If you or a loved one are concerned, here’s more on the symptoms, causes, treatment options and prevention efforts.

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