RN develops partnerships to promote healthy aging

Linda Simmons was looking for some extra money when she returned to registered nursing practice in 1972. The Good Samaritan Care Centre in Stony Plain, a community west of Edmonton, offered her a staff nurse position and she went on to become a nurse educator, head nurse, and finally, director of nursing. While she acquired a wealth of knowledge about caring for sick, elderly patients, Simmons also perceived the need to focus on health promotion and developed a personal passion for healthy aging.

After 17 years at the The Good Samaritan, Simmons enrolled in the bachelor of nursing program at the University of Alberta to complement the diploma earned in 1966 from the Calgary General Hospital School of Nursing. She graduated in 1991 alongside her daughter, Janie Tyrrell.

Simmons entered home care practice, and in 1999 her manager gave her the go-ahead to implement Healthy Aging Clinics. Today, she wheels her clinic-in-a-suitcase to nine locations in Spruce Grove, Stony Plain and Wabamun. She sees more than 100 patients a month, about 10 percent of the area's older population. In busier clinics, where 20 people a day may drop in, she works with a colleague. Occasionally, she'll visit a shut-in.

Wide-ranging partnerships are the reason Healthy Aging Clinics succeed.

The primary partnership involves seniors themselves. "We work with seniors, encouraging them to take responsibility to maintain their health, incorporating health education with every person we see," says Simmons.

Things change, she reminds clients: "Come back in six months." If she hasn't seen someone for a year, she'll phone to check for any concerns and offer a reminder that the clinic is still available. After four years, this level of follow-up has earned her the trust of many. Most return, bringing friends and spouses to take advantage of her nursing services.

Simmons has also established partnerships with seniors centres, housing complexes and apartment buildings which host clinics in a friendly environment. Extending her reach outward, Simmons may collaborate with the medical profession for one client, with the volunteer referral centre to find someone to drive her client to appointments, or with the pharmacist for another. In short, Simmons considers any profession or organization that can help seniors stay healthy as a potential partner.

Healthy Aging clients stay within the health care system, with components moving in and out of their lives as their health care needs change. Now that many health services including acute care, home care, rehab, mental health, as well as Simmons are all under one roof in the Westview Health Centre in Stony Plain, referrals can be as simple as a brief conversation with another professional across the hall.

The clinics are targeted to adults over 55 but tend to attract people over 70. Simmons looks forward to the day when, with expanded resources, she can set up at the golf course or sports complex to educate those at the younger end of the age group about some of the subtle changes going on-the changes she educates about. She'd also like to see a nurse practitioner employed in the clinics. "We make many referrals to physicians," she says, "but if these clinics were more available and had more authority, their impact could grow."

Encouraging people to see their doctor, helping them identify the questions to ask, managing chronic conditions, keeping up-to-date with blood pressure and other vital signs-it's paying off. There was the patient with Parkinson's who found relief from the symptoms of depression after Simmons referred them to a doctor for medication and recommended an aide to help with personal care. Or the patient with very high blood pressure who stopped taking her prescribed medication because she didn't understand why she needed to take it. A referral to her doctor helped make sense of her health care needs and get her back on track to improved health.

According to a recent client satisfaction survey, seniors are very satisfied with how their health needs are addressed by the program. The program "has significant implications related to physician access and cost," notes Community Care Program Coordinator, Lisa Rybak, who nominated Simmons for the 2003 AARN Partner in Health Award (Member).

Simmons is also the spark behind the Dementia Program, a new service designed to help people in the early to middle stages of dementia stay in their homes longer or until they move into a structured setting. The service assigns a Friendly Skilled Visitor, essentially a personal care aide with an interest in and knowledge of dementia, to visit the client regularly. The visitor may work alongside them doing housework, structuring the way through tasks, or escort them on an outing to provide a break to the primary caregiver. So far, 10 clients are in the program - individuals who don't need nursing care, but do require someone to ensure they're taking their medication, identify risks and provide support.

Simmons' passionate belief in health promotion and her commitment to put structures in place to help people age healthily has overwhelmingly impacted the lives of older adults in Westview region - and earned her the 2003 AARN Partner in Health Award.