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Page 18<br />
Christmas Hamper Project 2011<br />
The Christmas Hamper Project<br />
is in full-swing again this year,<br />
with a goal of reaching 175<br />
families and individuals in the <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
community.<br />
For more than 30 years, the<br />
Christmas Hamper Project has<br />
supplied thousands of <strong>Ottawa</strong> families<br />
and individuals with boxes of food,<br />
toiletries and small gifts to help make<br />
their Christmas season a little brighter.<br />
Hosted by Centretown United<br />
Church, hampers will be delivered to<br />
families and individuals who have been<br />
referred by a number of Centretown<br />
emergency food providers.<br />
During the holidays, our thoughts<br />
often turn to those less fortunate than<br />
ourselves. This worthy project relies<br />
on the generosity and the goodwill of<br />
the community, and offers a number of<br />
By Michelle Lahey<br />
Imagine you or your loved one has<br />
just been diagnosed with a life<br />
changing illness such as cancer.<br />
Would you know what questions<br />
to ask your family practitioner or<br />
specialist? Would you be aware of the<br />
resources available to you? Would you<br />
know where to go to find the answers<br />
you need? On the other hand imagine<br />
you have an experienced health<br />
professional to personally guide<br />
you and help you find the resources<br />
and information you need to make<br />
well informed decisions. Help with<br />
Healthcare: Advocacy Services for<br />
The <strong>OSCAR</strong> - OUR 38 th YEAR DEC 2011<br />
ways you can help:<br />
To adopt a hamper, contact Sue<br />
by November 30 th at sue.allan@<br />
sympatico.ca.<br />
To pack hampers and help wrap<br />
gifts between <strong>December</strong> 15 th and 21 st ,<br />
contact Ann at 613-234-6084.<br />
To deliver hampers or drive on<br />
<strong>December</strong> 22 nd , contact Linda at linda.<br />
pollock@sympatico.ca, or by phone if<br />
you don’t have email, at 613-232-0370.<br />
Or, have a crazy schedule? We gladly<br />
accept donations! Please send a<br />
cheque made out to “The Christmas<br />
Hamper Project”, to Centretown<br />
United Church, 507 Bank Street, K2P<br />
1Z5. Thank you for your support!<br />
Please see our website as details<br />
become available:<br />
www.centretownunited.org<br />
Canadians Inc. is an <strong>Ottawa</strong> based<br />
business which can do just that. It<br />
is owned and operated by Michelle<br />
Lahey, a Nurse Practitioner with more<br />
than 25 years experience working in<br />
the healthcare system.<br />
At Help with Healthcare you are<br />
our main priority. You will receive<br />
a personalized and confidential<br />
consultation with an independent and<br />
experienced healthcare provider. The<br />
consultant will ensure that you have<br />
the information you need to make<br />
well informed decisions regarding<br />
your healthcare needs or those of your<br />
loved ones.<br />
Mrs. Smith* had surgery for a total<br />
This squirrel looks quite prepared for a long winter. Photo by L. Thompson<br />
Do You Need Help With Healthcare?<br />
knee replacement. One known postoperative<br />
risks with this surgery, which<br />
could lead to death, is a blood clot that<br />
may travel to the lung. Following this<br />
type of surgery a patient is usually<br />
prescribed an anticoagulant (blood<br />
thinner medication) and is advised to<br />
start walking the day after surgery to<br />
further decrease the risk of developing<br />
a blood clot. Neither of these measures<br />
was taken after Mrs. Smith’s surgery.<br />
During a consultation with Help with<br />
Healthcare these potential risks were<br />
reinforced and the family was advised<br />
what questions they should ask the<br />
health professionals involved in the<br />
care of Mrs. Smith. Initial and follow<br />
up consultations resulted in the family<br />
obtaining the information they needed<br />
to ensure that Mrs. Smith received<br />
appropriate treatment. As a result of<br />
the family being well informed and<br />
asking appropriate questions Mrs.<br />
Smith recovered from surgery without<br />
unnecessary complications.<br />
Help with Healthcare offers<br />
a wide range of services. You may<br />
want somebody to accompany you<br />
to a medical appointment or help you<br />
determine which questions to ask at<br />
an appointment. We will speak with<br />
you before an appointment and ask<br />
you questions about your medical<br />
condition. We will do any necessary<br />
research before the appointment to<br />
prepare pertinent questions you can<br />
ask your healthcare provider. If we<br />
attend the appointment with you<br />
we will provide you with a written<br />
summary of what was discussed at<br />
the appointment to facilitate your<br />
maximum understanding.<br />
You may have a parent or loved<br />
one who needs placement in long term<br />
care and you are not sure how to start<br />
the process. Help with Healthcare<br />
will help you initiate the process as<br />
well as do the research to help you<br />
find a long term care facility that<br />
meets the criteria you are looking for.<br />
If you or your loved one is in need<br />
of medical equipment or personnel we<br />
can help you find these resources.<br />
With your permission, Help with<br />
Healthcare can review all of your<br />
medical records. After we review all<br />
files we will provide you with a written<br />
summary that includes your past<br />
medical history, medications, consultations<br />
and test results. This summary<br />
can be brought to all medical appointments<br />
to help you have more consistency<br />
in your care.<br />
Perhaps you live out of town and<br />
are not able to advocate for or assist<br />
your loved one with the help they<br />
require. Help with Healthcare can<br />
work with you and your loved one to<br />
provide support when you cannot be<br />
there for them.<br />
As Canadians, we are very<br />
lucky to have a great healthcare<br />
system. However no healthcare<br />
system is perfect. Not enough family<br />
practitioners and specialists, less<br />
time to spend with patients, an aging<br />
population, longer wait times, and<br />
earlier discharge from hospitals are<br />
just a few of the factors that make<br />
our system more complex today than<br />
it was in the past. Individuals and<br />
families need to take a more active<br />
role to ensure their healthcare needs<br />
are met. The more information you<br />
have the better equipped you are to<br />
determine which options are best for<br />
you.<br />
No individual service can meet<br />
all the needs of all people. Help<br />
with Healthcare is an option now<br />
available to advocate for you and help<br />
you understand your possible choices.<br />
You can optimize your healthcare<br />
outcomes.<br />
For a complimentary, 15 minute<br />
telephone consultation or for more<br />
information please contact Michelle<br />
Lahey.<br />
Phone: 613 222 9996<br />
Email:<br />
info@helpwithhealthcare.ca<br />
Website:<br />
www.helpwithhealthcare.ca<br />
*Name has been changed to protect<br />
privacy.
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