b'QUALITY & INNOVATION AWARDS 2019Quality ImprovementInnovation of the YearSouthampton Care Centre creates a culturally safe homefor Indigenous peopleI n 2019, the Southampton Careparticular instances of anxiety,culturally safe care strategies for Centre launched an initiative toparanoia, and overall distrust forIndigenous residents; specifically, create a safer and more inclusivethe health care system among itsthose living with dementia. From environment for its IndigenousIndigenous residents. We wanted tothere, the team launched monthly residents. The idea was motivatedcreate a culturally safe environmentstaff education forums to gain by a desire to enhance its quality offor this population to put them at easeawareness around key Indigenous care for the First Nation communityand reduce responsive behaviours,issues such as colonization, the Indian members living in a reserve near theOhm says. Our program started fromAct, residential schools, andJarlette Health Services home, and tothat idea and grew into something allother challenges. elevate the homes diversity-focusedits own.programming overall.[The training] was a huge learning To begin, staff from the homescurve for everybody because these We began to notice differentmanagement and behaviouraltopics werent exactly covered in responsive behaviours from oursupport teams completed the Sanyasdepth in our schools growing up, Indigenous population, and theIndigenous Cultural Safety Trainingsays Andrea Prentice, Resident and more we looked into it, the moreprogram, an eight-week onlineFamily Services Coordinator. Even we recognized the possibility thatcourse that equips participants withthose who had gone to school with these residents had lived throughthe awareness and skills to mitigateIndigenous students from the reserve a residential school experience orcultural biases in their jobs, create anear us were shocked about the another kind of trauma that made itmore inclusive care environment, andthings they learned and had never difficult for them to feel comfortableteach their colleagues to do the same.thought of. Going through this training in a long-term care environment,created a heightened awareness for says Brenda Ohm, Administrator atNext, the team reached out toour staff and things to consider when Southampton Care Centre.the Indigenous Cognition & Agingengaging our residents.Awareness Research Exchange Responsive behaviours often(I-CAARE) for additional support. ItWith a foundation of education and occur with dementia as part of thealso incorporated I-CAAREs PIECESawareness in place, the Southampton progression of the disease. Still, thetool, which provides guidance andCare Centre started designing Southampton team was noticingpractical steps to implementingIndigenous-themed programs and 18 LONG TERM CARE TODAY Spring/Summer 2020'