Learning from One Another

In our last issue, we told you about meetings our Department sponsors with our long-term care facilities across the country. These meetings allow us to share ideas and best practices on how to deliver quality care to our veteran clients.

This year's meeting highlighted many of the Department's initiatives which contribute to the high standard of quality care delivered in our long-term care facilities. Food quality was one of the main topics discussed this year. It is one of the 10 care outcome standards that our Department uses to measure the quality of life of veterans who live in long-term care facilities.

We recognize the direct impact food has on the quality of veterans' lives. This is why we are working with our partners and veterans on many food issues, including how to prepare and reheat certain foods so they remain tasty and nutritious, menu selections and cultural dishes that contribute to our veterans' overall satisfaction and quality of life.

There also were several thought-provoking presentations on family and its role in caring for loved ones. Dr. Colin Powell delivered a presentation highlighting the current demographics of our aging clients and how relationships between parents and their children continue to evolve and change.

Meeting In Cyberspace

The health care professionals who look after our veterans in long-term care facilities have one priority: they want to provide veterans with the best possible care. To help achieve this goal, Veterans Affairs Canada worked with the Lodge at Broadmead and our other long-term care partners to develop an on-line site where health care workers and our staff can share information, ask questions, offer solutions to those questions, and generally keep in touch. The On-line Community of Care was officially launched in May 2004. This site provides our national network of long-term care partners with a secure means of going on-line anytime, from anywhere in the country, to access the knowledge they need to improve the well-being of veterans who are under their care.