VON Sarnia-Lambton
Message from VON’s President & CEO
At VON, our vision is “every life lived to the fullest.” With that in mind, our caring team provides the necessary supports to help our clients stay healthy, live well and remain active.
We meet clients where they need us—in their own homes and in clinics, schools and other community spaces—to deliver the care that they and their families need. We do so knowing that most people prefer to receive support for illness or frail health in their own homes, in the communities they know and love.
In order to bring people the services they depend on, we rely on a dedicated team of nurses, personal support workers, therapists and other service providers. We are also grateful for our committed volunteers, who see the value in our programs and help us to extend more care to more individuals.
As a trusted charity, we also rely on the support of funders, community partners and donors to ensure that we can deliver the compassionate care clients need. Please visit us online at von.ca to find out how you can join our family of volunteers and donors.
We are happy to provide you with this overview of the VON services offered in your area. Do reach out to our team members with any questions. We’re here to help.
Jo-Anne Poirier President & CEO VON Canada
About VON
VON has been a leader and changemaker in Canadian health care since 1897, serving isolated and marginalized populations right at their doorsteps. Today, we deliver nursing care, in-home support, community support services (CSS), and primary health care to thousands of people in Ontario and Nova Scotia every day.
We support clients where they need us
Our dedicated team of nurses, personal support workers, therapists, volunteers and other service providers care for people in their homes, in the community, and virtually. We are well known for our care of older adults, but we also serve children, people with chronic conditions, individuals recovering from wounds, injuries and hospital stays, and people with intellectual or cognitive challenges.
Looking to the future
Currently, many Canadians want and need home care, but aren’t able to get it. VON works closely with our partners and communities to explore new relationships, new models of care, and new methods of care delivery to keep vulnerable individuals out of long-term care and hospital, so they can remain healthy and engaged in their communities. We are moving away from paper-based processes with our new digital health platform, VON Connect. Once fully implemented, this secure software solution—developed specifically for home and community care and tailored to VON services—will transform the way we work. VON Connect will benefit clients and their families and create efficiencies that will allow us to serve more people who need us.
Why donate?
VON is a not-for-profit charity. While we do receive funding from provincial governments and other funders, we need further support to provide more people in our communities with access to essential and affordable home and community care. You can help us give the gift of companionship for the lonely, food for the hungry, comfort and dignity at the end of life, and care for the most vulnerable.
Currently, we are in the midst of a campaign to raise $10 million to purchase and implement VON Connect, an end-to-end home care software platform with a wide range of features that will make the best home and community care even better. We are grateful to all who choose to support this important initiative.
Please visit von.ca/donate to help bring our vision to life!
Dear Reader,
The VON Community Heath Guide has been developed to inform the local communities in Erie St. Clair about the health care services provided by VON in Chatham-Kent, SarniaLambton and Windsor-Essex. Our teams of dedicated staff are ready to help you find solutions that fit your needs as a client, caregiver or family member.
VON offers home care and community support services to enhance each client’s quality of life by providing them with the personal assistance and support needed to make them comfortable in their own home. What sets VON apart in the home health care industry?
• VON is a registered charitable health care organization that cares for all ages in all stages of life,
• VON services are guided by a profound sense of respect for individuals and their right to make choices about and participate in their own health care journey. Our objective is to promote independence in the home. Clients and family members are encouraged to be partners in the planning and delivery of care,
• VON Canada is accredited by Accreditation Canada which gives you the peace of mind knowing that you and your family are receiving the highest quality of care available.
If you are already a VON client, thank you for being part of our family! We invite you to read this guide to learn about all of the services we offer in case we can assist you further. If you are not a VON client we invite you to utilize this guide to determine how we can help you or your family, or share this information with someone you know that may need our services.
VON relies on the support of our community in the form of volunteers, individual donors and corporate donors to support our programs. If you are interested in helping in your community, please check out our volunteer information page in this guide for more information. Our VON team looks forward to continuing to serve in our local communities.
Paula Vanthournout Director, Home & Community Care
VON Erie St. Clair
Help us make a BIG impact!
