By the time people must go into a long-term care facility, they tend to be more sick physically, and often suffer from other issues, including dementia or mental illness.

A large union representing front-line workers, SEIU Healthcare, says staffing levels and training are not keeping pace with the increased care demands.

There's a chronic shortage in staffing, Thunder Bay union representative Bill Joblin said. Clients are certainly suffering as a result of that.

Abused by lack of care

Both Joblin and Wilson said unmanageable workloads mean residents are often shortchanged on important aspects of personal care -- like baths.

Under Ontario's Long-Term Care Homes Act, residents are supposed to get two baths a week.

Although Wilson believes they should be entitled to a bath more often, sometimes, she said, residents don't even get the minimum.

"If you're short-staffed, you have to do what you can," she said. "You might have to put the bath off to another day. [And] most likely it won't get done."

Wilson believes inadequate or rushed care has physical consequences for residents.

"I find ... rashes or bedsores ... a lot more now [than I used to]," she said.

Josie Wallenius, a retired nurse who worked in long-term care homes in Thunder Bay for decades, said she thinks short-staffing also takes an emotional toll on seniors, because there's not enough time to give them the individual attention they deserve.

"Nobody's taking any notice that ... the people in long-term care are abused by lack of care," she said.

More than 1,100 people live in the eight long-term care facilities in Thunder Bay and close to 400 more are on waiting lists, according to the North West Community Care Access Centre.

Although Ontario's Long-Term Care Homes Act says facilities must provide enough staffing to meet the assessed needs of residents, it does not specify how many residents each worker can be responsible for.

"You know sometimes, I ... could just scream," Villa said. "Why are they not getting the resources that they need?"

Reprinted with permission of CBC Corp.

 


Continue Reading Page 1 Page 2


You might also enjoy:

Alzheimer Society of Canada releases PC P.E.A.R.L.S.

Person-centered dementia care is the new buzzword in long-term care, and the culture shift couldn't…

How to initiate discussions about the future with aging relatives

We all have relatives that are aging. We are aging ourselves! How does our society usually respond to…

Unique Approach to Care in Saskatchewan

In the past three seasons, there have been several occurrences of violence in Canadian long-term care…

Reunite parents separated by illness

Like most of you, I decided long ago there's only one reason I'd want to enter a nursing home. To visit.…

comments powered by Disqus