A PROGRAM that focused on improving care for senior citizens at Western Health has been farewelled with a celebratory send-off.
The Best Care for Older People (BCOP) program was established by Western Health, which runs Sunshine Hospital, the Western Hospital in Footscray and Williamstown Hospital.
On a typical day at Western Health, 70 per cent of inpatients are aged 65 years and over.
The BCOP, which was funded by the Department of Health between 2011-2013, enabled the hospitals to obtain new weighing equipment for use across three inpatient campuses and utilise artwork to assist with older patients’ behaviour.
The BCOP also provided 320 new patient chairs, 220 visitor chairs and 130 footrests across three Western Health locations.
Funding for the program will end on 30 June this year, and the BCOP last Wednesday staged their final event titled, ‘Best Care for Older People: 2013 and Beyond forum,’ at the Sunshine Hospital.
The event was opened by Western Health CEO Associate Professor Alex Cockram, and included an interactive display of quality improvement initiatives occurring throughout the organisation.
Afterwards, the hospital hosted The Great Debate, with the topic ‘That’s not my Patient!!: The care of all patients is everyone’s responsibility.’
At a BCOP event last year, Ass Prof Cockram said the program had helped create improvements to aged care for older people at Western Health.
“This is a really inventive approach to embedding evidenced-based practice across the organisation,so our workforce on the ground is innovative in its provision of quality care,” she said.
