Toronto’s Casey House and The Rekai Centres launch a brand new educational video series to end and address the stigma associated with providing compassionate care needs for people living with HIV/AIDS

TitleScreenPhoto1HIV/AIDS specialty hospital Casey House has partnered with long-term care home provider, The Rekai Centres, to launch a brand new video series titled Compassionate Care in a Changing Landscape: HIV/AIDS and Long Term Care.  The eight-part educational series focuses on bringing awareness and increasing sensitivity to the ever-changing compassionate care needs of people living with HIV/AIDS.

 

With generous contributions from the M.A.C. AIDS Fund, Casey House and The Rekai Centres have produced the video series, designed to assist anyone working in a long-term care setting. Through identifying the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS and understanding the principles of empathetic care, frontline staff will have the awareness and tools required to build a compassionate and comprehensive person-centred approach. By including the voice of the clients, the series aims to increase empathy and improves care provider confidence and health care delivery. These training videos have been found to be useful for education at hospitals, AIDS Service Organizations and academic settings for health care professionals in training.

 

Topics covered include an introduction to HIV, reviewing safety for clients and care providers; cognitive changes, an exploration of health concerns that can emerge with age and how they affect people living longer with HIV; families and networks of support, an overview of families navigating the health care system; mental health and HIV care, stories of people living with HIV and their journeys with mental health and illness; pharmacology and HIV, an overview of the history and current state of anti-retro viral medications and treatment; substance use and HIV care, the personal stories and wisdom on living with substances, harm reduction and recovery; and complex care and HIV which highlights the concurrent diagnosis that people living with HIV often encounter and holistic care approaches that consider the individual and their life circumstances.

 

In Toronto, one in every 120 adults is HIV positive and in Ontario well over 7,000 people over the age of 50 are living with HIV/AIDS. With longer life expectancy and the potential complexities of care that can arise, Casey House provides sub-acute hospital care for these individuals.  As people living with HIV require additional resources long-term care homes, like The Rekai Centres, are admitting more clients. The video series will support staff to provide ongoing compassionate care.

 

“HIV positive clients have faced stigma and discrimination throughout their lives and care experiences,” says Karen de Prinse, Director of Clinical Programs, Casey House. “The videos are an educational tool available free to those practicing in care environments or learning to do so, with a goal to introduce the clinical issues impacting an HIV positive client to the care team in a long term care environment.”

 

The Rekai Centres have a reputation for recognizing the changing needs of the residents of Toronto.  We were the first to embrace multiculturalism in healthcare hiring individuals who could communicate with the changing makeup of the residents of Toronto.” says Sue Graham-Nutter, Executive Director, The Rekai Centre at Wellesley Central Place. “When we noticed a number of inquiries from individuals living with HIV/AIDS, we sought the expertise available at Casey House.  We are pleased to partner with Casey House in providing educational videos so that all staff in long term care homes in Ontario can properly meet the needs of incoming residents living with HIV/AIDS.”

 

The videos are available to stream at http://www.hivlongtermcare.com.

 

About Casey House

 

Founded in 1988, Casey House (9 Huntley Street, Toronto) was the first freestanding HIV/AIDS hospice in Canada, creating a specialty HIV/AIDS hospital with community programs including home nursing care and outreach. Free of stigma and fear, Casey House provides compassionate, interprofessional health services to people living with HIV/AIDS who have evolving complex health issues. We contribute our unique experience to a broader system of HIV/AIDS care, education and research.

 

About The Rekai Centres

 

The Rekai Centres are among the first dedicated long-term homes in downtown Toronto. With over 50 years of care and service in Toronto, The Rekai Centres are committed to providing care which recognizes the diversity  of the residents while fostering a spirit of togetherness. With locations at Sherbourne Place and Wellesley Central Place, The Rekai Centres are able to provide culturally sensitive care for 276 individuals.

 

For more information visit:

www.caseyhouse.com

www.rekaicentre.com

www.hivlongtermcare.com

Follow Casey House on Twitter:
@caseyhouseTO

Like Casey House on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/CaseyHouseTO

 

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Available for Interviews:
Karen de Prinse, Director of Clinical Programs, Casey House

Maureen Mahan, Education Coordinator, Casey House

Sue Graham-Nutter, Executive Director, The Rekai Centres

 

For media inquiries please contact:

Pennant Media Group

Kevin Pennant  [email protected]

Toronto 416.596.2978

USA 855.596.2978