Editor:
I appreciated the editorial comment in PAN’s May 19 issue, regarding challenges of senior care and a need for care facilities but there was no mention of aging in place.
The push towards building facilities is great for developers, businesses and the city coffers but it’s not always best for the individual. The Office of Senior Advocate BC’s own reports note depression percentages are high in residential care homes and other aspects make it not a fit for some people, so what about improving home health services?
Surveys conclude that an overwhelming majority of seniors in Canada want to remain at home but the care they receive from their health authorities is inconsistent.
As a caregiver, I came to realize that the “better at home” program doesn’t fully live up to its name. In several early conversations I felt as if I was getting pushed towards care home facilities rather than creating a long-term in-home care plan based on my loved one’s wishes and needs.
Elsewhere in the world there are successful program models that truly embrace in-home senior care. Options range from modifying their existing homes, building accessible ranch-style houses and designing mixed aged buildings where seniors have access to full care, activities and amenities but also enjoy developing relationships with resident adults and children, too. Their creative approach to community and appropriate hours for care is a good investment, while in Canada we pay a lot for often substandard services.
Ideas for improving home care include:
• More time allocated for travel and visits. Minus 10 minutes for parking, care support workers have 50 minutes or 20 minutes with a client per visit. Hours allocated are based on needs, but there’s a cap on total minutes per day. We are at a maximum-allowable 150 minutes per day, for a wheelchair-bound senior with dementia; the mornings are particularly rushed. I’ve hired private caregivers to provide respite services six hours per week.
• Staff up and train well. Staff shortages, no-shows, and a revolving door of workers means a lack of continuity. Some new workers surprisingly lack knowledge of dementia and equipment-use, resulting in communication and assistance challenges. As for Fraser Health’s Patient Quality Care Office, I’ve been waiting since February to speak with someone about an issue. Care facilities have their problems, too, but most of us aren’t there to see it or hear the complaints. There are many good health care workers who give their all, but conditions are ripe for burn-out.
• More preventative supports and additional therapies. People give up on seniors too soon.
Geriatric professionals talk about the value of social connection, preventative supports, continued brain stimulus, and consistent therapeutic exercise, but this is generally not a priority. Private practitioners fill the gaps, if you can afford it, along with family who take a crash-course in everything.
Some families are driven to place their loved one in facilities due to the excessive amount of management, care giving, and advocacy involved.
Despite the challenges, I have hope that we can be more compassionate and innovative in our approach to aging and senior living. We should make it easier for seniors who wish to live in their home, surrounded by the people and things they love, and their pets.
At some point care at home might become impossible, but until that time, one should receive dignified support.
I am not only advocating for the seniors in my life but also for workers and others who depend on home health services.
J. Chandler, South Surrey