First Responder in Rehabilitation

In spring 2011, a team of rehabilitation service providers from the program on loss of autonomy related to aging (PPALV) participated in a Lean (Kaizen) optimization initiative. During the exercise, the service providers determined the scope of the delays for access to rehabilitation services, an essential service for clients finishing their stay in a hospital centre. The team proposed modifying the processes to provide quicker access to basic rehabilitation services (walker loans, basic home adaptation, etc.). The first responder must contact the client within 24 hours of receiving the request in order to adapt the home and, if necessary, set up services. This new process allowed more than 50 clients to receive rehabilitation services from a single service provider, and that, in a shorter delay. Furthermore, the rehabilitation wait list was cleared and duplications in occupational therapy and physiotherapy evaluations were reduced.