When you support VON, you’re supporting quality, accessible, and affordable home and community care for all. You’re giving the gift of companionship for the lonely, food for the hungry, comfort and dignity at the end of life, and care for the most vulnerable. Please, donate today
(Please print):
Name: Street:
City: Postal Code:
Donation Amount: q $25 q $50 q $75 q $100 q Other: $_______________
Payment Method: q Cheque q Visa q Mastercard q Other:
Please return completed form to:
1705 London Line Sarnia, ON N7W 1B2
Home and Community Care Services
VON Sarnia-Lambton home and community care services enable individuals to be cared for with compassion, with dignity and in the comforts of their own space. Available 24/7, services may be funded through insurance or government sources or can be privately purchased. Your VON team works together with you, your caregivers and a team of health care professionals to assess your health care needs and collaboratively develop a personalized plan of care. Every visit will consist of on on-going assessment, support for you and your family, encouragement and holistic care. Your VON team is highly trained and experienced in all aspects of community health care. In addition to in-home care, VON provides services throughout the community where it’s needed most.
Maintaining independence as we age is important to us all. Sometimes remaining active in our homes means needing that extra one-on-one support to live independently.
At VON we deliver more than health care, we bring peace of mind. That means that when extra care is needed we are there with valuable services tailored to individual needs and budgets. Our trained staff of nurses, personal support workers and other support professionals are available to make up the difference between what is provided and what you need.
Nursing Services
Our nursing services include:
• Shift Nursing
• Wound care
• Intravenous care
• Palliative care
• Foot care
Visiting Nursing
• Acute posthospitalization care
• In-school health care
• Chronic disease management
The VON nurse works together with clients, caregivers and health care professionals to assess the individual’s health care needs and develop a personal plan of care to meet those needs. Visiting nurses provide service in wound care, diabetes management, medication management, health education and so much more.
Shift Nursing
VON shift nursing services provide nurses in 4-12 hour shifts to enable individuals to be cared for in the comfort of their own home.
Footcare
VON nurses provide assessment, care and advice for clients including the elderly and people with diabetes who have particular problems looking after their feet.
Contact VON Sarnia-Lambton to further inquire about these services at 1-855-285-2990, option 1 or email escintake@von.ca.
Home Support Services
Home support services are available to individuals living in their home, or a rest or retirement home when they require short or long term assistance with bathing, dressing, incontinence care, assistance with mobility, meal prep, post
Comfort
surgical care, palliative care and end of life care. This service also provides an opportunity for people to remain in their home longer.
The services are provided by certified Personal Support Workers (PSWs) that have obtained their education from a recognized college. The services are contracted through Ontario Health atHome which follows the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC) guidelines for service. If you would like more information on how these services can be obtained please contact VON at 1-855-285-2990, option 2 or email us at escintake@von.ca.
Respite Care
Respite care provides the break that caregivers need by allowing someone else to temporarily take over some of their care giving duties. Used on a regular basis, respite care helps prevent caregiver burnout by relieving some of the caregiver’s workload and stress.
Call 1-855-285-2900, option 2 or email us at escintake@von.ca, if you would like to know more about our respite care and we will take the time to understand your needs and explain how we can help .
eHomecare
eHomecare is an innovative strategy that uses existing and emerging technology to support people to live in their homes safely and receive the healthcare they require. The eHomecare model pairs a registered nurse (RN), working remotely while connected by technology to a PSW at the bedside of the patient. eHomecare provides overnight respite care, pediatric support and end of life support for patients in our community.
If you would like more information regarding eHomecare please call us at 1-855-285-2990, option 4 or email us at escintake@von.ca.
Chronic Pain Management Assessment & Referral Program
Mission:
To utilize a client centered approach in developing a care plan for clients living with chronic pain, to facilitate access to appropriate health care services, to enhance quality of life through empowerment and education.
What to expect:
The Nurse Practitioner will review your pain history, diagnostic imaging, medications and the effects of past and present medical interventions. A focused physical examination will be done when necessary. These findings will allow them to provide you and your healthcare provider recommendations on evidence-based treatment options. Some examples of recommendations include medication changes, exercise programs, various therapies and referral to specialists. The Counsellor facilitates Chronic Pain Self-Management Classes, as well as provides one on one counselling support to interested individuals. Counselling support includes cognitive behavioural therapy, pain reprocessing therapy and
other evidence-based therapies, to help patients improve their quality of life and cope with the difficulties of managing chronic pain.
Chronic pain affects all aspect of our lives which is why our program performs a comprehensive assessment, with attention to both mind and body.
The VON Chronic Pain Program is funded by Ontario Health and provides services in Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent and Sarnia-Lambton.
Eligibility:
1 Experience non-cancer related pain
2 Not be considered end of life (palliative)
3 Experience chronic pain, greater than 3 consecutive months
Please have your primary health care provider or supporting community agency fax a referral to the VON Chronic Pain Program. Once your referral is received, you will receive a phone call within 1-2 weeks to arrange an appointment.
