News

By Katelyn Boulanger 

The healthcare system can some-times be difficult to navigate. When you're ill, knowing what choices are available and finding the right ones is something that local nurse Kim-berly Olver created her business, Pathways of Care Consulting, to help with. "Pathways of Care helps to navi-gate the system. It depends on your circumstance," said Olver Pathways of Care is not a service that provides care. Olver consults with patients and their care partners — friends or family who are providing care — to find out about their in-dividual situations and talk about the various options that might be open to them. 

Her aim is to empower seniors with choice, respect, and a sense of dignity as they face the next chapter of their lives. She said that there could be many varying circumstances where her services could be helpful. Some circumstances that she mentioned were if your ability to care for your-self changes or if your physical ability to get around changes because of a medical issue or navigating palliative care but she also explained that there are many different circum-stances that people find themselves in where she may be able to help. "You take their whole picture of what they need and be able to facilitate the best placement for them," said Olver. 

As a nurse, she's able to help through her knowledge working in health care and how it works. "That's really what I do. It's kind of a navigator helping you to talk to the right people, guide you in the right way to be able to talk to the people and find out what's the best to fit their needs instead of just being told you have no choice but you do have a choice," said Olver. She also wanted to specify that she helps not just older adults but younger patients and their families as well. Olver's business has only been open a few months and so is new to our area. The reason that she wanted to create a business like this was be-cause of her own experience navigating the healthcare system when her mother was ill. "The inspiration was definitely my mom and her journey started young. She was in her 50s and she had been [showing early signs of] moving towards more advanced dementia," said Olver. She explained that when she lost her father, when he was 66, they knew there was something going on with her mother. They were able to get her medicine which slowed the dementia and Olver's mother moved in with her and lived with her family for ten years. After some time, her mother needed different circumstances and her mother-in-law needed someone to help her as well. For a time, the two lived together and their needs com-plimented each other in a way that they could help each other out. 

From there, Olver's mother went into more supportive options as her circumstances changed. With each change in circumstance, Olver's mother's needs changed and changes to her care needed to be made so she has both personal and professional experience to share. Olver's new business serves the Interlake area. She grew up in the Interlake and has worked in our area for many years. She's been a nurse for over 40 years and has been working in the area of senior care in one form or another the en-tire time. To learn more about Pathways of Care and the services they provide contact Olver at info@pathwaysof-care.com. Olver encourages people to reach out to see if she can help. "It's not that I charge for every minute. If I can't help you, I'll tell you, but I can probably point you in the right direction," she said. 

Source - Selkirk Record