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Comfort Carts

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Eldercare Foundation Seniors Comfort Cart Program

Seniors Comfort Cart Program Process Overview

Purpose
Eldercare Foundation’s Comfort Cart Program is designed to improve the hospital experience and health outcomes for older adults, particularly those living with dementia.  Cart contents enhance the comfort and well-being of older adults by offering patient-centred, non-pharmacological resources that address sensory, emotional, cognitive, and physical needs.  They are specifically designed to support delirium care and prevention, and to reduce stress while enhancing communication and comfort for seniors during Emergency Department (ED) visits. 

This document outlines how the Seniors Comfort Cart program operates within Island Health Emergency Departments (EDs), including cart availability, standard comfort items, ordering processes, and the role of ED staff in ensuring the program remains sustainable

Comfort Carts Available to Emergency Departments

Participating Sites:

  • Royal Jubilee Hospital
  • Victoria General Hospital
  • Cowichan District Hospital
  • Nanaimo Regional General Hospital
  • Lady Minto /Gulf Island Hospital
  • North Island Hospital Campbell River
  • Tofino General
  • Port Hardy Hospital
  • Port McNeill Hospital
  • Saanich Peninsula Hospital
  • Westcoast General
  • North Island Hospital Comox Valley

NOTE: add something here about staff champions, sites needing to name replacements in the event of staff turnover, and specific addresses where carts and items can be delivered by courier

Cart Ordering and Changes:

  • All carts are provided by Eldercare Foundation and maintained by Island Health staff champions
  • EDs may order new / different configurations of carts at any time, but should allow a minimum of 4-6 weeks for delivery
  • Staff champions are asked to alert Eldercare Foundation in the event that Eldercare’s Comfort Cart branding becomes damaged, so that Eldercare care arrange on-site repair or replacement

 Available Cart Types: (dimensions are width x depth x height)

  • Mobile Storage Cabinet – 36 x 24 x 78″  
  • Slim Storage Cabinet – 24 x 18 x 72″
  • Ultra Slim Storage Cabinet – 18 x 18 x 72”
  • Narrow Drawer Mobile Cart – 21″ x 20″ x 39.5″
  • Duffel – 42L – 13” x 13” x 19.5”

Items Provided for Comfort Carts

Comfort Cart items are intended to reduce distress, prevent delirium, and support dignity for seniors receiving emergency care.

Standard Items (may include):

  • Sleep aids and toiletries: [e.g. blankets, pillows, sleep masks, ear plugs, lip balm, emery boards, etc.)
  • Fidgets and stuffed animals: [e.g., fidget books, cat/dog fidget muffs, dog-shaped weighted blanket, puzzles, etc.]
  • Dolls
  • Communication aids, activities, and extras: [sound amplifiers, notebooks, colouring books, AM/FM radios, playing cards, etc.]
  • Eldercare tote bags and Comfort Cart brochures: these should be provided by staff, where appropriate, as a convenience to help seniors carry the item(s) they’ve been given, and to help Eldercare spread awareness about the program

Items Changes and Suggestions:

  • Staff champions are invited to submit ideas and suggestions for additional comfort items at any time using the Comfort Cart Restock Request (details below)
  • Eldercare will also review item lists periodically based on staff feedback, clinical appropriateness, and funding availability

Restock Requests – Information for ED Staff Champions:

Restock Timeline:

  • Expect a turnaround time of 2 weeks for most restock orders
  • Orders received in any given week, up until Fridays at noon, will (generally) be fulfilled and shipped the following week
  • All Comfort Cart supplies are stored in Victoria, so North and West Island sites should expect items to take 2-4 days shipping
  • NOTE: several Comfort Cart items are sourced overseas, and can take 2-3 months to produce and ship. As a result, staff champions are encouraged to restock their carts proactively, to allow Eldercare to stay ahead of order flows and avoid long fulfillment delays
All Activities

Ordering & Restocking Process

Checking Orders:

    • Each Friday afternoon, Eldercare staff will check Formstack for Comfort Cart Restock Requests.
    • Each Request will be:
      • Printed to support fulfillment at The Storage Room
      • Entered into a tracking spreadsheet to support supply management (spreadsheet to be created)

Preparing for Fulfillment:

  • Each Monday morning, Eldercare staff will visit The Storage Room to:
    • Drop off Restock Requests received the previous week
    • Check key supplies:  boxes, address labels (for all 12 facilities), and the condition of storage overall
    • Drop off a newly recharged power pack (for overhead lights), along with any rechargeable lights removed the previous week (still need to purchase power pack and determine run time with lights)
    • Pick up power pack and any rechargeable lights in need of recharge
  • Each Monday afternoon, send email to Eldercare volunteers confirming regular weekly shift time (still need to recruit and confirm Eldercare volunteers)

Fulfillment:

  • Eldercare volunteers will pack items from Restock Requests in provided boxes, seal, and affix label for the relevant ED.  Sealed boxes will be stacked inside the front of Eldercare’s locker at The Storage Room
    • Note: Eldercare intends to provide sites with tote bags and program brochures that can be handed out with items, and (unless noted otherwise) a bundle of each should be included with each Restock Request.
  • Eldercare staff will pick up packed boxes the following morning, and transport to the Eldercare office.  Staff will then contact Max Express for shipping. 

(Include information about Max Express contact and process)

Through the above process, Restock Requests should (generally) take a maximum of 14 days from online order to shipment, with up to an additional 4 days required for delivery.

 

Eldercare supplies and re-ordering:

  • At The Storage Room, Eldercare should maintain a minimum of 30 mailing labels for each of the EDs enrolled in the Comfort Cart program
  • All other stock – boxes, and Comfort Cart items – should be re-ordered when quantities reach 25% of initial supply (unless the item is being discontinued)
  • Suggestions received through the Restock Request form, along with existing stock items, should be reviewed every six months to determine ongoing suitability

What Eldercare Needs from Emergency Department Staff

To ensure the Comfort Cart program remains effective and sustainable, Eldercare Foundation relies on the following support from ED teams:

Program Stewardship and Appropriate Use:

  • Identify a site lead or champion, and a designated back up, who responsible for basic oversight, item re-ordering, and restocking. 
  • Inform Eldercare immediately of any changes to the site champion and back up.
  • Inform Eldercare of any issues with courier delivery, or with items at info@eldercarefoundation.org  
  • Ensure carts are stored securely and used as intended (to store items provided by Eldercare for the Comfort Cart program)
  • The Comfort Cart program is intended to help seniors, especially those living with dementia and/or experiencing or at risk of delirium or significant stress during an ED visit.  Provided items are only available thanks to community donations.  Distribution of items to other audiences is likely to result in the program becoming unpopular with donors, and unsustainable for Eldercare.

Program Sustainability: (Other organizations and story sharing)  

  • As discussed above, the Comfort Cart program is only possible thanks to public donations to Eldercare Foundation.  While it is understood that other local organizations may wish to contribute items to Comfort Carts e.g. local knitting groups wishing to make fidget blankets, please encourage such groups to contact Eldercare and to work through Eldercare’s distribution mechanisms (rather than accepting donations directly).  If donors perceive that donations to Eldercare are not necessary to ensuring adequate Comfort Cart supplies, the program is likely to become unsustainable. 
  • Donors need to know that their past funding has made a difference before they’re willing to give more.  As such, Eldercare needs support from ED staff to gather impact stories and – where appropriate – photos and quotes of seniors, families,  and caregivers helped through the Comfort Cart program.