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shared by healthcare88 on 01 Nov 16
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Report claims Alberta facing crisis with seniors' care; Aging population, lack of beds ... - 0 views
www.fpinfomart.ca/doc/doc_display.php?key=pr|245142|town|20161101|259616880
ltc alberta privatization
shared by healthcare88 on 01 Nov 16
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Tue Nov 1 2016
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The availability of long-term care beds has plummeted over the last 15 years and the number of privately-operated long-term care beds has increased while government-operated beds has decreased, according to a report published by an independent Alberta-based research network.
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Last week, the Parkland Institute - which is based out of the University of Alberta - released its report Losing Ground: Alberta's Elder Care Crisis. It was an update of another Parkland report from 2013. The report states that as of March 31, 2016, there were 14,768 longterm (LTC) beds in Alberta and 9,936 designated supportive living (DSL) beds, as well as 243 palliative care or hospice beds.
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The number of LTC beds in Alberta has been relatively stagnant - Alberta only has 377 more LTC beds than it did in 2010, an increase of only 2.6 per cent. The number of DLS beds, on the other hand, has increased by 4,770 or 92.3 per cent. As well, the number of continuing care beds classified as DLC as opposed to long-term care beds grew from 26 per cent in 2010 to 40 per cent in 2016.
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That means nearly half of the continuing care beds available in the province for elderly Albertans do not have a registered nurse on-site and are not subject to minimum staffing requirements. "Losing Ground" also examines who is operating the LTC beds in the province. About 21 per cent are operated by Alberta Health Services (AHS) or a regional health authority. Another 10,808 were run by for-profit corporations and 8,881 were run by non-profits. In the last seven years, Alberta has lost 333 beds in public facilities while private, for-profit facilities have added 3,255 beds.
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The issue is that publicly-run LTC facilities generally provide more health care to residents than privately-run or non-profit facilities. On average between 2011 and 2013, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and health care aids in public facilities provided four hours of direct health care to residents compared to three and 3.1 hours per day in non-profit and private facilities respectively. The report stresses that all facilities are required to provide 4.1 hours of care per day to residents, which means they are all falling short due to a lack of staff.
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The report also notes that the NDP government has fallen far short of its election commitment to open 2,000 new long-term care beds by the end of 2019, including 500 new beds in 2015. The growth in the older population, coupled with a stagnant number of new LTC beds and move towards private care, means the availability of beds for Albertans over the age of 85 has nearly been halved since 2001. "This drop has greatly reduced the province's ability to meet the care needs of its most frail seniors," said report author David Campanella, in a release.
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Minister's response In an e-mail, Minister of Sarah Hoffman said they know there is a huge demand for longterm care and dementia beds that stems from "years of neglect" on the need for affordable spaces for seniors under the previous government. "As a result, we are building spaces and putting in the beds Albertans need as we committed to do in the election and we are doing it collaboratively with communities and community partners." Hoffman said that last year, the province did a thorough review of all proposed Affordable Supportive Living Initiative (ASLI) projects, and implemented important changes to proposed projects to address the needs of Albertans.
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Every new approved ASLI project has since opened with higher numbers of dementia and long-term care beds than originally planned, she said. "With ASLI now ended, we are developing a new capital program for long-term care with criteria to ensure the right level of care and the right methods of delivery are expanded," said Hoffman. She noted they have $365 million earmarked for senior care in the current budget and that will improve access for families across Alberta. Following the report's release, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) issued a statement that it is disappointed by the lack of progress being made reforming the province's system of senior care.
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CUPE Alberta president Marle Roberts said the union, which represents 2,600 long-term care workers throughout the province, has repeatedly asked the current and previous Alberta governments to shift its focus to publicly-delivered services. "This study confirms what others have indicated before - caregivers in public facilities have more times for patients and deliver better outcomes," said Roberts.
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We are disappointed that the number of private beds continue to increase, while the number of public beds has dropped ... We are letting patients down by not offering them the care they need," she added.
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A report from the Parkland institute claims there has been a trend away from publicly- run long-term care beds, such as those at the Westlock Continuing Care Centre (seen above). The number of long-term care beds offered by private organizations or non-profit organizations, on the other hand, is on the rise.
