Social Prescribing

Social prescribing is an approach whereby healthcare providers can connect older adults with community-based services and resources, such as exercise classes, social groups, meal programs, food banks, and much more.

Seniors Navigation Coordinators

In the Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) Region, social prescribing works through Support Services to Seniors Navigation Coordinators and a central intake line.

Healthcare providers who have an older patient/client they think could benefit from community-based services can refer the person to the central intake line.

The Seniors Navigation Coordinator then connects the older person with the Seniors Resource Coordinator who is responsible for the community in which the per-son lives. The Seniors Resource Coordinator, in turn, helps the person with their needs.

“There are 44 Senior Resource Coordinators in PMH. Having a central intake line makes it easier for healthcare providers, so they don’t have to figure which one of the 44 Coordinators to refer the person to” says Jacqueline Deslauriers, Supervisor, Support Services to Seniors.

“Seniors can call for anything. Where’s the near-est foot care clinic? Where’s the nearest food bank? All information that we were collecting (in our resource database).” – Jacqueline Deslauriers

The central intake line can be used by anybody (i.e. healthcare providers, older adults, or any member of the public) to get information and connect with resources. “We toured the region to meet all of the 44 seniors’ resource coordinators and to look around in each community to see what is there”, says Deslauriers. The information was then compiled in a resource database that Navigation Coordinators use to connect clients to services .

Making a Difference

Seniors Navigation Coordinators have connected older adults with a range of services and resources.

Deslauriers remembers one client, who was in hospital and getting prepared to be panelled for a PCH, but was not eligible. Homecare connected with Support Services to Seniors to look for other options and was provided with information on the local senior accom-modations and meal programs, which provided the cli-ent and family with the options. It opened up the dis-cussion and possibility for the client to explore all the local services and supports available.

In another case, after a hospitalization, an older client had difficulty preparing meals. At first, she had meals delivered from a restaurant, but that got too expensive. Support Services to Seniors connected her with the meal program in her community. Through the program, she was able to have meals delivered for the whole week. “This is exactly what we needed to have her stay at home. Mom got what she needed, said the son” Deslauriers recalls.