North York General Hospital (NYGH) serves one of the largest seniors community in the country, and maintains a track record of exceptional care for older adults, with deep experience in geriatric care, palliative services, geriatric emergency medicine, and geriatric mental health – just to name a few. Along with operating our own long-term care facility, NYGH is a national leader in providing seniors with the care they want and deserve, which philanthropy has helped enable. For patients and residents alike, the outstanding care from NYGH’s health care team can be life-sustaining and life-changing.

Among those profound healthcare professionals is NYGH’s nurse practitioner Donna Ruffo, just shy of an incredible 25-year career at the hospital – starting as a clinical nurse specialist in geriatrics and transitioning to be the first-ever geriatrics nurse practitioner at NYGH. Together, with a team of specialists, Donna is supporting some of North York’s most vulnerable patients and residents with compassionate and comprehensive care.

As we acknowledge Seniors Month, North York General Foundation invited Donna to share more about her journey at NYGH, and what she finds most rewarding in her nursing career.

With a career spanning over two decades, what have you found most rewarding and why?

The one thing I’ve come to appreciate is the impact I have in someone’s health care journey. It is a privilege to support our older population – especially when their vulnerability is heightened due to illness, tragedy or family challenges. From a nursing and personal perspective, I am grateful that I can empower patients to navigate the system and help them reach their own health care goals.

As a member of NYGH’s geriatrics outreach team, how are you breaking down barriers to ensure North York’s vibrant seniors population receives exceptional care?

We are so blessed in North York — the community we serve has one of the highest percentages of older adults in the country and is very diverse. Through these outreach services, I am able to help older adults maintain their sense of dignity and independence. We achieve this by examining how we develop programs and support these individuals.

Today, we’re seeing a lot of older adults, over the age of 90 and 100, many of whom don’t have family and suffer from other risk factors, like socioeconomic circumstances, loneliness and lack of support. It’s critical for me to eliminate many of the barriers they may face day-to-day, and often it just comes down to being able to connect these individuals with the appropriate programs and services.

What has made NYGH so successful in delivering these much-needed services to our seniors?

I attribute so much of the success of NYGH’s many geriatrics programs and services to donor support. Through donor generosity, several programs have been made possible. such as The Fanny Bernstein Living Well with Parkinson’s, which is an education, exercise and support program for clients with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers, and our Dementia and Responsive Behaviours under our Medicine and Elder Care umbrella that provides strategies for supporting and understanding loved ones with dementia, mental health and other neurological disorders.

In addition to services and programs, our donors have helped provide 50 iPads at the beside for our patients, so they can have video calls with their loved ones.

Is there anything you would like to personally say to our donors and supporters as we celebrate Seniors Month?

Your support is such a blessing. Because of you, we have been able to create lasting programs and acquire much-needed technology, helping to support those who have given so much to us. For that, I am so grateful.