City consulting families on long-term care plan
City officials are meeting with families to develop an action plan that addresses recent incidents at city-run long-term care homes, according to the head of the committee that oversees long-term care in Ottawa.
“Obviously, some of what we have been seeing and hearing about is troubling and very concerning,” said Coun. Diane Deans, who chairs the city’s community and protective services committee.
“Because we have had some issues, they are working with the ministry and meeting with families to talk about suggestions and they will be looking to make some recommendations for improvements.”
The move comes after Citizen stories in the past week detailed the assault of an elderly longterm care resident by a caregiver — which was caught on tape — as well as the use of no-trespass orders against families who had complained about the substandard care of their loved ones.
“It is very concerning,” said Deans.
“We all expect our loved ones to be well cared for in these facilities. Quality of care has to be exemplary and that is what we strive for.”
Meanwhile, the province is planning to introduce legislation that could hold long-term care homes and the people who run them responsible for failing to protect residents from harm.
“I believe there are duties of care. If you are in a situation where reasonably you should know there is a problem and you take no action, I think we have to call people out,” said Ottawa South Liberal MPP John Fraser.
Fraser said the provincial government is looking at introducing the amendments to the Long Term Care Act in the fall.
“The hope is it would build a culture inside our organizations that these things cannot happen.”
There is great long-term care happening in Ottawa and across the province, he added. “We have these challenges that come up and they need to be addressed and they are extremely concerning, but the vast majority is great care.”
Deans noted that the city’s longterm care homes get an overall satisfaction rating of 95 per cent.
The province continues to investigate after 89-year-old Georges Karam was punched 11 times in the face by a personal support worker. Jie Xiao pleaded guilty to assault earlier this month after the incident was caught on a camera Karam’s family had installed in his room.
Karam suffers from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and needs a wheelchair to move around. His family installed the video system after becoming concerned about unexplained injuries they were seeing.
The images of the 89-year-old resident of the Garry J. Armstrong long-term-care home being struck in the face were picked up by news organizations around the world.
The Citizen also reported the stories of two retired nurses who were handed no-trespass orders that restricted visits to their mothers after each complained about substandard care. The complaints of one of the nurses led to major changes in infection control at the home. One woman was ordered to leave the dining room by a security guard while her mother watched in shock.
The practice has been used at other long-term-care homes. Critics say it is often aimed at family members who complain about care and the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly says it is illegal.
“You’ve got people who are at the end of their life having their main caregivers being prevented from visiting them. The people looking out for them are not being able to see what is happening,” said Jane Meadus, staff lawyer with the Toronto-based Advocacy Centre for the Elderly.
“We have seen why it is so important to have eyes in long-term care,” she added.
Ontario has promised an inquiry into the case of Elizabeth Wettlaufer, an ex-nurse who pleaded guilty to killing eight seniors in her care. The New Democratic Party wants that inquiry expanded to take a broader look at problems with the provincial long-term-care system.
Among other things, it is calling for minimum staff-to-resident ratios and minimum standards for care.
Jennifer French, the NDP MPP for the riding of Oshawa, said she regularly hears from community members about the “heartbreaking indignities” of long-term care.
“It is heart-wrenching. It is not specific to Ottawa or Oshawa or Toronto. It is everywhere.”