The
UBC Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, under the leadership of Dr. Michael
Wilkins-Ho, continues to be academically active. Monthly Provincial Geriatric
Psychiatry Videoconference Rounds are ongoing with video uplink to sites across
BC. CADRE rounds (Current Areas of Division Research Endeavors) were held in
June 2016 and served as a medium for subspecialty residents and division
members to showcase academic and research projects.
The
CLeAR Partnership Alliance (Call for Less Antipsychotics in Residential Care)
of the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council is well underway in its second
wave. Much is being learned as we attempt to reduce inappropriate usage of
neuroleptics in those care facilities in BC volunteering to participate in this
initiative.
The
Elder Care Ethics Committee has begun its second year of providing ethics
consults to teams caring for our older adults. It is an interdisciplinary
committee with members from Providence Health Care and the Vancouver Coastal
Health Authority. It is dedicated to supporting our clinicians, patients, and
their caregivers and family. Medical Assistance in Dying has, of course, become
a larger focus of discussion.
We
are happy to report that four new geriatric psychiatrists were graduated from the
UBC Geriatric Psychiatry Subspecialty Training Program in June 2016. The
program currently has two trainees on track to graduate in 2018 and is in the
process of interviewing new applicants.
We
wish to thank Dr. Martha Donnelly for her tireless advocacy around trainee
issues. While she has now stepped down from her former role of program
director, Dr. Ashok Krishnamoorthy has taken her place and brings significant
experience in medical education to UBC. Unfortunately, funding of positions
remains an active issue and the number of supported places for the 2017 intake
has dropped from two to one.
As
one of the largest and fastest growing health authorities in Canada, the Fraser
Health Authority (spanning from the cities of Burnaby to Hope) is continuing to
make exciting efforts to meet the demands of an aging population. One highlight
is the Royal Columbian Hospital Redevelopment Project. Phase one, scheduled for
completion in 2019, includes construction of a new 75-bed mental health and
substance use facility. It will offer a dedicated geriatric psychiatry unit
designed for older adults experiencing acute mental illness.
The UBC
Tertiary Geriatric Psychiatry Committee continues to support P.I.E.C.E.S.
initiatives in BC. Dr. Carol Ward is
the clinical lead for the Kamloops Interior Health Integrated P.I.E.C.E.S.
initiative and the Tertiary Older Adult Provincial P.I.E.C.E.S. initiative. Dr.
Mary Lou Harrigan is the project lead for the tertiary initiative. Both
programs continue to progress well and there is interest from the BC government
in expanding P.I.E.C.E.S. across the continuum of care in the province. To that
end, an advisory committee, the Provincial P.I.E.C.E.S. Reference Group, has
been struck.
This committee
is examining multiple approaches to expanding the program, including
development of facilitators in BC. Dr. Ward and Dr. Harrigan have recently
published a short film on P.I.E.C.E.S. and leadership, available at https://youtu.be/-In6axL1sVo.
The Ministry of
Health has also renewed our P.I.E.C.E.S. license, ensuring the initiative will
be delivered across the continuum of care in BC. Dr.
Elizabeth Drance and Dr. Carol Ward continue to deliver their workshop:
Dementia-Related Responsive Behaviour: Putting it All Together Using
P.I.E.C.E.S. and the BC BPSD Algorithm – A Workshop for Physicians (3.75 hours
accredited College of Family Physicians and Royal College of Canada). The
workshop has been rolled out successfully in several sites across the province.
We
are also pleased to announce the publication of Seniors Services: A Provincial
Guide to Dementia Care in British Columbia available at www.health.gov.bc.ca/library/publications/year/2016/bc-dementia-care-guide.pdf
Submitted
by: Dr.
Paul Blackburn and Dr. Bonnie S Wiese.