BRINGING INNOVATION AND HEALTH CARE TO THE HOME
SE Health is a not-for-profit social enterprise applying knowledge, vision and drive to impact how people live and age at home – today and well into the future. One of Canada's largest diversified home health companies, SE Health is backed by 110 years of expertise and delivers an estimated 20,000 care exchanges on a daily basis, totaling 50 million visits in the last decade alone.
Mary Lou Ackerman, Vice President of Innovation at SE Health, believes that embracing innovation is the key to enhancing today’s health care system for the aging population and addressing many of the issues affecting access to care services.
“Using technology allows us to provide health services and support for individuals directly in their home, allowing them to feel comfortable and confident with round-the-clock monitoring, support and access to care,” she says.
In addition to the advancement of digital technology, Mary Lou’s work has also been largely focused on responding to the rising needs of the aging demographic.
“We're seeing a big change in people's willingness and desire to self-manage their care,” she says. “And from a systems perspective, today’s human resources capabilities within the health industry are not adequate for the aging population; there are just not enough people to provide care, which has driven us to look for different solutions.”
Zayna Khayat, a Future Strategist with SE Health, taps into the importance of looking to the future when it comes to Canada’s aging population.
“Firstly, the aging demographic makes up about a third of our total population, with the promise of doubling in the next 10 years, and we're nowhere near ready to meet their health care needs and expectations,” she says. “Additionally, we know that almost everything currently done in health care institutions can be done in the home setting. It's not happening that way today, but it's possible, and we're trying to create a future where health care is managed in the home.”
THE ART OF PERSONALIZED HEALTH CARE
Zayna believes that the 20,000 visits SE Health members make to Canadian homes on a daily basis provide the organization with insight into how digital health can become more personalized.
“Having data and the right digital tools will allow us to design and customize services for each individual's situation,” she says.
Arslan Idrees, Digital Transformation Officer with SE Health, is also on board when it comes to the many advantages of gathering patient information from in-person visits.
“It’s about using the patient’s data to curate a personalized care plan that will allow us to solve the puzzle for them,” explains Arslan. “And we want to ensure that this information is available to the care provider at any time, any place.”
He also stresses the importance of the patient experience, and how this is overlooked in today’s health care industry.
“We need to recognize that the role of the patient is a very critical aspect of the work that SE Health does,” says Arslan. “This will enable patients to become more familiar with their health and become a part of the larger change movement.”
TRANSFORMING THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM TOGETHER
For SE Health, joining the ACCESS 2022 movement is integral to implementing the use of digital technology within today’s health care system for the aging population.
“The ACCESS 2022 movement, in my mind, is critical for us to really change the health system,” says Mary Lou. “SE Health is just one voice of many health service providers and ACCESS 2022 will bring these voices together to help create a new health system that's more accessible, personalized and predictive.”
