Riverview Manor's BSO team receives first-ever Team Impact Award from the Central East LHIN


OMNI Health Care's Riverview Manor’s Behavioural Supports Ontario (BSO) team received the Central East Local Health Integration Network’s (LHIN) first-ever Team Impact Award on March 26 for its work reducing and preventing agitation in residents who are living with cognitive impairment.

The BSO team, whose members include Becky Dennie, Carly Kenny, Karlie Phillips, Joseph Matthews, Nicole Munro and Sarah Plumpton, were nominated for the award by the psychogeriatric resource consultant (PRC) nurses with the Psychiatric Assessment Services for the Elderly (PASE) team at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.

The PASE team works with Riverview Manor to help improve the quality of life for residents affected by Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia.

The PRC nurses nominated the Peterborough long-term care home’s BSO team for embracing BSO practices, taking advantage of educational opportunities to increase knowledge and understanding of dementia and seniors’ mental-health issues, and for sharing that knowledge with other Riverview Manor team members.

“The (Riverview Manor BSO) team uses creative strategies to try and provide the supports that their residents need,” said PRC nurse Marion Tabanor during the award presentation.

“The team has been able to collectively manage and mitigate risk to the resident and co-residents using these strategies. … The team has a strong passion about their role and they are dedicated and committed to excellence when it comes to caring for their resident population.”

Tabanor also commended the Riverview Manor BSO team for its preparedness when referring residents to PASE, noting the team provides PASE clinicians with detailed assessment packages to help the clinicians and psychiatrist access the most up-to-date information about the resident.

Dennie, who is the Riverview Manor BSO team lead, said receiving the honour is important to team members because it shows the work they’re doing is being recognized from outside the home.

“I think it means that we are making an impact, not just within the home, but also within the community,” she said.

BSO is a provincial initiative that’s enhancing quality of life for seniors affected by dementia and other conditions that can cause agitation. The funding, which is provided to long-term care homes through the province’s 14 LHINs, is largely put towards staff education.


This story was published by Axiom News, originally on OMNI Health Care's website. Reposted with permission.