Couchiching Health at Home Program
The Couchiching Health at Home program offers in-home services, provided by Personal Support Workers (PSW’s) or Therapy Providers such as Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Social Work. This program is provided in partnership with Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital and the Couchiching Ontario Health Team.
What is Couchiching Health at Home?
The Couchiching Health@Home program offers in-home services, provided by Personal Support Workers (PSW’s), and Therapy Providers.
If you are new to the program, your Care Coordinator will review your services with you, and together, you will design a program that best suits your needs.
Other information that may be discussed with you includes:
- What time of day, or day of the week your services may occur.
- Information such as emergency contacts, special instructions regarding your home, your medical history and personal preferences.
For more information call 1-888-589-4109 or email chah@osmh.on.ca
Program Services
Understanding your at-home services provided by the Couchiching Health at Home Program.
- Personal Support Services
Bathing Activities
- Assistance to prepare for a bath, take a bath or sponge bath and cleaning the sink, bath or shower after provider use when necessary
Oral Hygiene
- Assistance with preparing toothbrush, moisturizing lips.
Hair/Scalp Care
- Assistance with washing hair, brushing hair, drying hair after washing.
Skin/Nail Care
- Assistance with applying non-medicated skin lotion to intact skin, assisting with filing fingernails.
Dressing
- Assistance to put on or remove clothes. Perineal Hygiene
- Assistance with washing, rinsing and drying the perineal area.
Elimination of Waste Material
- Assistance to use a toilet, commode, urinal or bedpan; assistance to change personal hygiene products; attaching, securing or detaching urinary drainage bag; emptying of urinary drainage bag and stoma bag; emptying or cleaning commode, urinal or bedpan after use when necessary.
Feeding
- Assistance with preparing a light meal that does not require the use of a stove or oven, warming prepared food in a microwave, dividing and storing prepared food; washing, drying or putting away dishes used to assist with feeding and disposing of garbage when necessary.
Safety Checks*
- Ensuring overall safety which may include temperature of home, physical wellbeing and availability of food.
Medication
- Reminders and prompts to take medications during service provision. All meds that are cued must be pre-poured or in a blister package, dosette or other secure medication storage device and labeled appropriately.
Treatments/Exercises
- Supervision of range of motion, mobility or gait exercises as prescribed by registered provider.
Positioning and Physical lifting/ Transferring
- Assistance to turn and reposition, using a lift device (eq. Hoyer Lift), using a transfer device (eq. sit-stand lift, pole) – with appropriate training, equipment and environment.
Support of Psychosocial Needs
- Engage in conversation, attend short walks, support independence, dignity, social, emotional and cultural well-being.
Supportive Activities
- Making or changing bed linens, placing linens in a washing machine within the home, cleaning of items and primary living areas after Personal Support use including light vacuuming and dusting, garbage disposal and light meal preparation.
*Denotes care that may be provided by varied disciplines, including PSW, Nursing or Therapy Providers.
- Respite*
- Provide temporary relief for primary caregiver in the home, for up to two consecutive hours once per week.
*Denotes care that may be provided by varied disciplines, including PSW, Nursing or Therapy Providers.
- Nursing
Nursing Services
- Full nursing services including health assessments, medication and treatment administration, wound dressing care and changes, CVAD maintenance, catheter care.
Nurse Practitioner
- Provides accessible medical care within the comfort of the patient’s home to those with/without a permanent primary care provider. Services not limited to: follow-up post hospital discharge, advanced health assessments, medication review/renewal, health education, episodic care, diagnostics, referrals, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Support Services
Transportation
- Assistance with transportation services for medical appointments for the first 30 days of service.
Meals
- Offering hot and frozen meals, providing a variety of regular and special diet entrees for the first 30 days of service.
- Therapies
Occupational Therapy
- Assessment and treatment to support home safety and fall prevention. Evaluation of daily function including strengths and barriers to safe and/or independent participation in meaningful activities including self-care, mobility, and community participation.
Physiotherapy
- Promotion and maintenance of physical health through examination, physical intervention, disease prevention and health promotion activities.
Social Work
- Promotion of individual, family and caregiver wellbeing and linking clients to community-based resources.
Recreational Therapy
- Utilization of leisure activities to optimize quality of life, maximize independence and support overall well-being.
Exercise Therapy
- Personalized exercise programs led by Registered Kinesiologist to improve strength, mobility and balance, supporting recovery and independence at home.
Documents & Resources
Couchiching Health at Home - Understanding your at Home Services brochure
Couchiching Health at Home Patient Bill of Rights