Staffing levels at Extendicare Michener Hill in Red Deer continue to cause concerns.
One family says they were told that if they needed a lift, they could rent one from the Lending Cupboard. An 89-year-old grandmother was told that nobody had time to help her to the toilet, so she would simply have to “go” in her pants and they’d clean her up later.
Critics say it all boils down to staffing levels that are too low to meet the needs of people who have recently transferred from two Red Deer nursing homes operated by Alberta Health Services into care at the new seniors care facility.
The privately-owned care facility, operated by Extendicare with funding from the province, opened in September.
One woman told the Advocate on Tuesday that two caregivers is not enough on a household unit where they have to cover all the needs of 12 residents, including serving their meals, helping them in and out of bed and looking after general cleaning for the unit.
She asked that her name not be used because she feared there might be repercussions against a family member at the centre.
She said a sign was posted on the bulletin board about going to the Lending Cupboard for a lift, but it was taken down.
Myrna Kesse said her grandmother couldn’t wear her hearing aid for at least four days because the nurse in charge didn’t have time to flush the wax out of her ears, which included getting the appropriate requisition from a doctor. Kessel said her grandmother was told once no one had time to take her to the bathroom, so she could go in her clothes and they’d clean her later when time allowed.
Extendicare spokesperson Rebecca Scott said from her office in Toronto that Extendicare Michener Hill has no staffing shortages under the requirements set by Alberta Health Services.
An audit performed last week revealed that staffing meets AHS standards for the facility that provides housing for up to 220 long-term care and 60 assisted living residents, said Kerry Bales, vice-president for AHS in Central Alberta.
AHS has set a standard of 3.6 direct care hours per resident per day in the long-term care facility, Bales said.
But that’s just not good enough for the way units are set up at Extendicare Michener Hill, said retired nurse Brenda Corney, whose mother Dorothy lives in one of the units.
Extendicare Michener Hill is a complex of household units that house 10 to 12 people each, with a common kitchen and living area, said Corney.
The staff work hard and it’s a beautiful facility, she said. But there are a number of tasks that require two sets of hands, including using a lift to transfer patients from their wheelchairs to the toilet.
All the time that those two hands are busy in that task, there is nobody around to look out for the other residents on the unit and there is nobody available to cover for them. When one person takes a break, there is only one person available for the entire unit.
That’s different from the now closed Valley Park Manor or Red Deer Nursing Home, because while the staffing ratios are the same, the units were larger, enabling staff to work more efficiently and cover for each other during breaks, she said.
Corney also said there is only one lift for every two units.
Viggo Nielsen, president of the Central Alberta Council on Aging, said he is asking people who live at Extendicare Michener Hill or who have family members living there to keep track of staffing problems.
Right now, the council has only anecdotal and second-hand information about how the current staffing model is affecting residents, said Nielsen. Better data would paint a clearer picture, he said.
Alberta Health Services is also asking that people get in touch with their patient care services officer to report difficulties, said Bales. Priority will be given to people who identify themselves as residents of Extendicare Michener Hill and their families, he said.
Alberta Health Services had not received complaints about issues with staffing levels by Tuesday afternoon, said Bales.
Seniors and Community Supports Minister Mary Anne Jablonski, whose Red Deer North riding includes the Extendicare Michener Hill site, said her office had so far received only five complaints about the facility, mostly involving staffing issues, said Jablonski.
The MLA said she was impressed at what she saw when she visited the site with Health Minister Gene Zwozdesky during the weekend.
Jablonski said that while staffing at Extendicare Michener Hill satisfies Alberta Health Services, her office is monitoring the situation there to determine if changes are needed.
Bales said people who have complaints are asked to call toll-free to 1-866-561-7578 or go online to www.albertahealthservices.ca and look for the patient concerns and feedback link.
bkossowan@www.reddeeradvocate.com