Respite Success at Cloverleaf

How would you feel about an ‘all inclusive’ 3-day retreat in a quiet country setting, at no cost and with no expectations? Pretty appealing? Well, that’s what potential clients can enjoy at the GSS Cloverleaf Intensive Supports Program in Warburg, Alberta. The innovate respite idea was developed by the Cloverleaf team and has turned out to be a big win-win for clients and staff.

The Cloverleaf Program is an unusual GSS service. It’s a 14-unit permanent supportive housing program (PSH) based in a Senior’s Lodge in the village of Warburg, 90 kilometers southeast of Edmonton. Since opening in 2019, program occupancy has hovered around 60%. For clients used to the urban bustle of Edmonton, moving to a quiet village is a big change that can feel like a big risk. As Program Manager, John Norton says, “Here you step out the door and see a squirrel instead of McDonalds.”

To try and increase the number of longer term and contented residents, the Cloverleaf team used the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) quality improvement model to set up and test the outcome of offering potential clients a chance to ‘test drive’ Cloverleaf. Potential residents can stay at the site for three days and two nights, checking out the community, the site, and the staff. At the same time, staff can learn more about the person.

The first respite was offered in December, 2019. That individual moved in and is still a resident. There have been five respite stays now and, each time, the individual chose to move to Cloverleaf. That means almost half the current 11 residents have settled in after a respite stay. The chart below shows how the occupancy level at Cloverleaf is rising steadily and is now at the 80% target level.

John says there is no question that the respite helps people feel less anxious about making a big decision to move to Cloverleaf. There is a big benefit to the program and staff too. The referral and assessment process takes much time and effort and if the site and person don’t match, it can be disruptive for other residents and stressful for staff.

The respite strategy is getting attention. Recently, the Alberta Health Services Provincial Intake Team toured the site. This team pre-screens applications before sending them on to sites like Cloverleaf. They  were impressed by the respite initiative and thought this approach could work elsewhere in the province. Hats off to John and his team for coming up with a creative way to show clients how to live the good life in Cloverleaf.