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The Lyon Browning LADDER Project.
Leading Adults with Developmental Disabilities to Equitable & Effective Emergency Rooms
We Believe that everyone in Alberta should receive equitable and effective acute emergency care regardless of a developmental disability or cognitive impairment.
We understand that Canada has an internationally recognized system of publicly-funded, universal, comprehensive, portable, and accessible healthcare. We understand the system, and we also believe there is an opportunity to improve the system.
We see an Opportunity
We want the best emergency care possible for all Albertans; however, not all people are the same when they present to an acute emergency care department. Compared to the general population, adults with developmental disabilities and cognitive impairments are more likely to:
Present to the emergency department
Present repeatedly to the emergency department for the same issue
Have preventable hospitalizations
Have repeat hospitalizations.
Often relatively straight forward medical procedures escalate to more serious medical issues because people with disabilities often have complex health needs and require special care approaches and environments to get their healthcare needs met. The systems gap creates inefficiencies, places increased pressure on clinical resources, and drives up delivery costs. There is an opportunity to improve emergency care for people living with disabilities.
Support the Solution
The LADDER Project is a multi-faceted strategic initiative to improve person-centered treatment in acute emergency care for people with developmental disabilities and cognitive impairments.
The adult population we are concerned with requires services similar to those provided to children at specialized children’s hospitals, services that this population transitioned from as they became adults. These hospitals are uniquely tailored to the specific needs of sick children who may require emergency care or primary acute and post-surgical care and beyond.
These hospitals have highly trained staff and adjusted approaches to care specific to the needs of children. There is a need for a similar centre, but tailored to the needs of adults with intellectual impairment and developmental disabilities, including supports for the communication and behavior challenges that accompany these individuals.
A centre such as this would have numerous benefits to our already taxed health care system including a reduction in missed diagnosis and a reduction in points of contact, ultimately improving the care for these individuals while reducing costs, hospital wait times and stress on the overall system.
Information
The LADDER project is endorsed by the Excel Society and supported by Dr. Alf Conradi and Dr. Larry Ohlhauser. It requires the support of organisations and other individuals that can offer the expertise required to see this project to reality. If you are interested in being a part of this Steering Committee, please contact Brad Perkins, the President and CEO of Excel Society at 780-455-2601 ext. 222 or Tamara Browning, the founder of this initiative, at 780-966-4007.
Donate to the LADDER Project.
If you are interested in helping this project climb the rungs, click on the button below to donate today.
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