I made arrangements to catch up with Keith Taylor on a beautiful autumn day at a local coffee shop. Keith met me outside. He had driven his car there but had been tempted to ride his motorcycle. Although he has been a Harley rider since 2004, Keith has spent a longer time traveling along the road of life, with all of its bumps, twists and turns, with humour, determination and strength.
Keith and I go way back. We both grew up on North Harold Street. Keith lived a block down from me, closer to the river. We reminisced about growing up there in the days when we knew the names of all the families in every house on our walking routes to school. We knew who gave out the best candy at Halloween and which apple trees we could climb without getting in trouble.
Keith and I lost touch over the years but later reconnected when Keith was the Board Chair of The Arthritis Society of Northwestern Ontario, a volunteer position he held for 13 years. He became involved with The Arthritis Society because he had been living with the disease for a major portion of his life. He developed rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in childhood and has lived with it for over 50 years. He had his first hip replacement nearly 20 years ago. Keith turned to volunteer work. “I got more from The Arthritis Society than I ever gave,” he says. “I mean, I got to golf with Gordie Howe, meet Darryl Sittler, and because of this “big” disease with “big” issues, I was able to see research in action. I was able to see how donations to research could really make a difference to people who were living with arthritis.”
However, Keith realized that he needed to step away from his role with The Arthritis Society. “I knew when it was time to leave. When I left, our office had the highest donation rate per capita in the province. I knew it was the perfect time to step back and let in someone with new ideas. When I walked out the door, I knew I had done my job. I was passionate about it.” That passion Keith had for his volunteer role with The Arthritis Society was recognized with the Provincial Award of Merit, the highest recognition in the province.
Keith has lived his life by getting involved. He isn’t one to sit back. When he fostered a husky named Nina through the New Hope Dog Rescue, he was known as a “foster failure.” He fell in love with the dog and didn’t let her go. He became Vice-Chair of New Hope Dog Rescue and saw the group evolve to achieve non-profit status. The Rescue takes in over 100 dogs a year and spends nearly $50,000 a year on veterinary bills. They ensure all dogs have a check up and get spayed or neutered. They even have helped people think of their dogs in their wills. For many, knowing that the dog will be taken care of and found a home after their passing is important. After all, animals are part of our family. Keith says that sometimes “his life has gone to the dogs!” “I even had to buy a motor home so that the dogs could come on vacation with us,” he laughs. “I mean we had no choice. Who’s going to look after five dogs!”
As a long-time user of the health care system, Keith has now found what he calls “the best job I ever had.” The salary? $0.00 per year. He is part of the Patient and Family-Centered Care (PFCC) health care team at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. As a Patient Family Advisor (PFA), he believes that the outcomes for patients will improve the more involved they, and their family or friends, are in that care. Storytelling is central to the work of the PFA’s. All levels of the staff at the Regional listen to these patients’ stories. “There are almost 100 PFA’s of all ages now. The youngest is nine.” That youngest PFA told a story that Keith related at a conference in New York City. “When that nine-year old PFA was asked what he didn’t like about being a patient, he said he didn’t like going on that big gurney into the operating room. The staff listened to that and now, because of the words of that nine-year old, they now pull children into the operating room in a red wagon. This is an example of a true partnership when a change can be directly made when the staff listen to the stories of the patients.”
Keith says that over 600 initiatives have been developed with PFAs working with staff, including one called NOD. NOD stands for Name, Occupation, and Do. Every staff person at the Regional now does this when they meet a patient. They state their name, their occupation and what they are going to do. This no-cost initiative shows respect for the patient and has been adopted at many other health care facilities. After all, Keith says, “who knows health care better than the people who are using it.” To Keith, it’s so important to integrate the voice of the patient in everything that is done at the Regional. He also lectures to medical students at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine when they begin their studies and just before graduation. A winner of The Presidents’ Award of Excellence at the Thunder Bay Regional’s Walk the Talk Awards 2015, his work is also being noticed outside of Thunder Bay. He was nominated for the Canadian Patient Safety Institute’s national award and received an “Honourable Mention”. He placed second in the country. When asked about his passion for volunteering in health care, Keith replies, “I have been unhealthy so I’ve always had the urge to give back.”
With his wife Marie, two kids, and four grandkids ranging from 4 to 18, Keith doesn’t believe in retirement. He doesn’t have time to think about it. There are too many fun things to do - jump on a motorcycle, take the dogs for a walk, play with the grandkids, or sit in a Board Room and help make positive things happen for patients. Although Keith is also an avid history buff he looks forward to a brighter future for everyone. Keith is surely one-of-a-kind.
Not bad for a kid from Harold Street!