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shared by Govind Rao on 30 Sep 14
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For-profit LTC beds attract fewer applicants than not-for-profit beds |Defending Public... - 1 views
ochuleftwords.blogspot.ca/...it-ltc-beds-attract-fewer.html
from heather ltc cupe ontario beds privatization
shared by Govind Rao on 30 Sep 14
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Monday, September 29, 2014
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For-profit LTC beds attract fewer applicants than not-for-profit beds
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Government data suggests for-profit long-term care beds are less desired by the public than not-for-profit beds. There are long wait lists for a beds in long-term care (LTC) facilities. (This is driven by the government's decision to add only a few new LTC beds despite the rapid growth in the number of people 85 and older, the main users of these beds.) But some LTC facilities attract longer line-ups than others.
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York U research program to shed light on gender influences in senior care work | York M... - 1 views
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will be supported by eight partner organizations
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“LTC work is increasingly precarious, fast-paced and low paid and that leads to health implications.
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Comparative studies exploring LTC working conditions among various provinces, as well as Canadian conditions in comparison with those in Germany, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States, are proposed as part of the five-year plan.
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York University Professor Tamara Daly will lead a research program studying the gendered health impacts of performing paid and unpaid care work for seniors in long-term care (LTC) settings.
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The professor has been awarded one of nine Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) research chairs in Gender Work and Health. The program, Working well: understanding how gender influences working conditions and health in long term care settings across Canada and internationally, will receive $800,000 in CIHR funding over five years
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“Health care work is unhealthy and at times dangerous work, with the most challenging conditions prevailing in LTC settings. We don’t often talk about gender in LTC settings even though care work is primarily performed by women,” says Daly, a professor at the School of Health Policy and Management in York U’s Faculty of Health.
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(Watch the video)
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Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions | Canadians identify major gaps in long-... - 0 views
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The survey of 934 Canadians found that only 56.4 per cent of respondents who had a close relative use long-term care in the past 12 months rated the experience positively, substantially lower than the 72.6-per-cent who gave health care in general a positive rating.
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"Canada's long-term care system is too complex and care providers and families are expected to do too much with too little," Silas said.
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A large majority of respondents identified shortages in the availability of both home care (77.6 per cent) and long-term care services (78.5 per cent) as major problems facing health care in Canada.
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In addition, close to two thirds of respondents believed there is currently insufficient qualified staff available in both home care (68.4 per cent) and long-term care (63.7 per cent) settings.
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An overwhelming 77.6 per cent of respondents identified a strong preference for home care over institutional care.
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The highest rating in the survey, 96 per cent, was given to the importance of having a qualified nurse on duty.
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Poll: Canadians much less satisfied with LTC than health care in general (56% compared with 73%). Large majority identified shortages with LTC (79%) and home care (78%).
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Blame doctors for drugging of seniors, Matthews says; Health minister recognizes 'serio... - 0 views
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Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews acknowledged the drugging of seniors in provincially regulated nursing homes is a problem but suggested doctors are responsible.
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"Let's remember, it's doctors who prescribe these drugs, not the government," Matthews told reporters in a heated scrum at Queen's Park
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The Star article, published Monday, revealed some long-term care homes, often struggling with staffing shortages, are routinely doling out these risky drugs to calm and "restrain" wandering, agitated and sometimes aggressive patients. At more than 40 homes across the province, roughly half the residents are on the drugs. At close to 300 homes, more than a third of the residents are on the drugs.
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Matthews' suggestion that the government is not involved in prescribing decisions "outraged" the head of the registered nurses association, Doris Grinspun.
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Grinspun said the province can do more to boost training and staffing levels at nursing homes so that caregivers rely less on antipsychotics to control agitation in those with dementia.
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While doctors ultimately make the decision to prescribe, experts the Star spoke with said it is often done after consulting with long-term care home staff, including nurses and personal support workers, or PSWs.
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Matthews, who cautioned reporters that the information the Star has is "raw data," added that her government is making investments in care plans that will provide "alternatives to that pharmaceutical solution."
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Nursing homes and the association representing them have also acknowledged the problem and called on the province to act. A fellow member of Matthews' Liberal government, MPP Donna Cansfield, has said the province must act.
