Seniors Home Support

The Seniors Home Support (SHS) program is an integrated primary care program delivered by an interdisciplinary team to home-bound seniors who for medical, social or cognitive reasons cannot access office-based primary care services.

The SHS Program is delivered by a care team which includes primary care physicians, an occupational therapist, a pharmacist, a chiropodist, registered nurses, community paramedics, and home care coordinators. 

Home-care services are provided in partnership with the Markham Family Health Team (FHT), Markham Stouffville Hospital (MSH), Central Region Ontario Health atHome and York Region Paramedic Services Community Paramedicine Program.

The Seniors Home Support program expresses sincere gratitude to the South East Geriatric Outreach team of Unionville Home Society for their invaluable in-kind contributions from June 2021 - Dec 2022.

Referrals

Referrals can be accepted from:

  • Patient (self-referral), family, caregiver

  • Primary care, specialists, acute care

  • Community support services

Download a referral form.

Program benefits

  • As a patient of the program, you will have routine home visits by a primary care provider and have the support of a nurse navigator and community paramedics for urgent issues.

  • All SHS Program partners have access to one electronic medical record (EMR). The benefits of a shared EMR is having a single client record that will allow patients to only tell their story once and have their health care providers share information between each other.

Delivery of care

Care will be provided in a variety of ways including:

  • Home visits

  • Telephone calls

  • Virtual support (via Ontario Telemedicine Network) 

As the patient’s needs change, the SHS Program team will work with you to update your home-care plan as you may need more services.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible, you:

  • Are 65 years or older

  • Have a valid OHIP card

  • Live in Markham or Stouffville

  • Are home-bound and unable to attend in-person medical appointments

  • Are in need of a primary care practitioner to do home visits and willing to transfer care from your existing primary care provider

  • Meet the following criteria in two of three categories shown below:

  • Primary Care Providers
    Elizabeth Mui MD, CCFP (COE) Lead Physician, Oak Valley Health – Markham Stouffville Hospital

    Annie Cheung MD, CCFP (COE) Physician, Oak Valley Health – Markham Stouffville Hospital

    Julie Yu MD, CCFP (COE) Physician, Oak Valley Health - Markham Stouffville Hospital

    Administration
    Rebecca Briggs Team Coordinator, Markham Family Health Team 

    Nurse Navigation
    Susan Ng RN, MN, CHPCN (c), GNC (c), Advanced Practice Nurse, Oak Valley Health - Markham Stouffville Hospital 

    Crystelle Burdeos, RN, BScN, Nurse Navigator, Oak Valley Health – Markham Stouffville Hospital

    Interprofessional Health Providers
    Jasdeep Chahal OT Reg. (Ont) Occupational Therapist, Markham Family Health Team 

    Shirley Cheung D.Ch., BHA. Chiropodist/Foot Specialist, Markham Family Health Team 

    Christopher Chiu PharmD, RPh, CDE Pharmacist, Markham Family Health Team 

    Home Care Coordination Liaison
    Marisa Gutta, MSW, RW Care Coordinator, Home and Community Care Support Services

    Community Paramedicine
    Abraham Poon, Community Paramedic

    Shannon Koppenhoefer, Community Paramedic

  • What happens if I need to be admitted to an Oak Valley Health hospital?

    If you need to be admitted to an Oak Valley Health hospital, your care team will be kept informed of how you are doing. When you are ready to go home again, we will work with you to plan for your transition back home into the program.

    Protecting your privacy

    Your privacy is important to us. If you are eligible to participate in the SHS Program, your medical record will be held by Markham Family Health Team on behalf of all of participating organizations; if you are not eligible, no record will be created. All participating organizations contribute to the same record, and will have access to your information in that record to provide you with care, to plan and evaluate programs we deliver, for education or as permitted or required by law. In order to protect your privacy, information used for program planning or education will have identifiers removed or be made anonymous. If one of the participating organizations stops participating in the SHS Program, your medical record will continue to be held by Markham Family Health Team.

    Health records

    If you have any questions or concerns regarding the handling of your personal health information or if you would like to request a copy of your personal health information, please contact the SHS Program team coordinator at 437-248-1642.

    Patient relations (compliments, concerns, complaints)

    The SHS Program is committed to listening to patients and welcomes all feedback, whether it is a compliment or a complaint, as an opportunity for us to learn and to improve the quality of the care that we provide to our patients.

    If you have any compliments, concerns or complaints please contact us at oht.eyrnd@gmail.com

LOCATION AND CONTACT

LOCATION AND CONTACT

Address:
c/o Markham Family Health Team
122 Cornell Park Avenue, Unit 1
Markham, Ontario L6B 1B6

Hours of operation:
Monday to Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Phone: 437-248-1642
Fax: 905-910-0951

After hours and weekends:
If you have a change in your general health status, please call 911 or visit Markham Stouffville Hospital’s Emergency Department at 381 Church St, Markham, ON L3P 7P3.