Help for the harvest

The Hospital at Home program, which has been running since January 2025 in the Kelowna region, is a 24 hour a day service that is designed for acute patients like Tim who still need daily visits and monitoring but are stable.

“We've seen lots of good successes,” says Hospital at Home physician lead Dr. Cara Wall. “We’ve had a few people who have gone home who were just on the cusp of being able to move around, well enough to get from point A to point B. And they've done marvellously.”  

Dr. Wall says patients being in their own home is not only good for their own comfort but also improves their mental and physical health.

“People who are in Hospital at Home aren’t stuck in their beds and can go to the kitchen for a snack,” she notes. “Had they been in the hospital for another week or month, they would have 100 per cent ended up in short stay rehab.”

Tim, who is one of nine patients currently being cared for under the Hospital at Home program, has noticed an improvement in his physical and mental state since coming back home.

“Oh my goodness. I was so bored in the hospital,” he says. “First day I got home, I was cooking. I’ve got a limited amount of strength, so I have to pace myself, but I was so excited to get home and so happy to be at home. I’m a lot more active and walking around.”

Patients are guaranteed at least one daily home-visit by a nurse. They are also trained to take their own vitals such as heart rate and blood pressure with equipment provided by the Hospital at Home program. A caregiver can also be trained by the staff at KGH.

There is remote patient monitoring; physicians and nurses analyze the results remotely from Kelowna General.

In addition, each patient is provided with a secure medical call bell that is worn around their neck in case of an emergency.

“They can push the button and that will directly link to our charge nurse phone or the phone of their nurse to have immediate direct contact with us,” says program lead Lauren Morrison.

The medical call bell is automatically triggered when there is a fall.

From a physician point of view, Dr. Wall says they can check in with patients in a multitude of ways.

“Once they’re home, we will visit them virtually,” says. Dr. Wall.

Access to virtual care is never a barrier to being a Hospital at Home patient.

“The other way is we’ll actually hop in [the car] with the nurses and go do home visits, which is actually one of the most fun parts.”

An important aspect of the Hospital at Home program is that patients can be brought back onsite to KGH at any time if their conditions worsens or it is no longer safe to provide acute care services at home.

Dr. Wall says people are “tickled” to have a doctor in their home.

“They're like, ‘This hasn't happened since I was a little kid in the ‘50s or, ‘I've never had a doctor in my house.’ So it's pretty cute neat to be able to be part of that,” she notes.

Lauren says safe, patient-centered care is at the heart of the Hospital at Home Program. Health-care staff can truly get to know patients and their families

“We are welcomed into patients’ homes. If we are thinking about a holistic, culturally safe model of care, we gain a better understanding of the patient's goals, their values, their needs, their family,” she notes.

Aside from close connections with families, Hospital at Home has freed up valuable bed space at KGH.

From its launch January 14 until the end of October, it’s estimated the Hospital at Home program has seen 240 patients and has saved more than 1,800 bed days, meaning more space for more critical patients.

Morrison says a program like Hospital at Home is a step into the future and can help take pressure off the health-care system in the Interior.

“Our hospital systems are bricks and mortar. They do an amazing job. But we know there are challenges with capacity. Hospital at Home is a research-based model that is proven effective and we're able to provide safe acute care services within patients’ homes.”

To be eligible for Hospital at Home, patients need to be at least 17 years old, live within a 20-minute drive of KGH, and be medically stable without the possibility of deteriorating quickly at home.

In addition, Hospital at Home has capacity to support many types of patients, including medical, surgical, trauma and oncology if they fit the eligibility criteria and are deemed safe for the program.

“Some of our proudest moments are supporting new moms in their own homes,” Lauren notes. “They have a medical need that would otherwise keep them in hospital, but they're at home with their family and new babies because of the services.”

It’s understandable that some people might find it comforting to receive care within the four walls of the hospital, but Lauren notes it’s a 24/7 service whenever patients need it.

For his part, Tim says the experience with Hospital at Home and the health-care staff who visit their home have been nothing short of amazing.

“Wonderful people,” he says. “It’s a wonderful program. It enabled me to get home a bit sooner than if they didn’t have it. I’m doing a whole lot better at home than I was at the hospital.”

Visit our Stories@IH blog homepage

Sign up to receive the Stories@IH email digest twice a week to your inbox