No fast fix for bathing standards

There is no quick fix on the horizon for seniors or people with disabilities who may get as little as one full bath a week in provincially funded long-term care facilities, Premier Alison Redford said Thursday.

Several MLAs raised concerns in the legislature over the last three weeks about inadequate bath and shower policies in long-term care facilities.

Government officials said that currently, a bathing plan is developed for each resident as part of their care plan, based on their needs. But repeated questions prompted the health minister and associate minister for seniors to promise they will look into the issue.

Thursday, Redford said her government cannot address the issue simply by putting money into the system and she said she couldn’t just decree that long-term care residents should get more baths.

The province, already wrestling with a deficit that Alberta Finance estimates could run as high as $3 billion this year, is dealing with a range of financial issues, she said.

“We’re able to maintain the services that are in place now and that’s very important, but as we move forward over the next six months, we have significant deficit issues to deal with,” Redford said. “So before we start willy nilly having the premier pronounce on this issue and that issue, I think we’ve got to look back to what Albertans said in the election and what they said is, ‘Be thoughtful and long-term and decide how you can strategically change the system so it’s better for everyone.’ ”

Opposition leaders questioned the government’s priorities, with Liberal Leader Raj Sherman wondering how the government can afford to fly first-class or offer subsidies to industry but not take action to increase the minimum number of showers and baths.

“What would it cost, another $25 for an extra bath a week and they can’t get those dollars down to the front line?” Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith asked.

NDP Leader Brian Mason said that the government has known about problems in long-term care facilities since a scathing report from the auditor general in 2005 and has failed to take enough action to improve conditions for all residents.

Mason and the other party leaders agreed that the province’s budget is troubled, but said it should not be residents of long-term care who suffer for it.