Frustrated seniors organize a clinic in their condo’s party room to fight primary care gap

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It started with a group of older adults who were fed up with shrinking access to the health system, including a lack of doctors, crowded emergency departments and long waits. Many of them didn’t have family doctors and were struggling to get the care they needed.

The residents, who live in condos on Ambleside Drive, were angry, said Jan Skora, one of the organizers. They soon discovered that other people, including health care providers across the city, were angry about the situation too.

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So members of the group decided to do something about it.

“We are a bunch of older adult who are saying ‘How can we help ourselves?’” said Skora.

The group came together with the help of Oasis, a Queens University program aimed at helping seniors age in place. It began working with a pharmacist last fall to bring a flu- and COVID-19-vaccination clinic into the buildings and with community paramedics.

This year, that work has expanded to create a full-fledged wellness clinic staffed by the Ottawa Paramedics Service, Pinecrest Queensway Community Health Centre, Ottawa Public Health, Rexall Lincoln Fields and HelpAge Canada,.

The monthly clinic is located in a party room of one of the condo buildings with side rooms where patients can see a doctor or nurse and even undergo an EKG (electrocardiogram), if needed.

Each month about 27 people are assessed and meet with a community paramedic, a pharmacist, health workers from nearby Pinecrest Queensway Community Health Centre and Ottawa Public Health. They get a wellness check, including checking their medications, and see a doctor or nurse if they need to. Its aim is to treat any issues that need care and prevent other issues from developing, keeping residents healthy and able to remain in their homes.

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Volunteers from the building help direct people and answer questions. At the end of the clinic they serve lunch.

With the help of volunteers and organizers from the building, the clinic is reducing the primary care gap for older residents in the area.

That includes Deborah Davis. The 72-year-old condo resident, visited the clinic to have someone look at a plantar wart on her foot. She left with a referral to talk to someone about mental health issues and post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I had no intention of mentioning anything about my mental health. It was just my foot,” said Davis who went without a family doctor for years. She now has one who is difficult to access. She said speaking with a caring health provider at the clinic helped her to open up about her struggles.

“For some reason, the door opened. So for me, this experience has been like a godsend, really.”

Access to care, especially for vulnerable seniors, is a growing concern to health officials, municipal officials and more. Last month, the Ontario College of Family Physicians revealed that 2.5 million Ontario residents are now without a family doctor – an increase of more than 160,000 in the past six months alone. Older adults are particularly vulnerable.

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It’s something Ottawa’s paramedic service has been tackling through its community paramedic program. Currently, community paramedics are actively taking care of just over 6,400 patients in the community with regular visits and treatment, according to Shannon Leduc, who is commander of clinical programs with the Ottawa Paramedics Service. On average, the service receives 420 new patients each month through referrals, she said.

The program, which includes clinics like the one on Ambleside, is helping seniors age at home and keeping them out of emergency departments. Leduc said patients in the community paramedic program experience a 20 per cent reduction in emergency department visits after community paramedics start caring for them.

The work of the volunteers, including securing a small grant, has helped get the clinic off the ground and bring in health partners. It enabled Pinecrest Queensway CHC to commit a doctor and nurse to each clinic, among other partners.

“We are so blessed to work with our paramedics, medical staff from the Pinecrest Queensway Community Health Centre and our local pharmacist to deliver the monthly wellness clinic,” said Skora. “We now have a monthly place close to home for our 1,500 residents to get treated, get advice, and learn how to proactively improve our health, regardless of age or medical history and whether or not we have a doctor.”

Working in partnership with health partners and residents is the key to success, said Tamara Chipperfield, executive director of Pinecrest Queensway Community Health Centre.

“I think clinics like this are an innovative way to bring services to communities that would otherwise face some barriers to care,” said Chipperfield.

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