New proposed long-term care standards call for better staffing, more direct care
New standards for long-term care homes are being rolled out across Canada in an attempt to avoid a repeat of the tragedies that unfolded during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Non-profit group Health Standards Organization created a set of voluntary guidelines, which were released on Tuesday.
During the pandemic, thousands of elderly residents died alone in understaffed care homes, while others lived in homes with substandard conditions and were unable to receive the care needed.
“What we've done is looked at the evidence, met with experts and talk to almost 19,000 people across Canada about long-term care, what it should be, what it is today, and what we need to do to fix it,” said Joyce Kristjansson, the chair of the Manitoba Association of Residential Care Homes for the Elderly, who was involved with the writing of the report.
Kristjansson said five areas were identified as needing reform - improving the care experience, having enough staff, improving communication, safety in the sector and better governance.
One of the recommendations in the report includes at least four hours of direct care a day for residents. Kristjansson said Manitoba currently provides 3.2 hours of direct care on average, below its target of 3.7 hours.
She said the increased care would make a huge difference for people.
“When I met and talked with residents across the country as part of this process, what I heard from them was they missed having somebody to take that extra five minutes to chat. They missed having someone care about them, having somebody take the time beyond moving forward,” she said. “I remember one resident saying to me, ‘Mealtimes are so hard. I'd like to sit and chat, but I know that the staff are super busy trying to feed people who can't feed themselves. They don't have time to even say something nice to me other than in passing when they're dropping off my food.’”
Eddie Calisto-Tavares, an advocate for seniors’ care in Manitoba, lost her father in a COVID-19 outbreak at the Maples Personal Care Home.
She says a culture change is needed inside long-term care homes.
“The only way they are going to be implemented across the border is if there's accountability,” she said. “One of the things that families voice- which I'm sort of leading - is that we need a place where families can go, when the suggestion is an independent seniors advocate with an independent communication, a person or people that are accountable to that office to make sure that those standards are being implemented, and also problem solve when they're not too big.”
Calisto-Tavares added basic standards, like cleaning and infection protection, should have been there all along.
“That’s why we had the disaster we had during the pandemic, because they were not being implemented.”
In a prepared statement from the province to CTV News Winnipeg, the government said it is "committed to the development of a new seniors strategy, which will be released in the coming weeks.
"Our government engaged in consultations with Manitobans including seniors, caregivers, stakeholders and families of seniors to inform short- and long-term plans for Manitoba seniors," a spokesperson said.
The government said it accepted the findings and recommendations in the Stevenson Report and noted the HSO and CSA Group's Long-Term Care Standards are being considered for Manitoba's "modernization efforts" of care home standards.
The full report can be viewed here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.