National Nursing Week was marked at the Grasslands long-term care facility in Rockglen on May 11.
Jackie Wolfe, facility coordinator at the Grasslands Health Centre in Rockglen, displayed an appreciation cake made by a local cake artist for National Nursing Week.
The event also featured an afternoon of coffee, a decorated chocolate and vanilla cake and socializing with residents, family and nurses.
Nurses are vital to Grasslands. The facility has registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), special care aides plus the visiting nurse practitioner.
“We have a pretty good mix of staff,” said Wolfe. Grasslands has the services of a visiting nurse practitioner, who can assess, diagnose and prescribe. This eases the health care burden. Rockglen does not have any physicians and patients have to travel to Assiniboia and further for physician services.
It’s also encouraging to see a positive local trend. More local graduates are entering nursing in the last decade than in the previous ten years, she stated. It wasn’t that long ago that the province faced a severe shortage of nurses, especially in rural areas.
But the government brought in several incentives to attract nurses like student loan repayment. Wolfe highlighted some of the key features of nursing in a rural region like in Rockglen, such as it is more personalized than in a larger centre.
“We know these residents. We grew up with them,” said Wolfe. Commonly, rural nurses are caring for their own family members like aunts and uncles, in-laws and other relatives as well as friends and neighbours. “It’s more personal.”
Another aspect is community support. She noted that the community gets actively involved in helping with the care at the facility. “They are related to the residents and they are happy to come in and help the staff here.” The facility has an Open Presence policy for visiting, welcoming family members to be with residents when the residents like.
