NATIONAL NURSING WEEK
9
WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2020
MAY 6-12, 2019 NATIONAL NURSING WEEK cna-aiic.ca MAY 11-17, 2020
Nursing the World to Health
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QUALITY CARE AT HOME PROGRAM SERVES CLIENTS IN THEIR COMFORT ZONES
BY MIKE DALY
Most of us dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic have been scrupulously following advice to not allow visitors into our homes. But for a number of clients of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s (WRHA) Home Care program, Jay Barayuga’s presence is a reassuring and necessary sight.
A s a Visiting Nurse with the program for the past three years, Barayuga conducts ongoing health assessments, ensuring that his clients are coping well within their homes. He also helps ensure that family members or caregivers have the support they need within the health- care system. Established in 1974, the WRHA’s Home Care program helps people live at home and remain independent for as long as possible, thereby avoiding or delaying the need for admission into hospitals or long-term care facilities. To be eligible for Home Care, individuals must be a Manitoba resident, registered with Manitoba Health, require health services or assistance with activities of daily living, require service to remain safely in their homes, and require more assistance than is available from existing supports and community resources. “The importance of Home Care is that nurses provide care in the clients’ homes, where they are most comfortable, where they are at lower risk of infection, and where, I think [and evidence shows], they heal faster. They are in their comfort zone, basically,” Barayuga says. “We deal with clients in all aspects of their life and care,” he says. “We don’t go there just to complete a task; we assess and look at the bigger picture. What’s going on with the client? Do they need help from other health-care experts? If so, that’s the time that we coordinate and collaborate with other members of the health-care team.” Those other resources can include dietitians, nurse specialists, and occupational and physiotherapists. The Home Care team also helps keep the client’s physician up-to-date about how the client’s care is progressing. The challenges and rewards of
the job provided ample incentive for Barayuga to make the move from a previous job as a nurse in a personal- care home. “I find that in Home Care, I have autonomy,” he says. “My job maximizes my critical thinking skills. I have to evaluate whether my interventions are working or not. If I find the interventions aren’t working, then I have to re-evaluate, re-assess and change my interventions to achieve the care goals for the client.” Working day or evening shifts, Barayuga sees an average of 12 clients per day, or up to 21 clients if he is working in a large seniors’ residence such as Lions Manor or Lions Place. In either case, he says his clients are happy to see him. “Sometimes they live at home all by themselves, and the only people they get to talk to are Home Care staff. They are able to have a discussion about how they feel, and it helps them to have someone take the time to listen.” Providing that kind of client care and satisfaction is also rewarding to Home Care staff. “When the client is appreciative of the care we are providing, it’s gratifying,” Barayuga says. “If we see clients who heed our health advice and we see that, for example, they are diabetic and are adhering to their diet and effectively managing their use of insulin, it makes us happy and makes it easier for us to help them achieve their health-care targets.” For Barayuga, it all adds up to a simple recipe for success. “Success is when you are happy in what you are doing. And I’m very happy supporting my clients in Home Care. I think the most rewarding part of my job is making a difference in other people’s lives and putting a smile on their faces. That’s priceless.” ✚
To the caring, hard-working, dedicated NURSES who have been serving patients so tirelessly during COVID-19. WE THANK YOU.
Prov.ca
IN CELEBRATION OF NATIONAL NURSING WEEK, the CLPNM would like to recognize LPNs for their contribution to the health and wellness of all Manitobans, and for their unwavering dedication to providing exceptional care and comfort to all during this particularly uncertain time.
The CLPNM is the regulatory body that governs the practice of student practical nurses, graduate practical nurses, and licensed practical nurses in Manitoba.
JAY BARAYUGA IS A VISITING NURSE WITH WINNIPEG REGIONAL HEALTH AUTHORITY’S (WRHA) HOME CARE PROGRAM.
During these extraordinary times, we are more grateful than ever for the compassion and care of Manitoba Nurses. THANK YOU!
Jon Gerrard
Dougald Lamont MLA for St. Boniface
Cindy Lamoureux
PHOTO BY NATASHA WOLOSCHUK
Visit www.gov.mb.ca/health/homecare/guide.pdf to find more information about Home Care in Manitoba .
MANITOBA LIBERALS
MLA for Tyndall Park
MLA for River Heights
Mike Daly is a communications specialist with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
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