Nurses play key role as Baycrest and HealthCare 365 join forces to help seniors manage their healthcare needs in a new way

Toronto | Baycrest Health Sciences and its commercial arm, Baycrest Global Solutions (BGS), are partnering with HealthCare 365 to bring a new concept in healthcare to more seniors using registered nurses.Launched in 2010, HealthCare 365 is the only service of its kind in Canada. The company, which currently has more than 400 clients across the country, helps people who are finding it difficult to keep track of all their doctor and specialist appointments, tests and medications. It’s a fee-based care coordination service, similar to a personal assistant. The coordinators are registered nurses who work with clients to consolidate healthcare records from multiple providers into a single care plan, help manage medications and appointments, provide 24-hour assistance over the phone, and assist with navigating the complex healthcare system.“It can be overwhelming for anyone who has a chronic condition to keep track of all the details of their care,” says Skip Schwartz, president and CEO of Healthcare 365. “This can lead to problems like medication interactions, unnecessary or repeat medical tests, and delays in getting treatment or follow-up appointments with physicians. Our service provides one person to oversee the client’s entire care plan to help them stay on top of everything and optimize their health.”In its new partnership with Baycrest, a global leader in innovations in aging and brain health, HealthCare 365 aims to extend its reach to seniors who receive care at Baycrest’s large campus on Bathurst St.“For older adults, having an ongoing relationship with our care coordinator can play an important additional role in identifying early signs that a patient may be experiencing difficulty with daily activities,” says Schwartz. “When you identify these kinds of problems early, you can put additional supports in place to help clients maintain their independence.”Baycrest president and CEO Dr. William Reichman, says HealthCare 365’s client-centred service makes the company a good partner for Baycrest. “HealthCare 365’s approach to helping seniors age in place with the right supports is in alignment with our own mission,” he said.Toronto resident Ron Davis turned to HealthCare 365 for his 88-year-old mother, Alice, who has health problems caused by a stroke and heart condition. Davis says having all of his mother’s records in one place and under the oversight of a care coordinator has helped with managing medications and making sure his mother gets the care she needs.In one instance, Davis says Healthcare 365 was able to help him when his mother was called in for a treatment at a hospital, but it wasn’t clear what she needed to do to for the appointment.“I needed help with navigating the system for my mother. Within half an hour, HealthCare 365 had an answer for me on the next steps,” he says. “I’ve cared for my mother for a long time and even I couldn’t understand what we needed to do. The fact that this service is here for us in case something happens is very reassuring.”Healthcare 365 provides its services for a monthly fee of $275. Discounts are available for low income seniors.

Nurses play key role as Baycrest and HealthCare 365 join forces to help seniors manage their healthcare needs in a new way

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