Innovations in dementia care

4 minutes

In a series of landmark studies, the Alzheimer Society of Canada estimates that by 2050 more than 1.7 million Canadians are expected to be living with dementia. That’s triple the more than 600,000 people who are living with dementia today in Canada.

The forecasted increase in diagnoses is expected to have a huge impact on Canada’s health-care system, not to mention the more than one million caregivers who will serve as care partners.

According to the first study:

Temporary service interruption at South Okanagan General Hospital emergency department

1 minute

Oliver and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at South Okanagan General Hospital due to limited physician availability. 

Emergency services will be unavailable from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27. Patients can access care at Penticton Regional Hospital during this time.

All other inpatient services will continue as normal at South Okanagan General Hospital.

Teens share views on tobacco, cannabis & vaping in poster contest

4 minutes

Five teens have been selected as winners for the 2023 Take a Breath: Teen Voices on Tobacco, Cannabis and Vaping poster contest. Youth in grades eight to 12 living in the Interior Health region were invited to participate in the contest. Teen judges on the IH Teen Advisory Council evaluated and scored each poster based on a specific set of criteria.

Where to get care: Emergencies and urgent medical needs

4 minutes

When Erin’s teenage son Sam hurt his wrist at the skatepark, it didn’t seem that serious at first. However, by the evening his wrist was very swollen and painful. Erin started second-guessing her initial assessment and felt they should have her son’s injury checked.  

When a family doctor or walk-in clinic isn’t available, or if it’s after hours or the weekend, we often turn to hospital emergency departments for help. 

Additional mental health crisis supports now operational in Penticton

4 minutes

To help people in crisis and to free up police resources to focus on crime, a new crisis response team is now operational in Penticton.

The new Mobile Integrated Crisis Response (MICR) team is staffed with Interior Health (IH) mental health professionals and RCMP officers to help people in crisis who need appropriate health-care services when police have been called.