March 2008 1

Inside2456789

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Walk forMemories

Veteran Profile:Frank McCully

PainIntervention

FAC OpenHouse/Festival ofthe Arts

Right Care inthe Right Place

HolidayConcert

Pages of Our Past

Calendar ofEvents

Valentines for Vets

Palliative Care Team K1ERecognized as Champions of Care

By Sally FurThe K1E palliative care team was recently recognized asChampions of Care through Sunnybrook Foundation’s newlyestablished program.

The Champions of Care program gives staff, patients and visitorsthe opportunity to recognize physicians, nurses, volunteers or staffwho have demonstrated exceptional care or treatment when itmattered most. It is the first hospital-based recognition program ofthis kind in Toronto.

Photo credit: Dale Roddick

Continued on page 3

Left to right: Maxine Brown RPN, Sandra De Costa PCM, Dr. Williams, NancyParis Social Worker, Anne Kontni RPN, Innes Canales PSP, Tricia MillsRecreation Therapy, Glennette London RN, Kathy Edmison Chaplain, LarryJackson Pharmacist, Juliana Ohene-Adu RPN, Danielle Wojtasik RN and Dr. Bennett.

2 March 2008

At Home is the official newsletter

of Aging & Veterans Care. The

newsletter is published four times a

year and is made available to all

members of the Aging & Veterans

Care community.

At Home is also available online at

www.sunnybrook.ca under Programs

& Services, Aging & Veterans Care.

Editor: Sally Fur

Layout: Tereza Radman

Photography: Media Source

(unless noted otherwise)

Circulation: 1,800

For more information, or to make a

submission, please contact Sally Fur

at 416.480.6100 ext. 5057 or by

e-mail to sally.fur@sunnybrook.ca

Contributors:

Dr. Jocelyn Charles

Dorothy Ferguson

Carolyn Hutcheson

Linar Merritt

Kimberley Omoruyi

Material printed in At Home is protected by

copyright and may not be reprinted without

the permission of the editor.

Relocation: Achieving the Right Care in the Right Place

In Aging & Veterans Care at Sunnybrook, we strive to providethe very best care possible to all of our Veteran residents. Asour Veteran population ages and advances in health care allowpeople with chronic medical conditions to live longer, we arecaring for older Veterans with increasingly complex health careneeds.

At Sunnybrook, we have professional staff who are trained incaring for the frail elderly. However, it is very difficult for healthcare providers to have expertise in all aspects of complex careof the elderly. We also have different care environmentsthroughout George Hees wing and Kilgour wing that weredesigned for specific resident needs.

Our goal is to ensure that our residents are cared for by themost skilled and knowledgeable staff for their medicalconditions and that they reside in the most appropriateenvironment. This goal can only be achieved by grouping ourVeterans with similar care needs together in the rightenvironment for their needs. Since the health and care needsof our residents change at different rates over time, mostresidents move at least once during their stay at Sunnybrook.

Many residents and their families become very attached totheir room, unit and staff. A move can be stressful for someresidents, families and the staff with whom they havedeveloped relationships with over time. However, residents andfamilies have also reported less stress and concern about careafter moves to units that provide higher levels of care when it isneeded. One recent letter from a family member highlightedthese benefits of moving:

“My father’s 98th birthday, having just taken place, got methinking about the changes that I’ve seen in him since hismove last April from L-wing to K1W. I know I was extremelyapprehensive about how the move would affect my father, aswas he, but as it turns out this was the best thing that couldhave happened to him. He seems to have flourished and isvery happy and content.”

We recognize that change is difficult, so a move is plannedonly when the care needs of the Veteran and the Veterancommunity are best served with a move.

Continued on page 3

Each and every day the palliative care teamembraces a multidisciplinary approach, in thecare of Veterans and community patients whoare at the end stage of a terminal illness. Theteam provides exceptional care, while offering abroad range of services providing the optimumquality of life for patients and their significantothers.

Anyone can recognize their Champion of Careby making a donation to the Sunnybrook

Foundation in their honour. Each Champion ofCare will receive the program’s signature greenleaf-shaped pin to wear in recognition of thethoughtful appreciation.