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Several homes with high rates told the Star they are trying to get their prescribing rates down. Where possible, they want to devote resources to "behavioural" therapies, whereby caregivers are trained to identify and neutralize what triggers agitation in residents with dementia. Triggers may include hunger or physical contact in common living areas.
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LTC staffing hours become an issue again, after the Star reveals overuse of antipsychotic drugs in LTC facilities in Ontario. This may be an issue across Canada.
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Canadians close their eyes to the staggering cost of elder care: Goar | Toronto Star - 0 views
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the topic — Paying for Elder Care
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David Baker, assistant vice-president of Sun Life Financial. He made the case for private long-term care insurance.
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Michel Grignon, director of the Centre for Health Economics and Policy at McMaster University. He made the case for a universal public insurance plan to cover long-term care.
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backed up by a 27-page study
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the price tag — an estimated $1.2 trillion over the next 35 years
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The final speaker was Michael Decter
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The challenge is not insurmountable, he assured the audience. Germany has done it. Several other nations — Japan, Korea, the Netherlands and Luxembourg — are following the same path. But it will require a mix of public and private funding.
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What all three speakers agreed on was that it is critical to get Canadians thinking and talking about this issue. The existing elder care system is breaking under the strain — the waiting list for a spot in a nursing home is approximately 20,000 in Ontario alone — and the baby boom hasn’t even hit its heavy-need years. Home care is severely underfunded. And hospitals, the most expensive option, can’t accommodate an influx of frail, elderly patients.
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Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) - 1 views
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As Canada's population ages, a growing number of frail seniors will require long-term care
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This IRPP study examines which financing schemes are most likely to ensure universal coverage of long-term care services in an equitable and efficient way, and what should be the role of governments in that regard.
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Private long-term-care insurance is, by its very nature, subject to significant market failure
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Grignon and Bernier conclude that the ideal plan would provide full coverage for the services deemed necessary (based on a standard evaluation of care needs), which would necessitate an open-ended budgetary envelope.
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Their analysis indicates that it would be preferable to finance such a plan through a sales tax
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McMeekin visits trendsetting Assess and Restore Unit - Infomart - 0 views
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The Villa's Assess and Restore Unit started in 2007 under a different name, and, in 2009, the Hamilton-Niagara Local Health Integration Network took over funding. But the Villa project has taken the lead in returning people home healthy - instead of clogging up long term care or hospital beds at higher costs.
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The Villa is able to offer the services of a large long term care facility to recovering patients - services they would not get if they were still in hospital.
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"Hospitals are great for acute care," Gadsby said. "We're good for cost effectiveness - hospitals aren't."
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The nurses also pointed out getting patients out of hospital as soon as possible means they aren't exposed to a variety of other illnesses and infections.
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It's a model the Hamilton-Niagara Local Health Integration Network started supporting in 2009, after it had been running at the Villa for two years, and even re-created in other locations. The Villa started a "transitional" bed program in January 2007 in partnership with Hamilton hospitals - with the goal of returning more people to their own homes instead of putting them in long term care and keeping them out of the hospital. The LHIN took over funding in 2009.
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Growing senior population raises questions - Infomart - 0 views
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Those keeping track estimate that by 2030 it will nearly double from 4,600 people aged 75 and over to 8,000. Those working in long-term care see the pressure coming. "I think there's a need for more beds across the province," said Norm Quenneville, administrator of Glen-Stor-Dun Lodge. "Cornwall is certainly an area that would benefit."
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And yet, the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) is confident no new long-term care beds are needed
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In the 2012 auditor general's report, the Champlain region was listed as having the longest median wait times, with 90% of people being placed within 1,100 days.
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Today that statistic has fallen considerably, with the average wait at 208 days and the median wait time 81.
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But the push to not build or expand any long-term care homes -- an expensive undertaking -- also comes from the belief by those holding the purse strings that they have a better formula for budgeting those coveted health-care dollars.
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So the focus has become trying to keep seniors in their homes -- with the help of community programs -- for just a few months longer, shortening the average long-term care home stay to less than three years where possible.
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This not only has relieved a burden on the wait lists, but also a burden on the hospital.
