Ontario nursing homes plead for help
Seek to stem violence that has claimed 12 lives
Facing a growing wave of dementia so violent it has led to 12 homicides in two years, Ontario nursing homes are pleading with the province to pay for a key prevention tool currently available to fewer than one per cent of them.
Just six of the province’s 626 long- term care homes have received funding to bring in a team of experts to reduce the violence that has become so prevalent it’s led to a warning from the Ontario Provincial Police, the chief coroner’s office, the homes themselves and families who fear their loved ones will be the next victims.
“We’re really concerned ( about violence)," said Candace Chartier, chief executive of the Ontario Long Term Care Association, whose board includes representatives from such key industry players as Extendicare and Revera.
The association is lobbying the Ontario government for $ 60 million over three years so teams of experts can be placed in more homes. Called behavioural support teams, they employ a number of strategies the group says have proven effective in reducing violence.
One strategy is to create stations to engage residents to reduce restlessness that can lead to aggressive outbursts. Examples include placing a dresser with a mirror, hats, bracelets and scarves in a lounge used mostly by women.
Other strategies for reducing stress among resi- dents include careful observation and interviews with family.
Nursing homes that host teams reap benefits: Within a year, one facility reduced anti- psychotic medications by almost 50 per cent, and residents showed much less agitation, restlessness and conflict, t he association says.
“The i n- home ( teams) works best,” Chartier said. “That’s why we advocate for the in-house model.”
There also are mobile teams that visit multiple homes, but they are less effective, she said.
The current six in- home teams are located in Mississauga, Halton, Toronto, Champlain and northwest Ontario.
Asked about the association’s request for more teams, a Health Ministry spokesperson said the government is seeking ways to better care for those with dementia, including the use of behavioural support teams.
“We would like to thank the ( association) for their recommendations, which we are reviewing carefully,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to The Free Press.
A survey by the nursing home association found that 62 per cent of residents in members’ facilities now have Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias, an increase of six per cent since 2010.
And nearly half ( 46 per cent) of residents exhibit aggressive behaviour related to dementia or a mental-health condition, while more than one in five ( 22.2 per cent) show severe aggressive behaviour.
The Ontario Long Term Care Association represents 436 of the 626 homes in the province and includes private, not-for-profit, charitable and municipal homes.