To recognize your Champion of Care or learnmore visit www.championsofcare.ca or contactLeanne Lavereau at (416) 480-6791.

March 2008 3

Dorothy Ferguson

Operations DirectorAging & Veterans Care

Dr. Jocelyn Charles

Medical DirectorAging & Veterans Care

Many of our Veterans or their families request a single room. Since Kilgour wing was built in 1975, itwas built according to typical chronic care facility standards of the time with predominantly 4-bedrooms. While we renovated Kilgour wing in 2000, we were only able to reduce the 4-bed rooms to 3-bed rooms, and change some of the 2-bed rooms to single rooms. In addition, many of our singlerooms are required for medical reasons (e.g. infection control) leaving a limited number for fulfillingrequests. Even if a single room is available, it may be required for medical reasons for anotherveteran at a later date, necessitating another move. Ideally, we would all like to have all single roomsbut that is not currently possible.

Another factor that both Sunnybrook and Veterans Affairs Canada must consider is that we have along waiting list for some of our units, so some Veterans in the community are waiting more than ayear for admission. If one of our admitted Veterans requires a higher level of care but is occupying aroom designed and staffed for someone with fewer care needs, the Veteran on the waiting list cannotbe admitted and a bed on a higher level of care unit lies empty. This is an inefficient use of ourresources.

We will continue to work together with our residents, their families, our staff, and Veterans AffairsCanada to provide the best care possible in the most appropriate environment to all of our Veteranresidents and to use all of our resources carefully in the best interests of Veterans.

Continued from page 2

Continued from page 1

Palliative Care Team K1E Recognized as Champions of Care

4 March 2008

Veteran Profile: Frank McCullyBy Sally Fur

Frank McCully has always had a passion for the sea. Duringthe Second World War, while with the Merchant Navy, he spentfour years (1941-1945) on the North Atlantic convoys.

It was in his youth at the age of sixteen, when Frank firstacquired his sea legs, when he went to work on his uncle’s oiltanker off the east coast of Canada.

Later, in the early 1950’s Frank was the chief officer on theSunwhit, a freighter that carried lumber to Port Alberni,Vancouver Island, through the Panama Canal and then up toNew York. In fact, Frank spent a total of thirteen years at seaworking on various ships

Today, Frank extends his love for the sea by building modelships in the creative arts woodworking program in Aging &Veterans Care. “It’s something to do and it keeps me busy. It’schallenging but also relaxing at the same time,” says Frank.

Even though he has suffered a couple of strokes, one whichleft him paralyzed on his left side, Frank hasn’t stopped and heis just as ambitious as ever. After first completing a model ofthe Bluenose, the famous Canadian schooner, he hascompleted two other intricate models of the famous clipperships, the Flying Fish and the Flying Cloud.

The legacy of three of the most well known sailing ships liveson through his love and dedication to the sea. Frank’s favouritepoem is the famous poem by John Masefield, called “SeaFever” or “The Call of the Running Tide".

Sea FeverI MUST go down to the seasagain, to the lonely sea and thesky,And all I ask is a tall ship and astar to steer her by,And the wheel's kick and thewind's song and the white sail'sshaking,And a grey mist on the sea's faceand a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again,for the call of the running tideIs a wild call and a clear callthat may not be denied;And all I ask is a windy day withthe white clouds flying,And the flung spray and theblown spume, and the sea-gullscrying.

I must go down to the seas againto the vagrant gypsy life.To the gull's way and the whale'sway where the wind's like awhetted knife;And all I ask is a merry yarnfrom a laughing fellow-rover,And quiet sleep and a sweetdream when the long trick'sover.

- J. Masefield

Frank McCully holds his newestmodel ship The Flying Cloud. In

the early days of the California GoldRush, The Flying Cloud acquireda reputation for sailing faster than

any other ship of her time.

Photo credit: Dale Roddick

March 2008 5

Walk for Memories by Linar Merritt

“Veterans Physio-Music Therapy Team”

Left to right: KarenFong, PT (secondfrom left), Dong Kang,PT; Selena Sun, PT;Mariella Watson, PT(second from end onthe far right).

