Samantha Smith, Director of Long Term Care, displays new wander management wristband.

St. Joseph’s is celebrating a generous and thoughtful gift, received through a Will, which is helping to place the Health Centre at the forefront of dementia care.

In a heartfelt tribute to a lifetime of supporting local healthcare, Frank Tantardini, a long-standing donor alongside his beloved wife, arranged for a gift in his Will that has helped bring about the next phase of a multi-year project.

Mr. Tantardini’s generous gift has helped pave the way for the instalment of the second phase of St. Joe’s new nurse call bell system. Bolstered with state-of-the-art technology, this system has been installed throughout the Health Centre, enhancing patient safety and enabling more personalized attention.

The newly installed “patient wandering system” gives patients and residents the dignity and autonomy to move freely while ensuring critical safeguards through a wearable wristband coded to each patient’s individual needs.

Our care providers will also begin wearing wristbands that they can simply press, regardless of where they are, to request immediate additional support in the event of a medical emergency or if a patient is in any kind of distress – making everyone safer and more secure.

“This wonderful gift Mr. Tantardini made through his Will is an enduring testament to a life well-lived and a spirit dedicated to the well-being of others,” offers Jennifer Hall, VP Development. “Their generosity will be forever entwined in St. Joe’s mission of embracing new innovations to enhance the exemplary healthcare we provide throughout this region, especially for those living with dementia.”

 

This story was published in the fall 2023 edition of St. Joe’s Newsletter.