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Seniors were more and more frequently taking up hospital beds to a high in January 2011 when 51 seniors were waiting at the Cornwall Community Hospital to go into care elsewhere. Now, LeClerc said, there are 14.
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"We actually found that if we were to provide a range of services in the community, that up to a third of the people on the waiting list could come off the waiting list and be cared for in the community," said LeClerc.
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"We are no longer, to the extent possible, having people make the decision to go to a long-term care home from hospital," said LeClerc.
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e care has concerned Cornwall Coun. Andre Rivette, who has said that home care places too high of a burden on families providing care. "They're saying that 82% of residents in Glen-Stor-Dun (Lodge) have dementia or Alzheimer's," he said. "Home care is not going to be of any use for the (82%)."
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CFHI - Antipsychotic Reduction Collaborative - 0 views
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Reducing Antipsychotic Medication Use in Long Term Care Across Canada, more than one in four seniors in long term care (LTC) is on antipsychotic medication without a diagnosis of psychosis. The rates vary greatly between LTC homes and jurisdictions, pointing to the potentially inappropriate use of these medications. In 2014-2015, CFHI worked with 56 long term care homes that agreed to curb the inappropriate prescribing of antipsychotic medication to seniors. Participants received seed funding and training to implement programs to reduce and eliminate antipsychotic use, along with coaching and mentoring, educational materials, tools, and forums for sharing with other sites. The goal was to lower the use of antipsychotics, and improve the quality of care and quality of life for residents.
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LTC residents with dementia need action, more hands-on care not another provincial cons... - 0 views
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A provincial consultation on dementia care announced yesterday by the Ontario government looks good on paper but it's yet another tactic to delay action on providing tens of thousands of long-term care residents and home care patients living with dementia, the higher level of care they need today.
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CFHI - Antipsychotic Reduction Collaborative - 0 views
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Across Canada, more than one in four seniors in long term care (LTC) is on antipsychotic medication without a diagnosis of psychosis. The rates vary greatly between LTC homes and jurisdictions, pointing to the potentially inappropriate use of these medications. In 2014-2015, CFHI worked with 56 long term care homes that agreed to curb the inappropriate prescribing of antipsychotic medication to seniors.
CUPE Manitoba LTC report - 0 views
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Health Council Canada. Seniors in need, caregivers in distress: What are the home care ... - 1 views
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Good: * documents high level of care needs of home care clients, unmet needs, user fees, and variation between provincial programs * calls on governments to spend more on home care of all types (but not necessarily new money, see below) * re. substitution for hospital care, says that intensive home care supports need to be in place or family caregivers will burn out (p. 18, 19, 53) * recommends competitive wages and benefits, maximized scopes of practice, and opportunities for career development and continuing education for home care workers (p. 49-50, 56)
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Bad: * No mention of privatization and the impacts. * Argues for substitution of home care for hospital beds without mentioning (1) hospital overcrowding and associated problems, or (2) that a significant part of the savings comes from poor pay/benefits/conditions for home care workers * Does not call on governments to spend more on home care as additional money - rather "determine how best to allocate funds" and find "appropriate balance" (p. 55) * Recommends investment in home care before any new LTC beds, referring to Denmark without highlighting that Denmark spends more than Canada on residential LTC (1.02 vs 0.96% GDP) as well as spending far more on home care (1.02 vs 0.21% GDP) see p. 53- and that Denmark provided job security and wage parity in the shift from residential to home-based care. * Mentions self-managed care (individualized spending) in positive light (p. 54) and John Abbott promoted it at CFNU March 8 continuing care event.
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Questions: * Claims 51% increase in home care recipients in the last decade (p. 6 citing a 2008 report), but McGrail 2008 report claims 1% (vs 6% growth in overall spending, i.e. more spent per user) between 1994-2004. * Claims that 93% of seniors want to stay at home as long as possible (p. 6), which in some media coverage was interpreted as "93% prefer home care to residential LTC". On the latter, I've seen far lower estimates, e.g. 75% - and confidence in provider, sense of security more important than location. * Are the claims re. home superior to hospital care well substantiated, i.e. how strong are those studies? (e.g. claim that Home First is "better for patients", p. 19 - citation is a LHIN report, but LHINs push this policy on families), also p. 39 * Ontario Home First different than NS Home Again program; NS provides up to 56 hr/wk for 60 days, higher than Ontario? (p. 19)
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Seniors in need, caregivers in distress: What are the home care priorities for seniors in Canada? explores the growing issue of home care in Canada. The report takes a deeper look at the seniors who are receiving home care, the family caregivers that are lending support, as well as the challenges of home care in Canada.