The Alzheimer Society of Toronto’s, “Walk for Memories”, was held on January 26th at Roy Thomson

Hall. Thank you to everyone who helped the physiotherapists and music therapists raise a total of

$1,074.00 this year, double the amount of last year!

The “Veterans Physio-Music Therapy Team” is especially supportive of The Alzheimer’s Society, as it

is very helpful to many residents and families, providing excellent educational materials and practical

support for those dealing with the difficult aspects of dementia. Visit www.alzheimer.ca for more

information.

No Ordinary Reading

Last fall, just prior to Remembrance Day, the Toronto Star invited Sunnybrook Veterans to take partin the creation of a short video for the newspapers’ website.

The video was entered into a monthly multimedia contest, hosted by The National PressPhotographer's Association (NPPA) and placed third in the "team video" competition.

This contest attracts entries from all across North America. Congratulations to Second World WarVeterans Anne Wood, Lloyd Queen and James Eddy, who recited the poem, In Flanders Fields byJohn McCrae and stared in the video.

6 March 2008

Valentines for Vets

by Sally Fur

Grade six children from Blythwood Public

School opened their hearts and

remembered Sunnybrook Veterans with a

special Valentines for Vets event organized

just for them. Prior to singing for the

Veterans, the children all read aloud their

own moving tributes and poems to a large

group in Warrior’s Hall. Veterans Al Pick

and Howard Mills shared the microphone

and recited poems of their own.

Valentines for Vets is a national campaign

that was initiated over ten years ago by

newspaper columnist Ann Landers.

Communities and school children across

Canada are encouraged to send St.

Valentine Day cards, hand-made greetings

and cheery letters to Veterans in long term

care facilities.

Last year, Veterans Affairs Canada received

and distributed more than 3,500 valentines

to Veterans in Canadian care facilities.

At this time, meetings are from 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

and are held in the K-wing Annex.

Tuesday, March 18 , Tuesday, April 15, Tuesday, May 20

For further information please contact Chair, Cheryl Harris-Taylor, FAC/Patient & Family Relations Program (416) 480-6107, or Judy MacNaughton, at (416) 480-4280.

Upcoming 2008 FAMILY ADVISORY COMMITTEE meeting dates:

Top to bottom: Veterans Howard Mills, Dr. BillMacKenzie, and Al Pick interact with the students at the event.

Photo credit: Dale Roddick

March 2008 7

Honouring a rich past and transforming thefuture of healthcare…1948-2008Sunnybrook Celebrates 60 Years by Sally Fur

Pages of Our Past

Sunnybrook began to take shape in May 1928, when Mrs. Alice M. Kilgour widow of Toronto

businessman, Joseph Kilgour, a noted horseman, and major in the Queen’s Own Rifles, announced

the gift of her estate. The 150-acre Sunnybrook Farm was to be the largest gift of land to the city in

its history. In September of that year, Mayor Sam McBride officially opened the former rural setting

as Sunnybrook Park. The parkland was a favourite campground for Boy Scouts and during the

Second World War, it was a transit camp for troops preparing to leave for Europe.

Several years later in 1942, the Greater Toronto Veterans’ Hospital Committee recommended

Sunnybrook Park as the best location for a new 1,590 bed veterans’ hospital. The existing Christie

Street Hospital, originally an old cash register factory was less than adequate to meet the growing

needs.

Years earlier, Mrs. Kilgour had stipulated that the farm be used as parkland, and thus permission by

the Kilgour heirs was obtained. In 1946, the Department of Veterans Affairs purchased the land and

construction to build one of the finest veterans’ hospitals in the world began.

The architectural firm of Allward & Gouinlock was enlisted to build a hospital of great magnitude and

the cost to build was a mere $25 million. The sod was turned on Remembrance Day in 1943 and

because of the huge

demand, patients were

admitted in 1946, two

years prior to the

official opening.

To honour the Kilgour

family, a new facility for

our veterans was

opened in 1974 - what

we know today as

Kilgour or K-wing.

