Director: Dr. David Conn

FUNDING

The District Mental Health Services for Older Adults Program is uniquely designed to fit the needs of the six communities it services over an area of 12,000 kilometres. The program is funded through the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care under the Mental Health Branch and administered by the Canadian Mental Health Association, Fort Frances Branch. The program provides psycho geriatric services throughout the Kenora/Rainy River Districts.

Telehealth outreach is made possible through Baycrest’s membership in the NORTH Network (Northern Ontario Remote Telecommunications Health), a joint venture of the provincial government, the private sector and hospitals in Toronto, Central and Northern Ontario. Its purpose is to enhance the level of medical care in underserved regions, and provide specialist consultations, and continuing medical and patient education via videoconferencing.

Baycrest also funds teleconsultations to other communities in Northern and Central Ontario.

CONSULTATIONS/SITES/EDUCATION

The northwest communities of Fort Frances, Kenora, Dryden, Sioux Lookout, Red Lake and Atikokan will soon have access to Geriatric Psychiatry expertise of Toronto’s Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care.

Since September 2003, mental health professionals affiliated with the District Mental Health Services for Older Adults Program in these northwestern communities have used videoconferencing technology to consult with Baycrest’s Psychiatry Department about client cases. Workers will also have access to educational seminars delivered by Baycrest.

Dr. Conn and others provide telehealth consults on a weekly basis. The primary focus is on depression and other mood disorders, as well as complications associated with dementia. Because of the large Aboriginal population in some of the communities, a language translator will be used to translate English into the native language of Oji-Cree.