JULIE KYTE: HONOURABLE MENTION
Making a difference with seniors
May 10, 2008
Comments on this story
(0)
Janice Bradbeer
TORONTO STAR
Julie Kyte couldn't believe she received an honourable mention for the 2008 Toronto Star Nightingale Award.
"I thought it was a belated April Fool's joke," says Kyte, who has worked at The Barton Retirement Home in Newmarket as a registered practical nurse for almost five years.
It was Barton's administrator, Kathleen Kennedy, who nominated Kyte. "I've had four nurses before her and there is such a difference in the depth of what she does."
In her role as residence services manager, Kyte has shown professionalism, compassion and caring, which have been acknowledged by residents and family members, Kennedy says.
Physicians are often impressed with the care patients have received, and Kyte always has time to listen to, talk to and help everyone, Kennedy notes.
Kyte is unassuming about receiving the accolade. "I do such ordinary things," she says.
Not so ordinary, since Kyte is the sole registered staff nurse for the private facility of 84 residents and bears the responsibility for all health-care decisions. This includes liaising with residents, staff and visiting physicians.
She oversees 15 personal support workers (PSW), who perform the hands-on care duties, which include changing dressings, administering some medications, monitoring blood sugar levels and serving meals in the dining room.
Although Kyte works Monday to Friday, she is on call 24/7, 365 days a year. "That was a decision on my part," Kyte says. "That way, the PSWs who work here never feel frightened about any situation."
One of her responsibilities involves monitoring medications, since "two medications don't always like each other."
Kyte, 58, lives in Barrie with her husband, Leonard, and has two grown sons and seven cats. She says that she has always enjoyed helping others and was inspired by her mother, who was also a nurse (as was her grandmother and as is Kyte's sister).
Kyte obtained her RPN diploma in 1969 from Scarborough General Hospital and worked at York County Hospital (now the Southlake Regional Health Centre) in almost every department. She later owned and operated a psychiatric group home with her husband for 15 years in Newmarket before selling it and moving to Barrie five years ago.
Of her current position, she says, "I enjoy working with seniors, as they always seem so grateful."
All residents who enter the retirement home are ambulatory and free to come and go at will. But they have been advised not to live alone for reasons that include a history of falls and improperly managing their medications. The average age is 83 and the oldest is 99.
Kennedy also applauded Kyte's "superior diagnostic skills" in her nomination.
"I'm able to read the signs and symptoms. People's bodies are like a puzzle," says Kyte, who brings her observations to the attention of the physician.
She has diagnosed several bladder infections, since women, especially, tend to fall easily when they have an infection. (But why they do remains a mystery, she says.) She has successfully "guesstimated" signs of heart attacks, deep-vein thrombosis and severe arthritis.
As time progresses and residents age, physical deterioration comes into play as well as a loss of cognitive skills. "One of the biggest challenges is getting families to recognize their parent as who they are," she says. "We can see the aging process but it's so difficult for family members to see a parent as a senior and to see the role reversal."
Staff will communicate these changes to family members and encourage them to spend time with the residents to see for themselves.
When patients require palliative care, many of them express the wish to die at home, rather than move to a long-term care facility. Kyte helps guide families and patients through the process by talking with them and reassuring them about their options.
"Most people aren't afraid of dying," Kyte says. "They're afraid of the process of dying – and the pain and not being able to breathe properly."
Kyte has taken a course in palliative care, and to help staff better understand patients' needs, she co-ordinates in-house education sessions, with speakers covering topics like Alzheimer's and therapeutic touch.
Toronto Star