About Our Founder
Joanne Diakiw, RN OHN is a Registered and Occupational Health Nurse with over 30 years experience who has spent her career supporting patients in a variety of settings. Joanne spent the first part of her career working in a hospital in acute medical, surgical, and emergency room settings. She has also worked in community health, long term care, education and private organizations.
As an Occupational Health Leader, Joanne developed, managed, and operated occupational health programs to proactively support healthy employees and to help injured or ill employees through their recovery.
Joanne has a sincere passion for ensuring that every person receives the best possible health care, in a supportive and respectful environment and through interactions that feel safe and supportive. Joanne has supported many family members and friends through illness, injury and end of life, and realized that not only does she have a passion for ensuring everyone receives the best possible health care - there is also a need for health care advocates who understand the system, the health care terminology who can support understanding and empower informed decision-making. The difference in the outcomes for people when a healthcare advocate is involved is drastically improved.
"A single act of kindness
can cause ripples of healing"
Anonymous
What Brought You Here Today?
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Are you or a loved one seriously ill, experiencing cognitive decline (dementia) or seriously injured?
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Are you feeling overwhelmed as you undergo treatment with multiple specialists?
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Are you struggling to keep track of it all?
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Are you having trouble getting all of the information and answers you need?
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Do you find you don’t have the experience, the time, or live too far away from your loved one to provide support at appointments, treatments, or hospital/residential care?
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Is your loved one being discharged from hospital with no support or equipment to receive them?
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Are you an Organization looking for Occupational Health Services/Supports or Program Development?
Nurse Advocates & Navigators are a part of your team!
Services Available
Healthcare Navigation
A healthcare navigator is an important and integral part of your team who walks beside you and provides supports along the way. The healthcare navigator enhances communication, collaboration and reduces stress for all.
Services include, but are not limited to:
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General consultation with client and family/support systems
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Support and attendance at physician/specialist appointments, note taking and provision of summaries/report
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Attendance in hospital or residential care
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Attending client/family/healthcare provider meetings to improve communication and care plans
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Support discharge planning from hospital to home/other facility in collaboration with healthcare team
Fees:
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$150/hour
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$200/hour if weekend/after hours
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Retainer - minimum 2 hours
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10+ hours: 10% discount
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Unused hours can be credited and or donated
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Typically anywhere between1-3 hours as includes travel/follow up report
Client Case Management and or Occupational Health Services
When you or a loved one is alone, aging, ill, or injured at work, home or play a healthcare navigator can act as a case manager for providing supportive care. This greatly reduces time and stress for care teams and families during these challenging times.
Services include, but are not limited to:
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Tracking and reminding clients of healthcare appointments
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Attendance at appointments
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Providing families with summaries of doctors recommendations and notes
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Call 'check ins' as needed
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Supporting a person with return to work and treatment plans after injury or illness in workplace
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Supporting Organizations in return to work and or general Occupational Health Programs implementation
Fees:
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$150/hour
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$200/hour if weekend/after hours
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Retainer TBD/discussed in advance - minimum 4 hours
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10+ hours: 10% discount
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Unused hours can be credited and or donated
Variable time depending on needs
Advocacy & Formal Complaints
An Advocate supports and helps lead the way when appropriate care has been inadequate and or not been provided and will help be your voice when concerns or complaints need to be elevated.
Services include, but are not limited to:
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Consultations and review of supporting documentation
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Offering verbal and written communication to resolve issues
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Coordination and attendance at patient/family meetings to resolve conflict
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Writing, submitting and escalating letters of complaint to facilities or professional healthcare colleagues.
Fees:
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$150/hour
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$200/hour if weekend/after hours
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Retainer - minimum 10 hours
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Unused hours can be credited and or donated
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Advocacy takes time and extensive, specialized experience. This service can take anywhere from 10 hours and up
Coffee & your referrals keep my business going - thank you!
Testimonials
"We have known Joanne for many years, but we live in British Columbia. My parents live in Winnipeg so we would travel there often to help out where we could. My father had been suffering with dementia for many years with my mom as his caregiver. My dad ended up in the hospital because of an infection. He unfortunately became very agitated because of his dementia which kept him in the hospital far longer than expected. Because of this he was faced with many roadblocks to getting into Long Term Care. We were at our wits end . My husband hired Joanne to help us navigate this situation. It was the best thing we could of ever done. Joanne is a very kind and compassionate person. Her approach is very non-confrontational when dealing with medical staff at the hospital. She was able to guide us and help translate all the medical terms and even follow up questions to answers we were given with regards to my dad‘s care. Sometimes you don’t know what what you don’t know. Joanne was able to set a standard of care that we expected for my dad to receive from the hospital.
What Joanne did is set my mother, myself and my brother free from having to navigate the healthcare system, and Long Term Care system on our own. Joanne knows how to speak their language and translate it to us. It allowed us to be loving family members and support dad during this time.
Joanne provides a very valuable service that is needed in today’s world."
"Joanne has been a life saver for our family – literally! My poor 87-year-old dad was admitted to the hospital in an ambulance for symptoms indicative of a mild stroke. I arrived at the emergency ward shortly after he arrived to find him propped up in a chair in the waiting room. As unfathomable as this may seem, we remained there for the next 16 hours. Countless attempts to get him into a bed while he waited to see a doctor were unsuccessful. When he finally did see a doctor, they were content with doing a simple physical and releasing him, without even a CT scan. At that point I called Joanne and asked her to step in and help. We asked to speak to the doctor, informed her that we had personal family Nurse Advocate, and at that moment EVERYTHING CHANGED IN AN INSTANT. My dad was readmitted back into the ‘system’, was placed in priority for the CT scan, was placed in a wheelchair, and received the CT scan within 45 minutes. The CT scan showed evidence of minor strokes (TIAs). The entire scenario was remarkable – once the doctor was advised that we had a Nurse Advocate, the doctor literally fought to get my dad prioritized for the next scan. Thank you, Joanne, for all you’ve done to help our family. We hate to think where we’d be without you. BTW – my dad has fully recovered and is doing fine."
"After admission to a personal care home, I was very concerned about my dad's care. I had a consultation with Joanne to ask her what was "normal" and what I could "reasonably expect". Joanne confirmed that my expectations were not unreasonable and helped me prepare for a family meeting. Because of Joanne's support, our family was able to advocate to stop some medications and bring in external physiotherapy. He has regained some mobility ensuring that he is maintaining as much independence and dignity as possible. In addition for helping us prepare for the meeting, Joanne also connected us with the physiotherapist who is amazing."
Jennifer (Winnipeg)
Mark (Winnipeg)
Carol (Victoria)
