Dr. Tom Bailey Memorial Education Fund
In October 2019, our community lost a very special advocate for seniors’ health: Dr. Tom Bailey.
To honour Dr. Bailey’s legacy of caring for older adults, the Tom Bailey Memorial Bursary – held by Eldercare Foundation – is awarded annually to Camosun College students enrolled in Health Care Assistant, Practical Nursing and Licensed Practical Nursing programs. You can contribute to the bursary here:
PLEASE NOTE THE DONATION FORM WORKS BEST ON GOOGLE CHROME AND SOMETIMES HAS ISSUES WITH INTERNET EXPLORER.
About Dr. Tom Bailey
Dr. Bailey set up his family practice in Langford in 1978 and, over the next 40 years, he looked after generations of families in the Western Communities. In 1984, he got his start in long-term care when he was named as the Medical Coordinator at the Priory Hospital – a position that eventually led to him becoming the President of Medical Staff for the Juan de Fuca Hospitals (Aberdeen, Glengarry, Mt. Tolmie and Priory Hospitals), as well as countless supporting committees that were instrumental in developing long-term care programs for South Island residents.
Following the amalgamation of the Vancouver Island hospital societies, Dr. Bailey served in many capacities including Medical Director of Residential Services for the Vancouver Island Health Authority, as well as being a member of the Medical Advisory Committee and the Ethics Committee for Island Health. Outside of Vancouver Island, he was President of the BC College of Family Physicians (2000 to 2001), President and long time Board Member of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (2006 to 2007), and a member of the BC Association of Geriatric Care Physicians and a host of other roles.
Dr. Bailey’s passions also extended to Eldercare, and to continuing education. He sat on Eldercare Foundation’s Board of Directors for 16 years. He was a clinical associate professor in the Department of Family Practice at UBC and an associate professor in the Division of Medical Sciences at the University of Victoria. And he brought these two passions together as a member of Eldercare’s Awards Committee, where he helped support the education of healthcare employees from housekeeping staff to medical staff, all in an effort to provide the best possible care for the elderly.
The Dr. Tom Bailey Memorial Sculpture at The Summit
Dr. Bailey was excited for the creation of the new Summit at Quadra Village long-term care residence, and the care that local seniors would receive there. It’s only fitting therefore, that a bronze sculpture featuring his likeness is now on prominent display in The Summit’s courtyard garden.
Created by Vancouver Island Sculptors Guild member Steve Milroy, the bronze sculpture features Tom Bailey as an affable, warm, smiling, gentleman Doctor who is happily involved in the lives of his patients. He is depicted amongst nature with a young boy atop his shoulders. The boy is almost an extension of Dr. Bailey, representative of the patients Tom helped throughout his career. The age difference between the two highlights the theme of the sculpture, “The Circle of Life,” as one is just starting out on this magical journey, while the other is nearing the end.
The boy is pointing to the remarkable fact of new life springing from the old tree stump – new life supported by the gift of nutrients from the old, creating a mirror between the human pair and the forest pair. The young sapling will only have the opportunity to become a mighty fir due to the strength of the life and work of its predecessor.