The Rehabilitation Directorate represents two rehabilitation hospitals, three outpatient rehabilitation facilities, and rehabilitation services in long-term care centres and in homes.
Ours is the only Montreal CIUSSS to offer services to people with physical disabilities (motor, language, auditory and visual), intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder.
Before we begin….
Without question, the Rehabilitation Directorate would not be what it is without the contribution of its Associate Director, Suzanne Cloutier. Ms. Cloutier will soon be stepping down to enjoy her retirement, after a 35-year career in health care and social services. 
Ms. Cloutier worked primarily with pediatric clientele with physical and intellectual disabilities, and has practiced in several settings, including the Shriners Hospital for Children–Canada, the Centre de réadaptation Marie-Enfant of CHU Sainte-Justine, the Giant Steps School and the Lethbridge-Layton-Mackay Rehabilitation Centre. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in occupational therapy from McGill University and a Master’s degree in rehabilitation therapy from the University of Sherbrooke.
Good news for Miriam Home and Services
Thanks to the efforts of staff, as well as financial support and the Ministry of Health and Social Services’ Plan d’action sur le trouble du spectre de l’autisme, the waiting time to meet the adjustment and rehabilitation needs of children has been reduced by 50 per cent.
The number of preschool children with autism who benefited from the Intensive Behavioural Intervention program has also increased.
The hiring of a recreologist, as part of the Community Integration Program, has made it possible to better support middle resource managers, staff, families and community organizations and improve the quality of life of users.
Lysanne Lespérance, a special education technician, has confirmed that Loto-Québec, in collaboration with the Les Petits Rois Foundation, has been able to welcome into the workplace and integrate young adults who have an intellectual disability or an autism spectrum disorder. More details are available in this video.
- Guimont Complex
The addition of funds has made it possible to open four new beds for users (DI-TSA) with severe behavioural disorders.
Clinical support has also become more effective, including through improved nursing care.
The complete renovation of an unused wing of the Complex will accommodate up to eight users. This is Quebec’s most modern facility, an ultra-specialized and innovative wing for a complex clientele (DI-TSA-TGC) that will include therapy and counselling rooms, recreation areas and social, school and isolation activities.
- Intermediate residential resources
Three new resources have opened their doors to allow 35 users to make a transition to the residential network. The list of users who are waiting for placement in these resources has also decreased by 35 per cent.
It should be noted that the supply of respite days increased by 42 per cent and the waiting list for respite decreased by 28 per cent.
The success of the Lethbridge-Layton-Mackay Rehabilitation Centre
The identification of access problems and the implementation of solutions have made it possible to eliminate the waiting list for the 0-7 year Motor Impairment Program. More than 18 months of waiting time have been eliminated over a period of five months, and the number of users served has increased.
The number of users referred for language impairment has increased. Due to a larger number of clients from the Park Extension area, which was previously served by Marie Enfant Rehabilitation Centre, the range of services in this field has been completely revised.
- Development of partnerships
Joint committee with the English Montreal School Board: Changes by the MSSS in allocating communication assistance resources have made it possible to review the roles and responsibilities of each of the partners and to optimize ways of working for the benefit of clients with sensory disabilities.
Consultation groups and models were developed for visual rehabilitation, orientation and mobility, movement and sensory integration during a review of the services offered to young people at the Philip E. Layton School.
St. Anne’s Veterans Hospital: This partnership is intended to facilitate the service corridor between the two institutions and improve the offer of the 65+ Program in hearing and vision impairment.
- Significant improvement in the service offer for:
Neonatal clients screened through the implementation of the Universal Hearing Screening Program in Quebec
Babies with a hearing impairment, as well as their parents
Youths aged 8 to 21 with physical disabilities, through participation in the Défi sportif for youth with visual or motor disabilities, the creation of the “Adapted Sports Fair” and Sportball recreational activities, as well as the hosting of several sports camps
22- to 64-year-olds and those 65+ years old, through development of a Neuro-Visual Rehabilitation Program
Within the sphere of the Constance-Lethbridge Rehabilitation Centre
The relocation of the Lumbago Program from Catherine Booth Hospital to the Constance-Lethbridge Rehabilitation Centre has improved the continuum of service, due to its proximity to specialized and sub-specialized chronic pain self-management teams.
The Neuro-Musculoskeletal Program workers mobilized and adapted their programming to the needs of clients who have complex regional pain syndrome.
The Clinicians for the Emergence of Innovative Projects project was chosen to represent our CIUSSS at the latest edition of the Prix d’excellence du réseau de la santé et des services sociaux, in the category of “Human Resources Development and Mobilization”.
The Mayo Portland Adaptability Inventory measurement tool has been implemented in the Cranio-Cerebral Trauma Program. This tool measures, among other things, the post-rehabilitation social participation of clients.
And don’t forget the Catherine Booth, Richardson and Mount Sinai Hospitals
Catherine Booth Hospital: All teams, in collaboration with nursing, have maintained best practices in preventing of nosocomial infections. Practices and facilities have been adapted to better meet the specific needs of clients and provide appropriate services to all of their patients.
Richardson Hospital: Over the past year, rehabilitation services were provided to 582 inpatients. Of these, 204 were stroke patients. About 76 per cent of them were able to return home.
The teams have made a point of maintaining outstanding customer service, especially when with the increase in stroke neurology intensive beds from 21 to 41.
Since November 2016, a satellite office for ambulatory stroke neurology has been operating in the West Island. The team provides services closer to home and helps to build a stroke trajectory in the ambulatory area.
Mount Sinai Hospital: The integration of new knowledge has made it possible to welcome a clientele with sub-acute problems as part of the Respiratory Rehabilitation Program. In addition, people suffering from respiratory diseases throughout Quebec have been able to benefit from specialized tele-rehabilitation services through the use of technology.
In conclusion
A speech-language pathology pilot project has been deployed at the Donald Berman Maimonides Geriatric Centre to provide seniors who have aphasia problems, as well as their families, with better adapted tools for communication.
To share a project, an initiative, or an idea that made a difference to your team, contact Julie Beauvilliers, Communications Specialist at julie.beauvilliers.ccomtl@ssss.gouv.qc.ca.