City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, f1244_it1304

8 March 2008

Passings December 2007John MacDonaldJames ArmstrongFrank StiverFrancis ErricoGeoffrey WardMichael BilonStephen WatsonNorman LongJohn SproatCharles Lancefield

January 2008John FenwickDonald HepburnFred SheldonPeter McLeod George LuntCatherine HollandLenard KaiserJohn HumphreyWilbur PierceStanley MurrayJack Sleep Frank VickeryHarry Williams Johnson AshleyRonald MiddletonArthur RedfernWilliam Arnold

February 2008 Joseph CameronFrederick RousDouglas StormsWilliam ButtThomas AgarJames MartinLeo SedleyWolfe MagderPhilip WynnRobert PetchWilliam BuckleyLawrence MooreWilliam Falls Frederick Bucknell

Social Workers and PainIntervention Awareness

By Carolyn Hutcheson

On Friday, January 18, social workers from Aging & Veterans Care

hosted a display and spoke to residents and family members

regarding how they assist residents who are experiencing pain.

From assessing coping and support options to facilitating

communication among parties and providing counseling, social

workers contribute greatly to residents' quality of life through

advocacy and empowerment.

Various members of the A&VC community stopped by the poster

presentation, took their chance at a challenging quiz, and were

entered into a draw. Participants included residents, families,

volunteers, allied health disciplines, nurses, and physicians.

Congratulations to our prize winners: Rosanna Di Nunzio, APN;

Sarah Pryse-Phillips, PT and Myrene Lychek, OT. Special thanks to

Larry Jackson, Pharmacy Clinical Coordinator.

Left to right: Nancy Paris, Christine Nelson, Intern Meghan Eller, CarolynHutcheson, Intern Simone Carryl. Missing from photo: Karen Burns, ColleenCushing, Cheryl Harris-Taylor, Frances Phillips, Christine Westerhoek

March 2008 9

Championing the Cause of all Veterans

Last fall, the Minister of Veterans Affairs, Gregory

Thompson announced the appointment of Colonel

(retired) Patrick B. Stogran to the position of

Canada’s first Veterans Ombudsman.

As an independent officer reporting directly to the

Minister, the Veterans Ombudsman will play an

important role in raising the awareness of the

needs and concerns of all Veterans. The

Ombudsman is impartial and mandated to uphold

the Veterans Bill of Rights; and receive and review

complaints stemming from programs and services

provided or administered by Veterans Affairs or

pertaining to the Bill of Rights.

For more information visit: www.ombudsman-veterans.gc.ca/content/

Holiday Concert

For the second year in a row, Sunnybrook was delighted

to welcome Canadian tenor, John McDermott who

performed a special holiday concert especially for

residents of K and L wings. Following the concert,

McDermott, a champion of Veteran causes, generously

donated five Kutaways polar fleece coats, which were

raffled off following the concert. The coats, available in the

Artisan gift shop in K-wing, are a unique Canadian product

especially designed for people in wheelchairs.

McDermott also spoke about a recent initiative that he is

involved in called, “Cell Phones for Soldiers”. In

conjunction with AMJ Campbell Van Lines, the campaign

raises funds for Canadian Soldiers serving abroad through

the donation of used cell phones.

If you have an old cell phone you would like to donate,

please visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.ca for more

information.

In January, Colonel Patrick Stogran visited Sunnybrook tomeet with Sunnybrook Veterans in Warrior’s Hall. The newVeterans Ombudsman also toured Kilgour and GeorgeHees wings.

Photo credit: Dale Roddick

Veteran Anne Wood is pictured withCanadian singer John McDermott.Photo credit: Dale Roddick

NationalVolunteer Week: April 27 to May 3

Please remember to saythanks to all the volunteerswho give their time sogenerously to the Veteransand their families at

Sunnybrook.

SVA BeautyShop Update

The Sunnybrook VolunteerAssociation (SVA) has a newEsthetician in the BeautySalon EG 18. Alicia Ayala isavailable Tuesdays andWednesdays between 9:30a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Please call(416) 480-4133 for anappointment or just drop byTuesday or Wednesday.

K and L-wingBench Program

Spring is just around thecorner and the gardens of K-wing and L-wing will onceagain blossom withmagnificent colour. If you areinterested in purchasing anew bench to dedicate inmemory of a loved one,please contact: Sunnybrook Foundation at

(416) 480-GIVE (4483).