Appointments are arranged either in person or virtually at the following locations:
• VON Windsor Site, 190-250 Tecumseh Rd E., Windsor
• VON Chatham Kent Site, 100-190 Stanley Ave., Chatham
• VON Sarnia Lambton, 1705 London Line, Sarnia
Should you have any questions, you are welcome to call the office at 519-945-2931 or toll free at 1-855-419-5200 ext 4, Monday through Friday between the working hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 pm.
Volunteer Visiting
After living successful and productive lives many seniors are surprised to find themselves lonely and isolated. If their spouse is gone or their driver’s license is no longer valid, if health is failing or mobility is diminished seniors often discover it is increasingly hard to get out and generate new relationships. This is where the VON Volunteer Visiting Program can step in. We provide much needed friendship and support to seniors who find themselves disconnecting socially.
The Volunteer Visiting Program is free of charge. Volunteers are matched with clients after a coordinator assesses the needs and interests of the client. They may visit in the home, play cards, run errands, go for coffee or sit under the bridge and watch the boats go by. The volunteer is not coming to do work for the client but to be a friend. They provide a listening ear, a comfortable presence and a joyful heart. Self-referrals and referrals from all other sources are welcome. Volunteers are carefully screened before being matched with a client.
Give us a call at 519-542-2310.
Sustain Sarnia Adult Day Program
The VON Sarnia-Lambton Adult Day Program provides all day programming to adults living with Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia, or cognitive impairment living in the community. Programming is provided in a safe, caring environment, focused on abilities as opposed to disabilities, and incorporates social, therapeutic, and recreational activities as well as a hot lunch and snacks throughout the day.
VON provides on-site care weekly, reducing the need for hospital/physician visits, all while giving caregivers respite and support as they care for their loved one. Programming runs Monday – Friday from 9am-3pm. For more information, contact us at 519-332-8621.
Caregiver Respite Program
At some point in our lives most people find themselves in the role of caring for an aging parent or spouse. While it is a privilege to care for our loved ones it is also tiring and stressful. Many caregivers find themselves without enough of their “own” time to complete banking, shopping, or attend to their personal needs. VON volunteers in the Caregiver Respite Program will spend quality time with clients each week so caregiver time away can be worry free.
The Caregiver Respite program is free of charge. Volunteers are matched with clients after a Coordinator assesses the needs and interests of the client and the caregiver. They may visit in the home, go for a walk or even out for a cup of coffee if that is appropriate for the client. The volunteer is not coming to do work for the client but to be a friend and to give the caregiver a break. Volunteers who visit clients with dementia complete a training program before they are matched.
This Program is ideal when clients cannot be left alone but is also helpful when clients are in the early stages of dementia and are still living alone. Self-referrals and referrals from all other sources are welcome. Volunteers are carefully screened before being matched with a client. Give us a call at 519-542-2310.
Sustain Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapists (OT’s) support people of all ages to participate in day to day living by helping them do what they need and want to do in life.
In our Adult Community Care Program, we assist clients to restore or maintain independent self care (toileting, bathing, and dressing), home making, leisure activities and vocational pursuits following illness, injury or surgery. For the elderly adult, the goal is often to remain safely in the family home as long as possible. OT’s assist people to move safely through the home by recommending equipment or home adaptations for toilet, shower or bath tubs and more. By creating personal strategies to maximize safety and improve independence our goal is to support clients in achieving what they want to enhance their quality of life.
OT’s help you do what you want to do, teach you how to use your strengths (which you already have) and to create bridges over barriers so you can get back on your way to success.
For more information, contact us at 1-855-285-2990 option 3.
* Private Care options available
(Seniors Maintaining Active Roles Together)
VON SMART Exercise & Fall Prevention Program delivers ongoing fall risk intervention for seniors in the community by delivering FREE exercise programs and fall prevention education.
Who benefits from the VON SMART Exercise Program?
• Adults 55+
• Individuals who wish to learn about fall risk factors and how to reduce their chance of experiencing a fall
• Individuals who wish to maintain and/or improve their strength, balance, social connection and overall wellbeing
SMART in the Community
VON SMART group exercise classes are led by SMART Certified Instructors and take place weekly in community locations near you! Classes are offered at various intensities and modifications are provided to accommodate all participants. Specialty classes for individuals living with chronic conditions such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Brain Injury/ Stroke are also available.
