Providing greater support for family caregivers through the Brigitte Perreault Fund

As collaboration between families and staff is increasingly encouraged at CIUSSS de l’Estrie - CHUS, the Brigitte-Perreault Fund of the CHUS Foundation recently invested in two projects that will tangibly improve how loved ones are welcomed: the addition of sofa beds in several departments and the renovation of the family lounge in the surgical intensive care unit at Fleurimont Hospital.  

Each year, this fund, dedicated to the quality, safety, and humanization of care, supports initiatives proposed by staff at Hôtel-Dieu and Fleurimont Hospital. The CHUS Foundation marks, on December 12, the anniversary of the passing of Dr. Brigitte Perreault, recognized for her humanistic approach.

A More Welcoming Family Lounge in Intensive Care

Since the relaxation of visiting rules, which now allow families to stay with their loved ones without time limits, attendance in intensive care has significantly increased. The unit has two family lounges: a small one, reserved for meetings with the doctor, and a second, larger one, where loved ones can wait or rest. It is this space, showing signs of wear, that will be completely redeveloped.

These changes all move in the same direction: to create spaces where families feel supported and accompanied. “Our budgets force us to make choices, and we prioritize the patient,” explains Véronique Leblond, head of intensive care services. “But since families are playing an increasingly important role, I seized the opportunity to submit a request to the Brigitte-Perreault Fund. Patients hospitalized in intensive care are experiencing critical and complex situations. Their loved ones are anxious, worried, and don't want to leave the hospital while waiting for news. It’s therefore only natural to offer them a soothing place,” she continues.  

A consultation with families helped define the priorities for the redevelopment, namely the purchase of more comfortable armchairs and chairs, a new television, a coffee machine, and some decorative elements. Orders have been placed, and the lounge's transformation is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

This is not the first time the intensive care unit has called upon the Brigitte-Perreault Fund. Among the supported projects are landscape paintings framed like windows in rooms lacking natural light, as well as a pilot project allowing families to participate in daily medical rounds, a true success that has since strengthened collaboration between loved ones and staff.

More Comfortable Nights with a Sick Loved One

Another improvement funded by the Brigitte-Perreault Fund : the addition of ergonomic chairs that convert into beds, allowing loved ones to stay comfortably at a patient's bedside overnight. Currently, few units have sofa beds. A survey conducted with families confirmed that the current furniture does not facilitate a prolonged presence, especially at night.  

However, the CHUS aims to address this need and plans to equip all short-term care units with at least two sofa beds within a year.

The shift undertaken, aiming to make room for caregivers, will certainly have a positive impact, and the Brigitte-Perreault Fund is contributing to it in various ways.