 Dr. Neil Simonsen (left) makes it possible for staff like ortho tech, David Carroll, to attend conferences Ambulatory Care physician Dr. Neil Simonsen, who specializes in infectious diseases and wound care, views “medicine as a continuous learning process,” and requires his staff to continuously upgrade their skill levels.
He assigns directed readings as part of academic study and expects his staff to attend conferences to enrich their knowledge of the science of wound care. To ensure staff have affordable access to training, Dr. Simonsen established an Ambulatory Care Education Fund through the Misericordia Health Centre Foundation. “Our staff need to be on the cutting edge of knowledge of wound care,” says Dr. Simonsen. Orthopedic technologist David Carroll, who has worked at Misericordia for 30 years, appreciates the opportunity to attend regional and national conferences to learn innovative techniques and soak up knowledge. “At conferences, experts share their knowledge about everything … fractures, surgery, post-care … it helps me understand the healing process and so much more,” explains Carroll. “I appreciate the support from Dr. Simonsen and our Foundation. Misericordia is an awesome place to work!” MHC’s Ambulatory Care clinics include a cast clinic and a diabetic foot, complex wound and infectious diseases clinic which provides diagnostic and therapeutic management of diseases.
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 Jennifer and Irene exploring all the Tover has to offer. In the height of the pandemic Misericordia Place residents embarked on a world-wide adventure, walking, pedalling and wheeling their way to virtual dream destinations around the globe. The Around the World in 80 Days campaign raised more than $80,000 in order to purchase exercise therapy equipment and innovative technology for recreational activities. Winnipeg Canadian Tire Dealers generously donated $40K – fittingly, the distance required to circle the world!
Recreation manager Jennifer Klos tasked her staff with researching state-of-the-art technology – that wouldn’t typically be in their budget – to both engage and challenge Misericordia Place residents. One facilitator requested a Tovertafel, or “Tover” for short, from the Netherlands. Misericordia Place is now home to the only Tover in Manitoba. “This is quite possibly the coolest thing ever,” says Jennifer. “It’s a device mounted on the ceiling that projects games and experiences onto a table top that the residents interact with: it senses hand movements and reacts!” The Tover is loaded with goodies, from games to cognitive challenges: soccer, whack a mole, butterflies that float onto your hand, leaves fluttering from trees, gardens that need tending, fish and birds that need feeding, flowers that expand to the touch – you name it! Resident Irene Bevan, 89, is most enamoured with the music feature. Her hand slowly glides across the table, with a song playing every time a music note is touched. Her eyes light up and she visibly relaxes watching the notes circle the table. “She used to play the piano,” explains her husband, Richard, who is visiting Irene. “This must bring back memories, you can see an immediate response.” Irene is non-verbal, she doesn’t speak, so moments like these are extra special for the entire recreation team. Jennifer and Richard echo the same sentiment to the donors – “thank you for making experiences like this possible!”  Jameson, 2, recovers in the arms of Karen after his pediatric dental surgery at Misericordia. Their recovery time together is more spacious and comfortable thanks to a new recliner made possible by TELUS. A generous donation by TELUS has made the journey for children having pediatric dental surgery more comfortable and less stressful.
Children aged two to seven spend at least an hour recovering from general anaesthetic, often in the arms of their caregivers, after more than 800 pediatric dental surgeries performed at Misericordia each year. Thanks to the support of TELUS, three new recliners, a child recovery bed, and televisions for a recovery area and quiet room, have only improved this experience. Patient-care manager Karen Chojno says the new recliners are wider than the old ones, allowing children to be settled and comforted in the arms of caregivers. “Being in a large health-care facility is new for many of these children and it can be very stressful for them,” said Chojno. “The bed and the wider recliners make their stay with us so much better. It comes down to caring and showing respect for patients and their families.” Along with the new furniture and televisions, the TELUS donation was also able to fund take-home packages which include a toothbrush, toothpaste and a picture book to help children understand their bodies and health care. “The donation is wonderful and has made a real difference for our young patients every day. Thank you!”  TCU resident Monica is grateful to have a TV made possible by MHCF donors. Misericordia Health Centre Foundation donors help make lives better in real ways. During the pandemic, their generosity to our COVID-19 Relief Fund gave residents in Misericordia’s Transitional Care Units (TCU) complimentary TV services.
“It has helped with residents being calmed, entertaining them, and when we were closed to visitation it was a source of information of what’s going on outside,” said Joy Arado-Alberto, TCU Resident Care Manager. “I’m very grateful to the donors. It has helped tremendously during these times.” Misericordia’s 111-bed TCU serves patients who require complex social and medical support for a limited period of time before transitioning home with community services or to a personal care home, supportive housing or elsewhere such as Hospice. For TCU resident Monica, the TV has been a way to keep up with the news and help her feel less isolated. “It’s a very nice service, and it helps get away from thinking about illness.” Monica says donating to improve health-care services at Misericordia Health Centre can impact many people. “It’s your neighbours, your family, it’s widespread…I think it’s very commendable. I thank the donors.”  Dr. Jennifer Rahman holds a Tono-Pen—one of two pieces of equipment added to Misericordia’s Eye Care Centre of Excellence thanks to the generosity of donors. Donors contributing to the Fund-a-Need initiative during the Foundation’s InVision event have helped ensure Manitobans receive the best eye care possible at Misericordia with the purchase of a slit lamp camera and Tono-Pen.
Ophthalmologist Dr. Jennifer Rahman, who performs eye surgery at Misericordia’s Eye Care Centre of Excellence (ECCE), says the equipment is vital to quality eye care, especially in a high-volume clinic. A Tono-Pen measures eye pressure, “one of the vital signs of the eye,” Dr. Rahman says, and is used before and after eye procedures and in screening for glaucoma. The newest slit lamp camera provided by the generosity of InVision donors, for the clinical resource team, allows doctors to share high-resolution 3D digital photos of the eye with specialists to help the team triage emergency eye issues and allow the correct treatment to begin sooner. Dr. Rahman says her whole team is grateful to donors. “We couldn’t do our work without them, and we greatly appreciate their contribution and the care and support that they show for our work and for the patients. Investing in the community in this way is so important, for now and the future.” |
