Positive Dreams! Positive Futures!

One of the biggest challenges for our residents and often anyone living with HIV/AIDS is where do I go from here. Often there has been a feeling of hopelessness prior to entering one of our programs.

Since our residents are from all walks of life they are affected by many stressors including disease progression, lack of social support, physical illness, homelessness and drug abuse. Often they don’t have the ability to care for themselves anymore and as our residents get older we are seeing people with secondary diagnosis such as cancer and Parkinson’s disease.

To learn that there is life beyond diagnosis and hope for the future is one of the major hurdles they must overcome when dealing with this disease and one of the key reasons behind developing a Case Management Initiative.

Currently caregivers encourage and promote a healthier lifestyle to our residents while providing a safe and secure environment for residents to recover and adjust to changes. However, Case Management builds on this, further enhancing the wholistic approach we want while serving our residents. This means that we support not just the medical or physical, but the psycho/social and spiritual aspects of each individuals care.

The focus of this program is on four key areas:

• Assisting each client in determining areas for growth, developing individual goals and strategizing on how to achieve them.
• Support clients in building an appropriate social support network.
• Assessing clients, evaluating the effectiveness of the care plan and progress made by a client; and conducting a case review.
• Advocating within the community and interacting with partner agencies on behalf of our clients.

To date the Galvin Family Fund at the Calgary Foundation, F.C. Mannix Memorial Fund of the Calgary Foundation, the F.K. Morrow Foundation, Northrock Resources Ltd. and other individual donors have contributed. We thank you for your support!