We need changes in senior care

RE: Resident beaten at St. Joseph’s Villa (Feb. 3)

Our sympathy goes out to the man who was beaten in his bedroom at St. Joseph’s Villa. We also appreciate the understanding that his family has shown in not pressing charges against the person who beat him, recognizing that the latter did not have the capacity to understand his actions.

These kinds of incidents are not the f ault of the person with dementia, but rather our failure as a society. We need alternate approaches to providing Long Term/Nursing Home Care. There are many caring and committed individuals working in these homes who are doing their very best to support individuals who have increasingly complex needs. Large, congregate settings where 87 per cent of the residents have some form of cognitive impairment, can no longer be the only approach to residential care. Smaller, homelike settings have been shown to reduce behaviours and increase quality of life. There are also models of cluster care where individuals living in an apartment building have access to regular support throughout the day.

“The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” (Mahatma Gandhi) Mary Burnett, CEO Alzheimer Society Foundation Brant Haldimand Norfolk Hamilton Halton