AHS to expand local continuing care options this fall

DRUMHELLER – A level of continuing care previously unavailable in the community will soon be available at the Drumheller Health Centre.

This fall, eight long-term care beds at the Alberta Health Services (AHS) facility will be re-designated for supportive living, filling a gap in the area’s mix of continuing care options.

These beds will be for individuals who can no longer live safely at home due to complex but predictable medical needs that can be managed with onsite, professional nursing under the direction of a case manager.

“This change broadens the options for community members looking for the right level of continuing care. It also improves the way we deliver safe and sustainable care at the Drumheller Health Centre,” says AHS Senior Operating Officer Allan Sinclair.

Following the transition, the Drumheller Health Centre will still have 88 long-term care beds for patients with unpredictable complex care needs, as well as four restorative care beds for patients trying to regain independence following illness or injury. The number of continuing care spaces overall remains unchanged. No one will have to leave the health facility as a result of this change.

The supportive living and restorative care beds will be located on the health centre’s Coalbanks unit. The remaining 88 long-term care beds are located on a separate unit.

“We will work closely with residents and their families to help them settle into their new unit as seamlessly as possibly,” says AHS Area Director Barb Frere. “We will provide them with all the support they need to make a smooth and respectful transition to their new home in the hospital.”

Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.