Low numbers limit survey finding satisfaction with city care homes
Although ratings were 95% positive, just 40% of residents took part
As revelations of abuse, neglect and chronic non-compliance with provincial regulations at some city-run long-term care homes have surfaced in recent months, city officials have repeatedly emphasized that their homes have an overall resident satisfaction rating of 95 per cent.
But that rating is not what it seems once you scratch the surface.
A minority of residents or family members at the four homes run by the city completed the satisfaction surveys done in 2016. Those surveys were conducted by the homes in question — not by an independent body, as suggested by some.
“We are serving some of our very most vulnerable citizens and there is an Accreditation Canada group that does a peer review and they were in our homes in September 2016 and their report basically said our homes have an overall rating of 95 per cent satisfaction as a place to live by residents and their families,” Coun. Diane Deans said during a CBC Radio interview earlier this summer.
Deans chairs the city’s community and protective services committee, which oversees the city’s long-term care facilities.
The city’s general manager of community and social services, Janice Burrelle, has also pointed to the survey results.
“The satisfaction rating for the four homes in 2016 was 95 per cent. This is based on the satisfaction overall as a place to live,” she said in a statement to the Citizen.
Deans and other city officials said the survey came from a report by Accreditation Canada, which audited city long-term care homes and accredited them with commendation.
But that doesn’t tell the whole story.
The survey, it turns out, is done annually by all long-term care homes in Ontario, mandated by the Long-Term Care Homes Act 2007. The surveys in 2016 were conducted in Ottawa and then given by the city to Accreditation Canada, which accepted the results and put them in its report.
Its findings, however, are limited.
Following questions by the Citizen about the city’s survey methodology, the city said it received 286 responses to its survey in 2016, which represents just 40 per cent of residents in its long-term care homes. (The surveys were completed by residents, by family members on behalf of residents without the capacity to respond, or by residents with the assistance of volunteers. The surveys were completed anonymously.)
Not a single city home had a majority of its residents complete the surveys.
Of the city’s four homes, Carleton Lodge had the highest percentage completed — 47 per cent. Centre d’accueil Champlain was close behind at 46 per cent. At Peter D. Clark, 36 per cent of residents completed the survey. At Garry J. Armstrong, just 48 surveys were completed, which is 27 per cent of residents, meaning 73 per cent of residents had no input into the survey.
Garry J. Armstrong was the site of two high-profile incidents, including the punching of an elderly resident by a personal support worker who was later convicted of assault.
However, while the majority of residents at each home did not complete a survey, those that did provided highly positive responses.
Overall, 95 per cent rated the home in which they live as a good place to live and 95 per cent said they would recommend it to family and friends. At Peter D. Clark, 99 per cent of those who answered the survey said they would recommend it and at Garry J. Armstrong, 98 per cent of those who completed the survey said they would rate it as a good place to live.
The surveys asked residents to rate things in more than 40 categories, such as quality of care, assistance with daily living, privacy food services and cleanliness.
“The City of Ottawa is committed to providing the exceptional quality of care that residents and families expect,” Burelle said. “Senior management considers the results of these surveys when making short-term and long-term decisions regarding the homes and strives to improve satisfaction in line with the survey results.”
The City of Ottawa spent $14.29 million on its four longterm care homes in 2016, topping up the province’s contribution of $34.23 million. Both the city and the province’s contributions have increased annually in recent years. In 2012, the city spent $10.8 million on long-term care homes.
The satisfaction rating for the four homes ... was 95 per cent. This is based on the satisfaction overall as a place to live.