Expert Advisory Panel to Recommend Improvements in Long-term Care

NOTE: Biographies for the members of the advisory panel follows this release.

Minister of Health and Wellness Randy Delorey has appointed an expert advisory panel to look at ways to improve the quality of long-term care in Nova Scotia.

“We want to make sure people living in our long-term care homes are getting the best care possible,” said Mr. Delorey. “Recent concerns have left us looking at what we can be doing differently and these experts will help guide us.”

The three-member panel includes:

• Janice Keefe, chair – director of Mount Saint Vincent University’s Nova Scotia Centre on Aging
• Dr. Greg Archibald – family doctor, wound care expert and head of Dalhousie University’s Department of Family Medicine
• Cheryl Smith – nurse practitioner, educator focusing on polypharmacy and dementia care

Their work will include:

• identifying evidence-based solutions to improve quality of care in long-term care facilities
• recommending appropriate staffing levels, staff complement and skill mix for long-term care facilities
• advising on the recruitment and retention of long-term care staff

In reviewing quality of care, there will be a focus on matters such as proper wound care, patient and worker safety, and appropriate care and protection of vulnerable persons.

The panel has been asked to report back with recommendations by November 30.

There are about 6,900 nursing home beds and 900 residential care facility beds in Nova Scotia that serve about 11,000 people each year.

Biographies:
Janice Keefe, PhD, is a professor and chair of family studies and gerontology and director of the Nova Scotia Centre on Aging at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax. She is also an adjunct professor in medicine at Dalhousie University in Halifax. Her research areas include family caregiving policy and practice, home and long-term care policy, home and long-term care human resources and rural aging. Ms. Keefe has received recognition for her research, most recently a Global Aging Research Network Award for Applied Research (2017) and a Canadian Association on Gerontology’s Distinguished Member Award (2017).

Dr. Greg Archibald is a professor and head of the Department of Family Medicine at Dalhousie University. He oversees the distributed education of family medicine in the maritime provinces. His interest in long-term care has spanned his 36-year career. In 2008, he partnered with Dr. Barry Clarke in the implementation of the Care by Design model while QEII Chief of Family Practice (2000-2010). He held the role of president of the Canadian Association of Wound Care (2013-2016) and is the outgoing past president of the organization that is now known as Wounds Canada. Dr. Archibald has developed an expertise in wound care and teaches locally and nationally on the subject.

Cheryl Smith, doctor of nursing practice, is a primary health care nurse practitioner working for Nova Scotia Health Authority with a primary focus on seniors’ health in community and long-term care settings. She is actively involved with the Canadian Deprescribing Network, Suggested Optimization of Medications for the Frail Elderly Polypharmacy, College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia, Nurse Practitioner Association of Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Health Ethics Network and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioner Certification Board. In addition, as an educator, Ms. Smith has taught multiple topics to diverse health providers and is currently affiliated with Dalhousie University and Athabasca University in Alberta.