More Awards for the Perley Health Community

On November 7, the Registered Nurses' Foundation of Ontario (RNFOO) presented Nurse Innovator Awards to three Perley Health staffers: Daniela Acosta, Heather MacLeod and Andrea Liu. The three women earned the Award for their development and delivery of a workshop on SeeMe®: Understanding frailty together, the framework for developing care plans that prioritize residents' values, preferences and desired lifestyle. The Award comes with a grant of $20,000 to support further development of training materials.

“We're very pleased to support this work,” says Margaret Blastorah, President of the RNFOO Board of Directors. “This creating valuable educational tool will help nurses have meaningful conversations about priorities and goals with long-term care residents and their families. Person-centered care is an important focus in nursing; this resource can help patients and residents understand and communicate their goals and will sustain nurses in their role as advocates in a wide variety of settings.”

Two other Perley Health staffers, both Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) earned weRPN awards from the Registered Practical Nurses' Association of Ontario. Kamal Koirala received the Preceptor Award of Excellence, while Kristin Brown earned an award for Excellence in Palliative Care.

The Ontario Council of Hospital Unions named Kelly Donahue Personal Support Worker (PSW) of the year. Donohue is a Special Approach PSW and a member of Perley Health's Psychogeriatric and Palliative Care Team. Among her many accomplishments: helping to develop the GPA Walk and Talk program (a mobile, on-the-job program that equips staff with practical and real-life strategies for responding with confidence to behaviours associated with dementia); and co-authoring Share Because We Care: GPA in Palliative and End-Of-Life Care, a research article published in the Advanced Gerontological Education Inc. newsletter.

Registered Nurse Samantha Boulerice earned a bronze medal in Antimicrobial Stewardship in the Journal of Wound Care's annual awards. Boulerice has worked at Perley Health for more than a decade and is currently a Wound, Ostomy & Continence Nurse.

The Canadian Association of Environmental Management awarded Perley Health's Housekeeping Department first place in its annual competition. Congrats to all members of the team, headed by Housekeeping Supervisors Chris Smith and Bobby Sampson. In addition, Housekeeping Aide Avelina Fonacier won the Canadian Health Care Housekeeping Association's Frontline Award of Excellence.
Healthcare Excellence Canada's annual Innovation Challenge celebrates new and effective practices that improve care. Among this year's Challenge winners was the program introduced at Perley Health to welcome and orient new hires.

Kudos to all!