SMART Rest and Retirement
VON SMART group exercise classes are offered within various retirement homes throughout Sarnia-Lambton. Classes are
Strengthen
provided at no cost to residents. Class components include warm up and cool down, cardiovascular training, strength training, balance training, flexibility and mindfulness.
SMART In-Home
VON SMART In-Home program is completed in the participants home. This program is designed for individuals 55+ and is best suited for participants who may not benefit from traditional activity programs due to health issues, mobility restrictions, lack of transportation, confidence, chronic disease or other reasons. Participants are taught 15 simple, yet progressive exercises that help to improve their mobility and encourage independence while performing activities of daily living.
*Please note: Registration is required for all VON SMART classes.
SMART Virtual Exercise Program (VEP)
VON SMART Virtual Exercise Program (VEP) are available virtually both online and offline. Live, interactive exercise classes are offered using Zoom, where participants join from the safety and comfort of their home. For individuals who have no internet access, the VON SMART VEP offers free tablets which contain a library of exercise classes and guided fall prevention presentations. For more information call 519-254-4866 ext 6239
Program
When children and youth are hungry, they can’t focus, and when students can’t focus it is challenging to concentrate and learn. That’s why the Ontario Student Nutrition Program (OSNP) provides funding and support to over 90 schools and 27,000 students in Sarnia-Lambton for nourishing snack and meal programs; to ensure no child has to learn on an empty stomach. Programs are stigma free and universal in nature, meaning they are open to all students, regardless of socioeconomic background.
Student nutrition programs extend beyond filling hungry bellies, they incorporate educational objectives, community building, leadership opportunities and linkages with local food systems. They provide a positive start to the day and safe spaces for students to connect with their peers while supporting students’ physical and mental well-being. There is emphasis on serving food that is healthy, safe, culturally appropriate and locally-sourced, when possible.
”At our school, we have witnessed the positive impact of the extra snack items, specifically whole grain and protein options, provided this school year. These nutritious snacks have not only contributed to maintaining a focused and energized learning environment but have also improved overall student well-being. Students appear more engaged in their learning, and we appreciate the effort to
Strengthen
prioritize their health and academic success. The OSNP program has been instrumental in fostering a positive and nourishing atmosphere within our school community.”
- Elementary School Principal
The Ontario Student Nutrition Program (OSNP):
• streamlines the distribution of funding and resources to schools
• fosters partnerships that enhance our menu and direct delivery programming
• fundraises and generates resources to provide programs with adequate support
• provides learning opportunities for schools around effective program delivery, food safety, nutrition and menu planning, engagement strategies and more OSNP receives some government funding to support programs, however, programs would not be possible without support from generous community donors, grantors and volunteers.
For more information about OSNP or how to become involved, please contact osnp@von.ca
Volunteer with VON!
Are you looking for a fulfilling volunteer opportunity in the Sarnia-Lambton area? Choose to Volunteer for VON Sarnia-Lambton and become a proud VON Volunteer! Volunteers enrich the lives of those they help by providing a warm smile and a friendly face. At VON Sarnia-Lambton, volunteers are valued, respected and appreciated! Make a difference in someone’s life today!
To learn more about these opportunities visit www.von.ca or call 519-542-2310
Volunteer Opportunities:
• Charity Bingo
• Board of Directors
• SMART Seniors Exercise In-Home Program & SMART group
• Caregiver Respite
• Telephone Visiting
• Volunteer Visiting Program
VON Erie St. Clair Directory of Services
VON Chatham-Kent Site
190 Stanley Ave., Suite 100
Chatham, ON N7M 3J9
Phone 519-352-5515
Fax 519-352-2466
VON Sarnia-Lambton Site
1705 London Line
Sarnia, ON N7W 1B2
Phone 519-542-2310
Fax 519-542-1160
VON Windsor-Essex Site
4520 Rhodes Drive, Suite 400
Windsor, ON N8W 5C2
Phone......................................................................................... 519-254-4866
Fax ................................................................................................ 519-254-4184
http://patientdirectory.ca
Make the most of our Studio Suite Special
Is running your home too much work? Maybe it’s time to consider the convenience and freedom of personalized retirement services and the warmth of a vibrant community. At Fairwinds Lodge you can stay active, inspired, and comfortable on your terms. If you’re tired of chores ruling your retirement and you’d like to spend more time on the things and people you love, then it’s time for Fairwinds.
Suites:
We have suites from $3,470 per month (334 sq. feet) to $4,320 per month (571 sq. feet). Sign a lease before May 31st and receive one month free in one of our stylish suites OR
For more information call 519-542-8814.