10 March 2008

Festival of the Arts Date: Thursday March 20th

Time: 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m

Place: Warrior's Hall and the K-wing Annex

Please join the Creative Arts Therapists at this fun, casual, andinteractive event.

There will be many opportunities for the residents of K and Lwings to experience a variety of creative arts interventions suchas art, horticulture, and music. You may learn something newabout yourself, or about a friend!

Call ext. 7280 for more information.

The Family Advisory Council’sSpring Open House

Come and meet members of the Family Advisory Council!

Date: Sunday, April 13

Time: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Place: K-wing Annex. Refreshments will be served

Do you have a loved one who resides at Sunnybrook in K or Lwing?

Why not consider joining the Family Advisory Council!

Have your say and be listened to. Provide constructive feedback.Make a difference.

The Family Advisory Council’s objective is to give families andsupport persons of residents a forum to discuss and bringforward community issues and recommendations, in aconstructive manner, to the Aging & Veterans CareAdministration.

All family members and support people are encouraged andwelcome to attend.

This is a fantastic opportunity to get to know and work togetherwith other members of the family community in Aging & VeteransCare.

Calendar of Events

Veterans Art Show - Tuesday, March 18

Festival of the Arts - Thursday, March 20

Good Friday Service - Friday, March 21

11:30 a.m. - Roman Catholic service in the Annex03:00 p.m. - Interdenominational service in the Annex

Easter Sunday - Sunday, March 23

10:00 a.m. - Interdenominational Service in the Veterans Chapel

11:30 a.m. - Roman Catholic Mass in the K-wing Annex

Jewish Passover - Monday, April 14

A Passover Seder for Veterans and their families will beheld on Monday, April 14 at 6:00 p.m in the McLaughlinAuditorium. Please RSVP with Hilda Harris at ext. 3552.

Veterans Memorial Service - Wednesday, April 30

The Second Annual Veterans Memorial Service will be heldon Wednesday, April 30th at 6:30 p.m. for widows, familymembers and friends who lost a loved one who lived in K orL wing in 2007. This special service honouring the threadsof life, remembrance, grief, community and hope will takeplace in the L-wing front living room.

To accommodate the large number of widows and familymembers attending the evening service, currentSunnybrook Veterans who wish to pay tribute to a formerresident, are invited to sign a book of remembrance locatedin the L-wing lobby on the day of the service from noon -4:00 p.m. Please contact (416) 480-6100 ext. 4855 if youhave questions.

2008 VETERANS ART SHOW

Tuesday, March 18th

2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.L-Wing Lobby

Official Remarks at 3:15 p.m.

Join us for a special thank you to the Nelson Arthur Hyland Foundationfor the George Hess lobby refurbishment

Artwork by Artist and Veteran Anne Wood

March 2008 11

12 March 2008

Show Your Support of Aging & Veterans Care

Contributions to the Aging & Veterans Care program are gratefully accepted, helping us meet specialor urgent needs in a timely fashion. Donations to the A&VC program will help fund high priority needssuch as capital improvements to the veterans’ residences. Donations to the Veterans’ Comfort Fundhelps us provide our Veteran residents with ‘extras’: equipment, events and entertainment items thatenhance their quality of life. Support of the Palliative Care Unit Trust Fund helps to enhance the livingenvironment for patients and families receiving palliative care.

Donations can be made in memory or in honour a loved one, or to acknowledge a special event such asa birthday or anniversary. If you so choose, Sunnybrook Foundation will send a card to your honoureeor their family letting them know that they have been honoured through a donation. A tax receipt willbe issued for all donations over $10.

How to donate:

By Mail:

Cheques should be made out to Sunnybrook Foundation

For a specific designation, please write ‘Veterans Comfort Fund’, ‘Palliative Care Unit Trust Fund’or ‘Aging and Veterans Care’ on the bottom of your cheque.

Mail your donation to:Sunnybrook Foundation, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Room H332 Toronto, ON, M4N 3M5

By Telephone:

call 416.480.4483 for the Sunnybrook Foundation

By Internet:

www.sunnybrook.ca/foundation and follow the simple instructions

Thank you!