The province’s Seniors’ Advocate has written Health Minister Tom Osborne seeking an immediate review of the province’s Personal Care and Long Term Care homes.
A significant review is one of the recommendations in a 2019 Senior’s Advocate report titled “Long May Your Big Jib Draw: Setting Sail.”
Seniors’ Advocate Susan Walsh says issues related to the care of seniors in Personal Care and Long Term Care homes were noted in 2018-2019, leading to calls for a review.
Now comes word that at least seven patients/families have been notified after an investigation was launched into an inappropriate picture taken of a patient without their consent.
Walsh says the details shared by family members through ongoing Engagement Sessions are “heart-wrenching and fundamentally wrong.”
“We can and must do better,” says Walsh and she’s recommending that the Department of Health contract an external expert in residential care for seniors to review personal care and long-term care homes to determine that they meet the needs of seniors, that they meet required staffing ratios, and that speaking with residents and their families be part of the review.
