Barrette looking for the gold standard
Methods at top retirement homes will be studied and shared
With an ever-aging population, and an estimated 40,000 of Quebec’s senior citizens housed in public retirement homes, Quebec has decided to look into how to improve the quality of the care provided.
On Monday, Quebec Health Minister Gaétan Barrette and Francine Charbonneau, the Minister responsible for seniors and antibullying, announced the government would be visiting the “topperforming” retirement homes with a view to establishing best practices in the field – and sharing them with the other residences.
“Right now, certain establishments are very efficient, others less so,” said Barrette. “We want the better ones to share their expertise, to raise the overall standard of the services we offer.”
The government will also organize two public forums on the topic. The first, to be held in December, will focus on CHSLDs – the Centres d’hébergement et de soins de longue durée – designed for residents who require supervision and medical help on a constant basis, and the second, on home care services, to be held in early 2017.
“We’re happy to see that on top of the 40,000 seniors living in CHSLDs, we will also take care of the million other seniors living at home or in private residences,” said Pierre Blain, the executive director of the Regroupement provincial des comités des usagers (RPCU) which defends patients rights across the province.
Of particular concern to the RPCU is the training and heavy turnover of staff in CHSLDs and home care services, particularly orderlies.
“The RPCU will insist on the training of staff and that they are given the time to properly care for people living in CHSLDs and at home,” Blain said.
The announcement comes after media reports over the last few months of CHSLD residents being restricted to having one bath per week or being regularly served mashed potatoes made from powder, as well as other standard fare.
In June, a group of irate citizens sent boxes of mashed potatoes to MNAs in Quebec City, to see how they like them.
In another case, a CHSLD resident with multiple sclerosis started a GoFundMe campaign in May to raise money so he could pay to have two extra showers per week.
At the time, Barrette suggested “A bath is not a panacea ... You can have (good) hygiene without a bath.”
He was more sympathetic Monday:
“We want to eliminate what isn’t working and multiply what does work — that’s the goal,” Barrette said at a press conference in Montreal.
“People want better (care) for their seniors. Is it so bad right now? No. Can it be better? Yes.”