All aspects of long-term care demand examination
It’s not as simple as saying families must play a greater role, says an experienced case manager
I read with interest two letters in your Comment section — Families must pay a larger role (June 3) and Taking care of our elderly family ourselves (June 8) and finally felt it was time for me to reply.
I was a case manager with the Community Care Access Centre (now LHIN) here in Hamilton for 30 years before I retired. It is very nice to think that everyone is capable and able to care for their family members when they become frail and in need of support, but that is not always the case and no one should assume that they are falling down on the job when they cannot do it.
I have had families who did take in family members and I am here to say that while in some situations it did work out well, I also walked into homes many times when it was not working out as hoped. To place a loved one in long-term care is one of the hardest decisions anyone has to make and it is rarely done lightly. When people require assistance during the day and night either due to dementias or decreased physical health, it often becomes too much for family members to be able to do on their own.
Unfortunately, the home-care system is not able to provide the amount of care some people require to safely stay at home. We have always been the poor cousins in the health network and although every care co-ordinator can tell you what is needed, we certainly never achieved it during my working years. LTCH should be able to provide the care that your loved one needs, and no one should feel that they have to be there all the time to provide care to loved ones that the home is unable to.
Families are often caught in the bind of caring for their elderly at the same time as their young children or grandchildren, and not many can financially consider leaving work to care for family members. I have often had to counsel spouses or families to cut back on their visits to the home due to their own health needs. Some were losing weight being there all the time, and their own health was becoming a concern.
If so much time is being required at the long-term care home, then the home is not fulfilling their role and the funding is obviously inadequate. So many personal support workers work hard long hours for low pay, but it should not be the responsibility of the family to make up the difference. It is finally being recognized, again, that the system badly needs fixing.
I must also say, that too often, it becomes a women’s issue again, as so much of the care of our sick and elderly tends to fall to the female members of the family who are often overburdened as it is. Just had to put that out there, as sadly, it is so true and nothing really seems to change. I must certainly recognize the exceptional men that did rise to the occasion and often did the best they could under very difficult situations.
It is time the whole of the community system be carefully looked at to ensure vulnerable members of our society receive the quality of care they deserve, and that families receive the assistance they require to support family along their paths of care whether it be at home or in long-term care.