July 17, 2024

Patient Comfort and Kindness Grants Help Cover the “Little Things” That Help a Lot 

More funding available than ever before, thanks to the Ever Hopeful Fund

Each year St. Joe’s Foundation invites Hospital departments and units to submit applications for a grant of up to $5,000 from our Patient Comfort and Kindness Fund. These grants help cover the costs of those “little things” that are not eligible for government funding but go a long way to improve the comfort and care patients receive at St. Joe’s.  

All campuses, units, departments and satellite or off-site programs at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton are eligible to apply. But remember, applications close on Friday, August 2, 2024.  

Patient Comfort and Kindness Grants are made possible by our community of donors, friends, and Hospital staff members, too. For four consecutive years, an anonymous donor – known as the Ever Hopeful Fund – has provided a series of generous gifts that have helped our Foundation grant as many requests as possible. This year, the Ever Hopeful Fund has provided a donation of $200,000 to help bring comfort and kindness to even more patient and families at St. Joe’s.  

Have You Ever Wondered What Our Patient Comfort and Kindness Grants Can Help Our Care Teams Do? Here are two great stories from our 2023 applicants.

Keeping pets in their fur-ever homes 

Sometimes, when a client is facing mental health diagnoses, they may require an inpatient stay with care from our Mental Health and Addictions programs (MHAP). But clients with beloved pets can face barriers when considering accessing the care they need. Through the Patient Comfort and Kindness Fund, the MHAP team was awarded $5,000 to help provide temporary foster care for the pets of inpatients during their treatment.  

“Pets are family, and making sure they can be cared for can be stressful for some patients. They shouldn’t have to choose between their furry companion and getting the help they need,” shares Krista MacKenzie, a Social Worker in the Mood Disorders Clinic at St. Joe’s West 5th Campus. “We’ve had patients who choose to leave or decline treatment if it means their dog or cat will be surrendered to an animal welfare organization. By offering this program, we remove one piece of stress from their minds. Patients can relax and focus on their recovery knowing that their pets are being well cared for.” 

Pets are fostered on an as-needed basis, with the Patient Comfort and Kindness grant providing financial support for food, grooming, essential needs, and veterinary care if required.  

“So far, we’ve been able to foster pets for 5 different clients and families,” says Krista. “Our volunteers have cared for dogs and cats and then happily reunited them with their owners when they’re ready to return home. The human-animal bond is a special one. With this grant, we’re able to help pets stay in their fur-ever homes with the humans who love them.” 

Healthy and affordable meals while on the mend 

While most people are aware of the importance of nutrition, not everyone knows how nutrition can help you prepare for and recover from major surgery. For patients in the McMaster Opioid Reduction in Orthopaedic Surgery (OREOS) Knee Study, the correlation between nutrition and recovery is just one piece of a research puzzle which aims to provide safer and more effective pain management after a knee replacement surgery.  

Last year, Dr. Kim Madden and her OREOS Knee Study research team received a Patient Comfort and Kindness Grant of $2,260 to produce two videos in collaboration with a registered dietician. The videos were added to a previously developed online education series that patients watch before surgery to learn how to manage pain and have a smoother recovery post-op.  

“We had some requests from patients for additional topics, including information on nutrition to help with recovery after surgery,” explained Dr. Madden. “The videos are easy to understand and have information patients know they can trust. The nutrition videos help patients confidently plan meals before and after surgery when they may be experiencing mobility challenges, pain and post-operative nausea.” 

The two nutrition videos funded by the grant feature Michelle Jaelin – a registered dietician and content creator. In the first video, Jaelin discusses the importance of nutrition before an operation, and the role it plays in helping patients build and maintain strength, along with a reminder for special pre-operative requirements such as fasting before surgery. The second video discusses post-operative nutrition and addresses nausea, constipation and digestive issues. Both videos stress the importance of staying hydrated and eating foods that are high in nutrients that support healing and bone health.  

So far, these videos have been sent to 100 patients as part of a pilot project, however, Dr. Madden hopes they will have a larger impact moving forward. “We’re aiming to integrate it into our standard of care for every patient undergoing elective orthopaedic surgery,” explains Dr. Madden. 

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