Luther Village On The Park

Wellness Innovation Recognized at Luther Village

At its Annual General Meeting and Convention this morning, the Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors (OANHSS) presented Lutherwood’s Manager of Resident Services Laura Carlson, and Wellness Centre Coordinator Joy Hancock with its 2008 OANHSS Innovation and Excellence – Supporting Seniors Award as a result of the organization’s partnership with MedManager to develop a diabetes management software program to help residents better manage this chronic disease.

The pilot project involved 18 Luther Village on the Park residents who routinely downloaded blood glucose readings along with their medicine, exercise and diet regimes into an internet-connected, confidential chronic disease management portal. Participants could then access easy to interpret reports that illustrate how their lifestyle changes affect their health, and print those reports to share with Luther Village healthcare staff and their family physician.

"Today’s seniors are very independent, becoming more computer savvy and want an active lifestyle to proactively manage their health," said John Colangeli, Chief Executive Officer of Lutherwood which operates Luther Village on the Park. "The pilot was a unique opportunity for our healthcare team and residents to participate in the development of a chronic disease management tool and we are now working with our partner on developing a cardiac module."

OANHSS is the provincial association representing not-for-profit providers of long term care, services and housing for seniors. Members include municipal and charitable long term care homes, non-profit nursing homes, seniors' housing projects and community service agencies. Member organizations operate over 27,000 long term care beds and over 5,000 seniors' housing units across the province.

Lutherwood is a not-for-profit health and social services organization that provides a wide range of children’s mental health and employment programs as well as retirement services for seniors. Lutherwood serves more than 16,000 people every year in Waterloo Region and Wellington County.