A new Seniors Health and Wellness Centre has opened up in Kelowna within the Cottonwoods Care Centre.
The centre will benefit those with frailty and age-related medical conditions through offering access to specialist services.
Particular services include multidisciplinary assessments, short-term therapeutic interventions and access to geriatricians and family doctors with a special interest in geriatrics.
The centre will also offer education and connections to other community services that will help seniors access programs promoting health and wellness as well advise on how to live independently for as long as possible.
“More than 22 per cent of residents within Interior Health are over 65 years, and that number is on the rise,” said Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick. “Enhanced community care and improved access to specialized services will help ensure seniors with complex care needs continue to receive the care they require now and in the coming years.”
“The new Seniors Health and Wellness Centre further strengthens seniors care by drawing on experts and team members from a number of different disciplines to care for clients. Working together, these teams promote an individual’s independence by stabilizing their age-related symptoms and connecting them with appropriate services and supports in the community,” said Kelowna-Mission MLA Steve Thomson.
The opening of the centre was made possible by the work of the Local Action Team, a group of partners who came together in the Central Okanagan to identify health gaps, priority areas, and possible solutions.
Members of the group come from the Ministry of Health; Central Okanagan Division of Family Practice; Interior Health; Patient Voices Network; United Way; and Baptist Housing.
“The Ministry of Health asked the Central Okanagan Division of Family Practice and Interior Health to work together toward excellence in seniors' care in our communities,” said Dr. Gayle Klammer, Central Okanagan Division member and co-chair of the Local Action Team and Implementation Team. “The Seniors Health and Wellness Centre is the first step, offering comprehensive assessment and short-term follow-up by a team including physicians and allied health professionals."
“We strive to create seamless care with community seniors' services,” added Dr. Michele Thomasse, a member of the Local Action Team and the Central Okanagan Division. “The centre’s multidisciplinary approach enables us to leverage the expertise of the geriatricians and family physicians working together at the centre to increase capacity and improve patient outcomes.
The Seniors Health and Wellness Centre model will also be introduced in Kamloops this upcoming spring as part of the Northills Centre Interior Health Primary and Community Care Services.
for more information about senior care, visit Adult and Seniors Health under Your Health here.
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