HAPPY CANADA DAY
On June 23rd, Kinsmen Lodge hosted our 45th Annual General Meeting where we discussed some of our successes from the past year as well as the influence that COVID-19 had over our care home. We also bid a fond farewell to valued and respected Board member, Bill Gill, CPA, CA and senior partner with Crowe MacKay LLP. Bill has been on the Board since 2010, serving on the Executive Committee as well as being the Board Treasurer for most of his directorship. He was on the Board when we moved our care operations from Old Yale Road to the current location on 137A Street and saw the Society through some financially challenging early years, helping to steer the course that would eventually get the Society out of the red and into the black. We will surely miss his calm and dependable presence and thank Bill for his service and contributions. Immediately following this year’s AGM, the Executive Committee was voted on by the Board and we are pleased to announce Director Diane Miller’s return as Board Chair, Simon Wong’s re-election as Vice Chair, Margaret Perry’s continuing role as Board Secretary and Gurpal Siekham’s ongoing appointment as Board Treasurer. A warm KL welcome goes out to our two new Board members: Susan Emmons, a retired health care administrator, and Jessi Sodhi, CPA.
Here is a summary of some of our accomplishments from the past year:
Direct Care Hours (DCH), also called Hours Per Resident Day (HPRD): KL is funded at 3.36 DCH, but increased this to 3.65 HPRD this past year to address the requirements of Elders in the Special Care Neighbourhoods, the steadily rising needs brought on by the pandemic, and the increased acuity of our Elders who come into Long-Term Care at later stages of their life.
Financials: Another year of positive growth, KL continues to operate with a balanced budget and in a surplus position. The budget for the annual capital plan in 2020-2021 was redirected as a COVID-19 contingency to address additional costs for staffing and supplies.
Fundraising: KL raised $163,000 which includes grants, family donations, and gifts in kind.
Licensing: Once again, KL scored the best possible score (low hazard) for our annual licensing review and due to COVID-19 has undergone several additional FHA audits to ensure we maintain strict safety standards; no outstanding issues or areas of concern have been identified.
Outbreaks: Kinsmen Lodge continues to have zero COVID-19 outbreaks, but did experience some low-risk exposure events. KL’s commitment to a culture of safety has been evidenced by the high vaccination compliance rate of 97.5% for Elders and 94% for staff. Kudos to the staff for their diligence in preventing the spread of infection, keeping everyone safe, and for their work in contributing to the quality of life for our Elders.
Satisfaction Surveys: KL conducts annual surveys to assess staff and Elder satisfaction. 80% of staff indicated satisfaction with working at KL and feel safe with the COVID-19 protocols in place. The Elder survey results were very similar to previous years and indicated that the Elders feel safe, satisfied with the quality of care, and are happy with the changes related to COVID-19 safety.
Website & Technology: Aprio, a secure online storage portal for all Board documents, was implemented for Board efficiency and effectiveness. A focus was placed on raising community awareness and family engagement by posting regular content (i.e., KL logo and website refresh, Pandemic Party CD, Wash It Off video) on our social media platforms and newspaper print ads. With the increased emphasis, we now have nearly 500 followers – an increase of 5x from a year ago.
Research Projects: KL is currently participating in two quality improvement initiatives. We have partnered with UBC on their “High Risk One Site Policy” research project and are also working with the Canadian Foundation of Dietetic Research to study “Constipation and Malnutrition in the Elderly in Long Term Care Facilities”.
Strategic Plan: Some successes from the fourth year of our strategic plan included building an onsite laundry, increasing staff education, and the annual review of our investment funds. The Board is now starting work on the development of the next five-year strategic plan for 2022-2027.