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shared by Govind Rao on 25 Sep 14
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Ontario government indifference fostering systemic neglect, hastening incontinence of L... - 1 views
cupe.ca/ing-incontinence-ltc-residents
from heather cupe ontario ltc continuing care research campaign
shared by Govind Rao on 25 Sep 14
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Ontario government indifference to care quality, provincial policies and low funding for long-term care are fostering systemic neglect of residents, say personal support workers (PSWs) and registered practical nurses (RPNs) who took part in intensive focus group sessions in five Ontario communities. “What PSWs and RPNs told us are frank, powerful and often heartbreaking accounts of how, despite their outmost efforts and dedication, they are forced to provide what amounts to substandard care to residents,” said Kevin Tyrrell, a regional vice-president with the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) in releasing the focus group report, Long-Term Care in Ontario: Fostering Systemic Neglect, at a Fort Frances media conference today.
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Ontario government indifference fostering systemic neglect, hastening incontinence of L... - 0 views
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Ontario government indifference fostering systemic neglect, hastening incontinence of LTC residents, finds PSW, RPN focus group study23/September/2014 08:00 AM
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Kenora, ON – Ontario government indifference to care quality, provincial policies and low funding for long-term care are fostering systemic neglect of residents, say personal support workers (PSWs) and registered practical nurses (RPNs) who took part in intensive focus group sessions in five Ontario communities. “What PSWs and RPNs told us are frank, powerful and often heartbreaking accounts of how, despite their outmost efforts and dedication they are forced to provide what amounts to substandard care to residents,” said Kevin Tyrrell a regional vice-president with the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) in releasing the focus group report - Long-Term Care in Ontario: Fostering Systemic Neglect - at a Kenora media conference today.
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From Bad to Worse :: Parkland Research :: Parkland Institute - 0 views
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published November 06, 2013
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From Bad to Worse: Residential elder care in Alberta by Shannon Stunden Bower, David Campanella
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The replacement of LTC with AL Elders who would once have been placed in LTC have increasingly been diverted into AL.
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shared by Govind Rao on 26 Aug 15
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Simcoe North by-election candidates urged to commit to make long-term care safer; Media... - 0 views
cupe.ca/are-safer-media-conference-set
from heather cupe Ontario ltc continuing care campaign workload
shared by Govind Rao on 26 Aug 15
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Aug 25, 2015
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ORILLIA, ON― As Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) investigate an Orillia nursing home resident’s tragic death earlier this summer, advocates for safer long-term care (LTC) are holding a media conference Thursday to urge Simcoe North provincial by-election candidates to commit to make LTC homes safer for residents. Organized by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario and the Family Council Network 4 Advocacy Committee, the media conference is slated for August 27 at 12:30 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion, 215 Mississauga Street East, Orillia. The groups have worked together for several years advocating for changes to long-term care legislation such as a four-hour daily care standard for residents and increased staffing levels. Two policy shifts, that experts believe would improve resident safety and care quality.
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Seniors Residential Care in Canada: Can We Afford It? - 0 views
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The Conference Board of Canada, September 17, 2015 at 03:00 PM EDT Live Webinar by Philip Astles
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As the population ages, Canadian policy makers and individuals are asking themselves the same question: Will we be able to pay for our long-term care needs in the future? Currently, the amount individuals pay for residential Long Term Care (LTC) varies widely between provinces, with public funds picking up the majority, or even all, of the bill. However, the pressure on both individual and government finances is set to further increase as a consequence of a large, looming funding gap for the sector. Even now, those wishing to access the system can face long waits for LTC spaces, leading to unneeded distress for seniors and their loved ones. Further, the consequences of this access crunch have a significant bearing on other parts of our already stretched health care system. So what can be done to mitigate the current issues and looming challenges?