Gift to Baycrest endows nursing position for pain management

Toronto, ON - A generous gift from the Al Hertz Family Foundation has endowed a Clinical Nurse Specialist position for Pain Management at Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care.

While major gifts to endow research chairs are most common, this donation is considered unprecedented in Canada because it opens the door for donors to support the delivery of care by endowing a clinical staff position.

"My family was interested in supporting the direct care of clients at Baycrest and this endowment was a tremendous opportunity to help a lot of people," says Al Hertz.

It is the first time a donor has permanently endowed a clinical position at Baycrest. The new Al Hertz Clinical Nurse Specialist for Pain Management is expected to be appointed next year and will be responsible for establishing a pain management program.

"It’s a dream come true for our clients," says Dr. Mary Ferguson-Paré, vice-president of Nursing Services at Baycrest.

"Approximately 70 per cent of Baycrest clients are cognitively impaired and many have difficulty adequately expressing their level of pain. We need to develop methods of identifying pain in the elderly and the cognitively impaired, as well as determining the most appropriate pain management strategies."

There are currently eight clinical nurse specialists (CNS) at Baycrest who specialize in geriatric nursing and have expertise in such areas as falls and mobility, incontinence, stroke, wound and skin, psychiatry and respiratory care. Mr. Hertz met a number of the CNSs at a reception held on March 7, 2001.