“Mobility within your ability” – this is the goal that the new SCOPE (Safer Care for Older Persons in Residential Environments) team at Menno Place has set for the next 12 months. Specifically, they will work to reduce fall related injuries by 50% by April 2019, and improve mobility by creating an ‘Active Lifestyle’ approach at Menno Place. A team of three care aides and one recreation staff has been brought together to work on developing strategies to reach these goals. The initiative of these four individuals is a testament to the supportive and creative work environment that exists at Menno Place.

SCOPE [Previous SCOPE research] is an exciting year long grant based program, implemented through the TREC (Translating Research for Elder Care) Program at the University of Alberta.  It focuses on improving safety and quality of care for nursing home residents by developing and supporting care aides as leaders of quality improvement projects. Care aides are empowered to design, test and measure change ideas, in order to address front-line issues that impact the entire campus. The changes created by care aides through SCOPE can increase feelings of safety, effectiveness and collaboration among the whole care team.

What are the benefits for Menno Place?

• Improve resident mobility related to dementia
• Increase staff knowledge and skills for quality improvement
• Regional sharing of improvement projects
• Build and demonstrate leadership skills
• On-going support from the SCOPE Quality Advisor

How will this impact the Menno Place campus?

This project will be a year-long project that is based on the PDSA cycle (Plan, Do, Study, Act).  Once the year is completed in Menno Hospital W2, we will work on rolling this out around the whole campus.